Online graduate education programs rank fourth in nation

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The College of Education’s online graduate education programs, delivered through Penn State World Campus, continue to be recognized as some of the best online degree programs in the nation.Penn State’s World Campus ranks fourth, and first among Big Ten institutions, in 2015 rankings released today (Jan. 7) by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings considered all regionally accredited public, private and for-profit institutions that grant master's degrees in education through Internet-based distance education courses.Through the World Campus, the College of Education offers several master of education degrees, including programs in higher education, and learning, design and technology (LDT), which recently were ranked No. 1 and No. 4 respectively by TheBestSchools.org, a leading resource for campus and online education.“The key to the quality of our online master’s programs is that they are taught by the same College of Education faculty who teach in our classrooms, with support from experienced and skilled online educators, educational support professionals within Penn State's World Campus and leaders in key professional areas,” said David H. Monk, dean of the College of Education. “Whether you are getting your degree online or on campus, you are getting the same high-quality Penn State degree, which I believe is a key factor in our consistently high online program rankings.”U.S. News based its rankings on criteria including student engagement, student services and technology, faculty credentials and training, admissions selectivity and peer reputation. Between the start of data collection in July 2014 and the September 2014 closing date, 252 schools, or 23 percent of the schools surveyed, said they would be offering online education master's degree programs, while the rest either said they would not or chose not to respond. This count is up from 238 schools the previous year.