U of M online programs lauded University has state’s top showing in rankings
The University of Memphis has the most programs ranked in Tennessee by U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best online programs released on Tuesday.
The rankings look at several online academic programs, including bachelor’s degrees, MBA programs and other master’s level programs.
“This progress is the result of the hard work of our great faculty and staff over the past six years,” U of M President M. David Rudd said in a media release. “Six years ago, we had only a single program ranked, our online MBA. We have made remarkable progress, with improvement in nearly every domain.”
Other Tennessee colleges and universities accompanied U of M in the top 100 for online programs in several subjects, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking: Ut-knoxville was the top-ranked school in the state for its online engineering master’s programs, and Ut-martin was the top Tennessee school for its online MBA program.
“We take tremendous pride in our U.S. News & World Report rankings,” Richard Irwin, executive dean for U of M global and academic innovation, said in the release. “Our impressive and consistent ascension is a testament to the U of M’s commitment to quality academic programming and student services. This work, and the subsequent rankings, places us within an elite class of online program providers.”
U.S. News & World Report looked at more than 1,600 online programs. For this year’s rankings, U.S. News reduced the weight of acceptance rates when calculating rankings. By doing that, more credit was given to schools that provide online assistance with registration, admissions counseling and building a resume, according to U.S. News.
The ranking formula was also adjusted for GRE and GMAT scores because many master’s programs do not require those tests. Other factors in the rankings are student engagement, services and technologies, faculty credentials and training, and expert input, according to U.S. News.
Bachelor’s degrees
U of M was the top school in Tennessee for online bachelor’s programs among over 350 schools that were ranked. U of M was ranked No. 52, followed by Lee University at No. 66. In 2019, U of M was ranked No. 58. The University of Tennessee-martin was ranked No. 152 for its online bachelor’s programs. Last year, Ut-martin was ranked No. 200.
MBA programs
Several Tennessee schools ranked in the top 100 for online MBA programs, of over 330 schools. Ut-martin was the top-ranked Tennessee school, at No. 35. Last year, Ut-martin was ranked No. 34.
U of M and Ut-chattanooga are also in the top 100 and are tied at No. 62. This is an increase in rankings for both schools from last year, when U of M was ranked No. 70 and Ut-chattanooga was ranked No. 82.
Other online MBA programs were ranked as well:
❚ Tennessee Tech University, No. 142 ❚ Carson-newman University, No. 172
❚ King University, No. 208
❚ Lee University, No. 233
❚ Bryan College, No. 241.
Education
Only U of M was ranked in the top 100 for online Master’s in Education programs, at No. 96.
Others:
❚ Carson-newman University, No. 154
❚ Tennessee Tech, No. 192
❚ Austin Peay State University, No. 192
❚ Union University, No. 202
❚ Ut-martin, No. 208
❚ Vanderbilt University, No. 215.
Nursing
Online nursing master’s programs were a bright spot for the state. Three Tennessee schools were ranked in the top 100.
Schools in the top 100 are:
❚ U of M, No. 31
❚ East Tennessee State University, No. 77
❚ Union University, No. 95
King University’s online engineering master’s program was also ranked, at No. 122.
Other online programs
The University of Tennessee-knoxville’s online master’s level engineering program was ranked in the top 30 among about 100. Ut-knoxville was ranked No. 29.
Austin Peay State University’s master’s level business program (not its MBA program) was ranked No. 129.
The U of M’s criminal justice program
University of Memphis’ rankings
According to the release, the seven programs that are ranked nationally include:
❚ Online Nursing Program for Veterans, No. 13
❚ Online Criminal Justice (graduate), No. 24 (increased from No. 51-67 in 2018)
❚ Online Nursing (graduate), No. 31
❚ Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans, No. 34
❚ Online Bachelor’s Program, No. 52 (increased from No. 125 in 2018)
❚ Online MBA, No. 62 (increased from No. 89 in 2018)
❚ Online Education (graduate), No. 96 (increased from No. 150 in 2018
Laura Testino covers education and children’s issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@ commercialappeal.com.