Fairfield U’s business school climbs U.S. News’ online program rankings
FAIRFIELD — Fairfield University’s business school ascended through the U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of the best online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the country.
The university’s Dolan School of Business jumped to No. 68 from 75 in the rankings for online master’s in business programs with degrees other than a Master of Business Administration. The rankings, which were released in February, assessed 1,680 bachelor’s and master’s programs and weighed faculty, technology and services for students, “student engagement” and expert insight on academics, according to a U.S. News report.
The Dolan School ranks third among the six in the state that were ranked in the category, trailing the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University.
Jennifer Anderson, Fairfield University’s vice president of marketing and communications, said the school’s rise in the rankings likely came from positive student experience and outcomes. She said 100 percent of students who complete Dolan’s graduate programs find a job in the business field.
“At Fairfield’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business, all students in our graduate programs — whether online or in-person — benefit from the attention of the same faculty members who teach all of our classes,” she said in an email. “While classes might be taught in multiple modalities, the content, smallgroup or one-on-one attention, and career guidance and coaching is offered to all students independent of the modality in which they chose to pursue their degrees.”
She said the university has carved out more ways for students to network outside of online class through Slack, capstone projects with outside corporations and an “immersion abroad experience.”
“Fairfield University’s online graduate programs emphasize extensive interaction with our faculty and fellow students, collaboration and student support,” Anderson said. “As with undergraduate rankings, students should understand the methodology to determine whether rankings reflect characteristics of the program that are important to them.”
U.S. News has received blowback for its rankings in recent years, with some institutions contending they’re structured against programs meant to support socioeconomic diversity through various forms of financial aid. A series of prominent institutions, including Yale and Harvard University, boycotted the law school rankings in protest, spurring changes in their methodology roughly a year ago.
The number of graduates receiving student loans no longer factors in the rankings of online programs, nor do standardized tests, according to the U.S. News report. Changes to school data can also cause institutions to rise or fall in the rankings, the report states.
The university continued to slide in the online master’s in education programs rankings, falling from 124 last year to 177 in 2024. The School of Education and Human Development had notched a spot at 102 in 2022. The school ranks as the second of three in Connecticut, with Quinnipiac holding the top spot.
U.S. News labeled Fairfield U. the 124th best national university and Sacred Heart as the 209th best in its overall 2024 rankings released in September.
Sacred Heart dropped from No. 49 to No. 57 among the best online bachelor’s programs and moved from No. 58 to 59 in online master’s of nursing programs.
SHU’s online bachelor’s programs are still ranked as the best in Connecticut, and its master’s of nursing programs are listed as the second best out of five behind UConn.
Karen Daley, the dean of Sacred Heart’s nursing school, said the U.S News rankings fail to capture SHU’s total “quality and reputations” but otherwise reflect its online programs. She said the rankings should evaluate state nursing board pass rates, retention, student and alumni satisfaction and job placement.
She said within the last year, the nursing school has added a 10-month track for undergraduate students who are certified as registered nurses to get their bachelor’s degree. Daley said the school has also created a psychiatric mental health nursing program for master’s and post-master’s students.
SHU has kept its online courses in line with accreditation standards while using “state-of-the-art” technology, Daley added. She said faculty are training to teach online programs through Quality Matters, a non-profit meant to help educators build successful online courses.
“Sacred Heart University has highly credentialed and talented faculty trained in online delivery and use a high-touch, high-quality model to ensure the students have full access to faculty and University resources,” Daley said.