Four UF online programs have ranked among the best in the nation.
The 2016 U.S. News Best Online Programs rankings, released today, placed UF’s education graduate program first in the nation. The master of business administration ranked fourth and the graduate engineering program ranked 44th. UF was also named 11th among all online bachelor’s programs.
U.S. News created the rankings based on student engagement, faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, and peer reputation.
The online graduate education program ranked 13th in 2015. The rise in placement was partially because UF marketed the program better last year, said Andrew McCollough, the UF associate provost for teaching and technology.
“All the colleges, like education, that have a significant online program are constantly trying to make them better,” he said.
He said while rankings are important, the roughly 10,000 students in the online programs are his first priority.
“We look at improvements as a result of student success and student progress,” McCollough said.
But he said he was excited about the online bachelor’s program’s position on the list.
Before UF created the current online bachelor’s program two years ago, students had to complete half of their degree at a state university before being allowed to finish the rest in UF’s online classes. Now, they earn their degrees completely online through UF.
Fourteen undergraduate degrees are now online.
“They are among the pioneers to this process,” McCollough said. “We’re breaking new ground and evolving.”
UF’s online bachelor’s programs ranked 13th last year, said Evie Cummings, the director of UF online.
About 90 percent of students in those programs are from Florida, but students enroll from across the nation, she said.
“All of our hard work is reflected in these updated numbers,” she said. “(The ranking) reflects the fact that there’s a great demand out there to get a University of Florida education.”
Dustan Atkinson said UF’s online MBA program allows him to pursue his degree while working in Atlanta.
“I very quickly came to the decision that UF was the pinnacle and best fit for my situation,” the 32-year-old said.
He said he wasn’t surprised the program ranked fourth, the same ranking it received from last year.
“The high quality of the program is very consistent with the position and the rankings,” Atkinson said.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @k_newberg.
