UofSC excels in newest online degree rankings
Posted on: January 7, 2015; Updated on: January 7, 2015
By April Blake, ablake@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-5984
The University of South Carolina has three graduate programs ranked among the best in the nation in the latest U.S. News and World Report’s Best Online Education Programs.
The 2015 rankings released Wednesday place Carolina’s College of Nursing, which offers master’s and doctoral level degree options in third place nationally, tied with Johns Hopkins University. “This ranking underscores our momentum and commitment to quality education as we accelerate our national prominence,” Dean Jeannette Andrews said. “We have a very purposeful and strategic agenda that our students, faculty, staff, alumni and clinical partners are all dedicated to achieving.”
Online graduate degree programs are becoming a more natural choice for busy professionals who wish to seek higher education opportunities without leaving the workforce. The U.S. News and World Report rankings are based on student engagement, admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and training, peer reputation, and student services and technology.
The College of Education has been offering online degree programs for 10 years, beginning with a master’s degree in educational administration for graduate students pursuing careers in school administration. What is their ranking? The College ranked 18 in this year’s USNWR. Since then, three other degree programs have been added, including a master’s in teaching, educational technology, and higher education business administration.
“We are proud to have our College represented within the top 20 online programs. It is due to the hard work of our faculty and staff who require the same quality and rigor for our online programs as our traditional programs,” Dean Lemuel Watson said. “At Carolina’s College of Education, we are committed to providing access to high quality programs to students all over our state, and I am proud of our faculty who are diligent in their care to provide the kind of learning experiences that prepares students for their professional fields.”
The College of Engineering and Computing, which ranked 52 in this year’s USNWR, has offered their online graduate degree program for decades to best serve professional engineers working in the field. Degrees offered include the Master of Engineering Management and System Design degrees, as well as doctoral level degrees.
“We know that working professionals need flexibility when it comes to being able to further their education and we work with the industries our graduates will be in to ensure we are educating professionals that have the right skills that these companies need,” said Dean Tony Ambler.
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