US News just released its ‘Best Online Programs’ rankings. Here’s how Penn State World Campus fared
Penn State World Campus remains one of the nation’s top online schools when it comes to multiple programs, based on U.S. News and World’s annual “Best Online Programs” rankings, which were released Tuesday.
Penn State’s online campus consistently finished within the top 20 in the programs listed by U.S. News, although it did lose some ground compared to the year before.
When it came to the best online bachelor’s programs, for instance, Penn State tied for 16th nationally — but had ranked No. 10 in 2021. PSU’s online MBA program ranked No. 15 this year, beating out prestigious institutions such as Villanova and North Carolina, but tied for No. 7 a year ago.
Of the eight overall areas U.S. News ranked, Penn State remained unranked in two (graduate nursing, graduate criminal justice) and finished no worse than No. 16 in the others. U.S. News reported that it rated more than 1,700 programs this year, an increase of about 100 from last year.
Other overall rankings for the World Campus included Information and Technology (Master’s), with a No. 13 ranking despite a five-spot fall from 2021; Education (Master’s), which tied for No. 8 and fell a single spot from last year; and Business (Master’s/Non-MBA), which tied for No. 12 and dropped two spots. Penn State fared best in Engineering (Master’s), where it rose one spot and finished tied for No. 3 nationally.
The ranking methodologies varied by program but primarily centered on student engagement, faculty credentials, student services and technology. Only programs that are designed to be administered online, and are not just temporarily online due to the pandemic, have been rated.
U.S. News further broke down those eight main areas and programs into some specialty areas — where Penn State again thrived. The World Campus saw its highest rankings in Business (Bachelor’s) with a tie for No. 2, Psychology (Bachelor’s) with a tie for No. 2, Industrial Engineering (Master’s) with a tie for No. 2, Management Engineering (Master’s) with No. 3, Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master’s) with No. 3, Mechanical Engineering (Master’s) with a tie for No. 4, and Education Curriculum and Instruction (Master’s) with a tie for No. 5.
Penn State World Campus also saw consistently high marks when it came to supporting veterans, the highlights of which included a No. 3 veterans ranking in Engineering (Master’s) and a No. 3 ranking in Education (Master’s).
The World Campus’ rankings by US News and how they compared to the Big Ten can be seen below. For full rankings or more information, visit usnews.com/education/online-education.
Best Online Bachelor’s Programs: tied-No. 16 (No. 3 in Big Ten)
Bachelor’s subgroups: For veterans — t-No. 11 (No. 1 in Big Ten); Business — t-No. 2 (No. 1 in Big Ten); Psychology — t-No. 2 (No. 1 in Big Ten)
Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs: Unranked
Criminal Justice subgroups: All unranked
Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs: t-No. 3 (t-No. 1 in Big Ten)
Engineering subgroups: For veterans — t-No. 3 (No. 1 in Big Ten); Civil Engineering — Unranked; Electrical Engineering — No. 7 (No. 4 in Big Ten); Industrial Engineering — t-No. 2 (No. 2 in Big Ten); Management — No. 3 (No. 2 in Big Ten); Mechanical Engineering — t-No. 4 (No. 4 in Big Ten)
Best Online Master’s in Information and Technology Programs: No. 13 (No. 1 in Big Ten)
IT subgroups: For veterans — No. 8 (No. 1 in Big Ten)
Best Online Master’s in Education Programs: t-No. 8 (No. 2 in Big Ten)
Education subgroups: For veterans — No. 3 (No. 1 in Big Ten); Curriculum and Instruction — t-No. 5 (No. 2 in Big Ten); Educational Administration and Supervision — t-No. 10 (t-No. 3 in Big Ten); Educational/Instructional Media Design — No. 3 (No. 2 in Big Ten); Special Education — t-No. 7 (t-No. 2 in Big Ten).
Best Online Master’s in Nursing Programs: Unranked
Nursing subgroups: All unranked
Best Online Master’s in Business (non-MBA) Programs: t-No. 12 (t-No. 2 in Big Ten)
Business (non-MBA) subgroups: For veterans — No. 5 (No. 2 in Big Ten)
Best Online Master’s in Business (MBA) Programs: No. 15 (No. 4 in Big Ten)
Business (MBA) subgroups: For veterans — t-No. 10 (No. 4 in Big Ten); Business Analytics — t-No. 15 (No. 3 in Big Ten); Finance — t-No. 7 (No. 3 in Big Ten); General Management — t-No. 7 (No. 3 in Big Ten); Marketing — t-No. 10 (t-No. 3 in Big Ten)
