New rankings emphasize "opportunity" to continue building UMass Online, says President Meehan
BOSTON – Online programs at the University of Massachusetts received high marks again in this year’s Best Online Programs rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
Two UMass programs ranked within the top 30 in the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs category, with UMass Amherst at No. 23, and UMass Lowell at No. 29. Amherst and Lowell were also the top two online bachelor’s programs in New England for the second consecutive year. In the same category, UMass Dartmouth ranked No. 113, rising ten spots over last year’s rankings, and UMass Boston ranked No. 93.
“UMass is, and will continue to be, a national leader in online higher education,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “These rankings validate the hard work of our dedicated faculty, staff and students and emphasize the opportunity that we have at UMass to continue building on a winning high-quality online model.”
UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell were also highly ranked in the new Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans category, coming in at No. 18 and No. 22 in the nation, respectively.
Three UMass online MBA programs rank in the top 100 nationally, with UMass Lowell at No. 22, UMass Amherst at No. 28 and UMass Dartmouth at No. 95. In the Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans category, the same campuses perform even better, with UMass Lowell ranking No. 16, UMass Amherst ranking No. 22 and UMass Dartmouth ranking No. 53.
"These high rankings again underscore the excellence UMass Online provides in delivering academic programs that address the needs of adult students and employers seeking to advance skills of its workforce," said UMass Online CEO Don Kilburn. "It's one of many reasons students continue to choose UMass when they want a quality, affordable and relevant education."
In addition to the rankings previously listed, UMass programs were prominently featured in a number of different categories, including:
- UMass Amherst: No. 10 in online Finance MBA
- UMass Amherst: No. 23 in online Graduate Nursing, rising 12 spots over last year’s rankings
- UMass Boston: No. 35 in online Graduate Education, rising 21 spots since last year
- UMass Dartmouth: No. 48-58 (range) in online Graduate Information Technology
- UMass Lowell: No. 26 in online graduate business program (excluding MBA)
- UMass Lowell: No. 3 in online Graduate Criminal Justice, ranking No. 2 in the veteran-specific category
- UMass Lowell: No. 13 in online Graduate Information Technology and No. 8 in online Graduate Information Technology for veterans
- UMass Lowell: No. 15 in online Graduate Education
According to U.S. News & World Report, the Best Online Programs are those that excel according to traditional academic standards – such as graduation rates and faculty qualifications – and those that effectively adjust programs and student services for online learners.
Online programs at UMass have been steadily growing in recent years, with total revenues reaching a record-high $116 million in Fiscal Year 2019.
The full list of rankings are available on U.S. News & World Report’s website at www.usnews.com/education/online-education/.
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