Cal State Fullerton’s fully online master’s degree programs in business, engineering and education are ranked among the best in the country — with all moving up in the annual rankings of the 2018 Best Online Degree Programs announced today (Jan. 9) by U.S. News & World Report.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to add these new rankings to Cal State Fullerton’s list of academic honors,” said Kari Knutson Miller, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are committed to offering accessible, affordable, high-quality degrees that prepare our students for success in the global workforce and encourage life-long learning. Our online degree programs are a vital part of this effort.”
This year, the master of science in information technology program ranks 9th out of 119 ranked programs, up from 12th in 2017, in the latest “Best Online Graduate Business Programs” list. CSUF’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics program, offered since 2005, tied with Georgetown University, and is the No. 1 ranked program in California in this category, which does not include MBA programs.
Marking the biggest gain, CSUF’s online graduate programs in engineering climbed to No. 16 out of 67 ranked programs — up from the 2017 ranking of 26th — on the list of “2018 Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs.”
The College of Engineering and Computer Science has offered the master of science in software engineering program since 2004 and introduced the online master of science in environmental engineering program in 2012. The programs tied for the 16th spot with Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge and Texas Tech University. Overall, CSUF’s online engineering programs rank third in California, behind UCLA and USC.
CSUF’s graduate-level online education programs rank 46th out of 219 nationwide institutions, up from No. 47 last year. In 2002, the College of Education launched the master of science in instructional design and technology — the University’s inaugural online degree program.
Since 2002, the college has expanded its fully online options, offering the master of science in education with concentrations in such areas as elementary curriculum and instruction, secondary education, special education, and literacy and reading. In the fall, the college will begin offering a fully online master of science in educational technology program.
In its seventh year of collecting data about distance education, the 2018 U.S. News rankings assessed 1,490 online degree programs, 152 more than on the 2017 list. The rankings also include online bachelor’s degree programs, and graduate degree programs in other fields, including nursing and criminal justice. Only programs that offer 100 percent online classes needed to complete the degree were included. Blended learning programs that combine both online and face-to-face were not included.
U.S. News ranked programs based on five general categories: student engagement, student services and technology, admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and training, and peer reputation. Indicators specific to the Best Online Program rankings focus on graduate indebtedness, course delivery, and academic and career support made available to students remotely.
For more information on how online higher education programs are ranked, the methodologies are described online.