Online course enrollment in the United States hit an all-time high in 2010 with more than 6.1 million students, and the trend shows no signs of leveling off, according to a 2011 report by the Babson Survey Research Group.
Enrollment in online classes doubled between 2007 and 2011, driven largely by a stagnant economy and competitive job market, but also by robust online offerings from established public and private institutions, according to the report. At more than 2,500 colleges and universities surveyed, 65 percent of administrators say that online learning is a vital piece of their institution's long-term strategy.
Recognizing the growing importance of online education in the college experience, and the unique formula necessary to make online degree programs successful, U.S. News is releasing its first Top Online Education Programs rankings.
U.S. News ranked 196 online bachelor's degree programs and 523 online master's degree programs in business, engineering, nursing, education, and computer information technology. Programs considered for the rankings needed to have at least 80 percent of their course content available online.
Bachelor's programs were ranked in three distinct categories: student engagement and assessment, student services and technology, and faculty credentials and training. Master's programs had similar ranking categories, but were ranked on student engagement and accreditation, rather than assessment, and had a separate indicator ranking for admissions selectivity.
[See the methodologies behind the Top Online Programs rankings.]
The U.S. News honor roll lists single out schools that ranked in the top third across at least three of these indicator rankings. Honor roll lists were compiled for online bachelor's degree programs and master's degree programs in nursing, business, education, and engineering. Online master's programs in computer information technology have no honor roll because too few programs from the smaller universe of schools met the criteria.
While for-profit institutions such as the University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and American Public University are among the schools with the highest enrollments in online programs, no for-profit institutions received honor roll distinctions. Instead, a handful of public and private institutions with established on-campus programs, in addition to online offerings, received high marks across all categories.
The top performers in online bachelor's degree programs include Pace University in New York and the University of Florida. Auburn University in Alabama made the honor roll for its online master's programs in education and engineering, and George Washington University's master's programs earned the Washington, D.C., school mentions in the education, business, and nursing honor rolls.
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