U of A Programs Delivered Online Do Well in U.S. News Rankings

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Tamla Heminger, who studied online, flashes her University of Arkansas diploma cover during the Dec. 20 commencement ceremony in Barnhill Arena. This Texarkana, Texas, mother of two is a degree candidate for a master's in educational technology from the College of Education and Health Professions.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The graduate education programs delivered online by the University of Arkansas continued to rise in this year’s announcement of best online programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Online engineering programs also fared well in the rankings.

U.S. News ranked the graduate education programs delivered online at No. 35 among all 238 ranked programs. The U of A graduate education programs ranked No. 32 among the public institutions. The U of A was tied with six other universities on the list. Last year, which was the second year U.S. News issued separate rankings for online programs, the graduate education programs were listed at No. 42 of 226 ranked programs.

“We are pleased that our programs in graduate education are moving up in the rankings,” said Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. “By offering these online programs, we are helping to fulfill our land-grant mission of serving the state. Many of the students in these programs are educators working to become principals and superintendents of local schools in their communities. Their ability to earn an advanced degree online, without leaving their homes and their schools, results in a greater leadership pool across the state.”

Graduate education degrees delivered online are master’s and doctoral degrees in adult and lifelong learning; master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in educational leadership; a master’s degree in educational technology; master’s and doctoral degrees in human resource and workforce development education; an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction; a master’s degree in physical education; and a master’s degree in special education.

In calculating the rankings for the graduate education programs delivered online, U.S. News considered student engagement (35 percent), student services and technology (20 percent), faculty credentials and training (15 percent), admissions selectivity (15 percent) and peer reputation (15 percent). The categories and weights assigned in the formula did not change from 2014.

The U of A’s online engineering programs, including a Master of Science in Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree, were ranked No. 29 of 75 ranked online graduate engineering programs and No. 23 for engineering programs at public universities. The M.S.E. degree has been offered since 2009 and is open to students with an ABET-accredited bachelor’s degree in any engineering field. It incorporates classes from the traditional master of science degrees in biological, chemical, civil, computer systems, electrical, environmental, industrial, and mechanical and transportation engineering, as well as operations management. The online electrical engineering degree provides students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with the opportunity to learn about future electric energy systems.

“These online programs are designed to allow students from many different backgrounds to further their engineering education, and they have been very successful in that regard,” said John English, dean of the College of Engineering. “The fact that our online programs have been highly ranked once again is just one reflection of their effectiveness, and I’d like to offer my congratulations to M.S.E. director Ed Pohl and electrical engineering department head Juan Balda, along with their faculty and staff, for everything they’ve accomplished.”

U.S. News ranked online bachelor’s degrees offered at the U of A at No. 148 on the list of best online bachelor’s degrees offered. The publication ranked 219 programs that offer online bachelor’s degrees.

The University of Arkansas Global Campus supports the College of Education and Health Professions, the College of Engineering and other academic units in the development and delivery of online and distance education programs and courses. It provides instructional design services, access to national distance education organizations, and assistance with strategic academic program development, technology support and marketing.

“We are pleased that the online programs from the University of Arkansas continue to rank well in the U.S. News & World Report,” said Javier Reyes, vice provost for distance education. “We congratulate the faculty across the Fayetteville campus for developing and maintaining such high-quality online programs. This U.S. News recognition of the graduate education and engineering programs is an affirmation of the university’s efforts to enhance and expand distance education, which provides extended access for students to educational programs from the state’s flagship institution.”

U of A faculty and their academic departments on campus develop online degree programs and courses, ensuring that quality remains high, Reyes said. The university also participates in initiatives such as the Quality Matters Program, a nationally known nonprofit program of Maryland Online Inc. that sets standards for the design of online courses and provides a peer review process for them.

A full list of online programs and courses is available on the University of Arkansas ONLINE website.