U.S. News and World Report ranked two of DU’s programs in the college of professional and continuing studies among the 2015 Best Online Programs. The two programs include the University College Bachelor of Arts Completion Program, which is ranked No. 27 in the nation, and the Information and Communications Technology program, which is ranked No. 29.
“Being ranked by U.S. News & World Report means we are recognized as a leader in providing quality online education as defined by nationally recognized standards,” said Michael McGuire, Dean of The University College. “Every student looks for different criteria when researching possible programs that fit their needs; while rankings don’t paint the whole picture, they do provide a good sense of the options available to prospective students.”
U.S. News adjusts their criteria from year to year, and DU has done well to keep up with the changes. In just two years, the Bachelor of Arts Completion Program has gone from being ranked No. 153 to No. 27, which McGuire says shows how much work the University College has put in to improving its services.
“As the online degree education market continues to mature and online programs expand and emerge across the nation, we’ll see more universities enter the market and be ranked,” said McGuire. “This year, there were more than 1,200 online degree programs evaluated by U.S. News. That’s about 200 more programs evaluated than last year.”
McGuire also explained that faculty and staff are integral to the quality of The University College online programs and their high rankings.
“Faculty credentials and training play a pivotal role in the ranking methodology,” he said.
The University College offers a mix of practitioner faculty, according to McGuire. They are professionally active in their designated fields.
“This provides our students that career-relevant, practice-based experience along with academic rigor,” said McGuire.
U.S. News weighs faculty credentials and training at 25% when calculating the overall rank. The organization is interested in institutions, much like The University College, that have the resources to train their instructors.
“We have an entire academic quality team dedicated to this endeavor, along with the Office of Teaching and Learning here at DU,” Said McGuire.
U.S. News & World Report measured many different factors when deciding how to rank online programs across the country.
“They rank schools based on five categories,” McGuire said. “These range from student engagement to technology, and admissions selectivity to faculty credentials.”
Additionally, there is a category dedicated to peer reputation.
“This aspect of the rankings assesses program quality that can’t be captured by quantitative data, like the other rankings can be,” said McGuire.
Not only does University College work hard to achieve this high education status, but they also strive to give an education to all who seek one.
“Our enrollments continue to grow here at University College as online programs provide the flexibility for busy adults to fit education into their lives—the average age of a University College student is 37,” he said.
“Our prospective student population likes to know when we rank, and it may contribute to their decision to attend, but rankings typically aren’t the determining factor.”
