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U.S. News releases 2016’s best online education programs

The top bachelor’s and graduate programs of 2016 have been ranked based on the strength of their online education quality, according to U.S. News.

onlineprof [1]U.S. News & World Report [2]released their 2016 Best Online Programs [3]today, which ranks what they say is the academic quality of more than 1,200 U.S.-based distance degree programs.

Now in its fifth year, the U.S. News Best Online Programs serves as a resource to what the publication states is millions of domestic and international prospective students and working adults who are increasingly seeking online education programs for career advancement and degree completion. The directory is searchable, and can be narrowed down to factors such as tuition, program offerings and online services offered for the sake of comparison.

“Online learning is becoming an integral part of higher education, and consumers are hungry for information related to legitimate online degrees,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “The Best Online Programs rankings can help prospective students begin their search for a program that suits both their academic and career goals, as well as their work and family schedules.”

Only degree-granting programs at regionally accredited institutions that are offered predominately online were considered for the rankings. The 2016 Best Online Programs methodologies are based on a number of factors [4], including student engagement, faculty credentials, student services and technology. The rankings were created with what the publication states is extensive diligence in order to ensure that a program was not ranked highly based on the strength of its reputation alone, but instead by the quality of its online education and instructors specifically.

(Next page: Find out which programs came out on top across a host of categories)

For the first time, Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide was ranked first on the list of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs [5], but it also tied with Pennsylvania State University–World Campus. Coming in at third place was Western Kentucky University.

In addition to bachelor’s programs, the 2016 Best Online Programs also includes comprehensive ratings of seven master’s level disciplines. One note of particular interest is the way that some states boast multiple programs in certain categories.

The top three graduate schools in each category are as follows:

MBA [6]

1.) Temple University {also ranked first last year}

2.) Indiana University – Bloomington

3.) University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

Business, non-MBA [7]

1.) Indiana University – Bloomington {also ranked first last year}

2.) University of Connecticut

3.) Arizona State University

Criminal Justice [8]

1.) Boston University

2.) Arizona State University

3.) Sam Houston State University (Texas)

Education [9]

1.) University of Florida

2.) University of Houston

3.) Florida State University

Nursing [10]

1.) University of South Carolina

2.) Medical University of South Carolina

3.) St. Xavier University (Illinois)

Engineering [11]

1.) University of California – Los Angeles

2.) University of Southern California

3.) Columbia University (New York)

Computer Information Technology [12]

1.) University of Southern California

2.) Virginia Tech

3.) Boston University

For complete rankings [3] and more information on the Best Online Programs rankings, visit www.usnews.com/online [13].