U.S. News & World Report Releases the 2015 Best Online Programs Rankings

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2015 Best Online Programs rankings have been released by U.S. News & World Report.  This year's edition includes more than 1,200 programs, which represents an increase of over 20% from 2014.  The rankings are now available on both USNews.com and USNewsUniversityDirectory.com.

The ranked programs are divided into eight categories:  Best Online Bachelor's Programs, Best Online Graduate Business Programs (non-MBA), Best Online Graduate Computer Information Technology Programs, Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs, Best Online Graduate Education Programs, Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs, Best Online MBA Programs and Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs.

Two of the categories are new:

• U.S. News chose to begin ranking the Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs.  This comes as the National Center for Education Statistics has singled out the field as a fast-growing discipline, and agencies like the Secret Service report they are in need of qualified applicants.
• Because MBA programs account for a large majority of graduate business programs, they have been given their own category:  Best Online MBA Programs.  Other graduate business programs, such as accounting and finance, will continue to be ranked in the Best Online Graduate Business Programs category.

"The convenience of distance learning and the increasingly connected nature of society continue to drive the popularity of online education," says Matthew Speer, Director of Sales and Marketing for U.S. News University Connection.  "In 2014, the Online Learning Consortium reported that the percentage of students taking at least one web-based class reached a new high of 33.5%.  We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.  Education seekers of all types – from recent high school graduates just entering college to professionals returning to earn an advanced degree – are clearly sold on the value of online learning."

The U.S. News Best Online Programs rankings are the only distance learning rankings available that evaluate specific programs. Prospective students can use the rankings to gauge program quality, and use the searchable directory to explore additional information on such factors as tuition, program offerings and online services offered to enrolled students.

About U.S. News University Directory
U.S. News University Directory provides comprehensive and unbiased information on more than 2,000 academic institutions directly from U.S. News & World Report, the most trusted source for college and university rankings since 1983. Prospective students can search the nation's best colleges and the nation's best graduate schools offering associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's and MBA degrees, doctoral and PhD degrees, and certificate programs.  And because U.S. News is the leading ranking resource for anyone seeking an on-campus or online degree, students who use the directory can be confident that they are getting the best education advice and information available.

Contact:
Matthew Speer, Director, Sales and Marketing
U.S. News University Connection
866-442-6587
Email

SOURCE U.S. News University Connection

Related Links

http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com