U.S. News & World Report ranks UIS online programs among the best in the nation

The University of Illinois Springfield’s online bachelor’s degree programs have been ranked the 31st best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The 2014 Best Online Programs Rankings were released on January 8, 2014.

The UIS graduate education and graduate business programs were also ranked among the top 100 best online programs nationwide.

“These rankings once again highlight the high-quality learning experience online students are receiving at UIS,” said Chancellor Susan J. Koch. “Online classes are taught by talented faculty who work very hard to provide an abundance of learning opportunities and provide strong support for online students.”

U.S. News & World Report looked at best practices and factors, such as graduation rates, assessments, class size, retention rates, and time to degree deadline in determining the rankings. They also examined program peer reputation, accreditation, faculty education, student debt at graduation, and technologies and services available to online students.

“This recognition reflects the quality of our courses and our responsiveness to online students,” said Ray Schroeder, UIS Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning. “To be ranked among the top online bachelor’s degree programs in the country and among the best graduate programs in business and education is an honor that very few other universities have received.”

UIS offers eight undergraduate degrees online in Business Administration, Computer Science, English, History, Liberal Studies, Management Information System, Mathematics, and Philosophy. An online education master’s degree is offered in Teacher Leadership and a graduate business degree in Management Information Systems (MIS).

UIS is a premier public university that provides students with a high-quality liberal arts education, exceptional public affairs opportunities, and outstanding professional preparation programs. UIS has four core strengths: (1) a teaching-focused academic experience; (2) an abundance of opportunities to collaborate; (3) a right-sized supportive community; and (4) a tradition of educating public servants and leaders. UIS has four colleges: business and management; education and human services; liberal arts and sciences; and public affairs and administration.

View the U.S. News & World Report rankings online at www.usnews.com/education/online-education. For more information, contact Ray Schroeder at 217/206-7531 or email rschr1@uis.edu.