These PA Online College Programs Among Nation's Best: U.S. News

Several online programs offered by Pennsylvania universities and colleges are featured in U.S. News’ 2019 rankings of the best such programs.

The rankings, released on Tuesday, evaluate both bachelor’s programs and graduate programs in nursing, education, business and engineering. Over 1,500 online programs are featured in the rankings. Online graduate programs in criminal justice, business (non-MBA) and computer information technology are also ranked.

"Online programs can offer a flexible learning environment for students who have to balance classes with working a full-time job, caring for their family or other responsibilities," Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a press release. "The Best Online Programs rankings allow students to compare accredited programs and find those that best fit their education interests and career goals."

Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide ranked as the No.1 online bachelor’s program. According to U.S. News, schools at the top of the list have lower indebtedness. The average debt for graduates in the top 10 online bachelor’s programs is about $19,000, U.S. News says.

The top online bachelor’s programs offered by Pennsylvania are:

• Pennsylvania State University World Campus — No. 5 bachelor's program
• Robert Morris University — No. 49 bachelor's program
• Clarion University of Pennsylvania — No. 58 bachelor's program
• Drexel University — No. 84 bachelor's program
• Chatham University — No. 123 bachelor's program

The top online bachelor’s programs overall are:

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide (1)
• Arizona State University (2)
• Ohio State University–Columbus (3)
• Oregon State University (3)
• Pennsylvania State University–World Campus (5)
• University of Florida (5)
• University of Illinois–Chicago (5)
• Colorado State University–Global Campus (8)
• University at Buffalo-SUNY (8)
• University of North Carolina–Wilmington (8)
• University of Oklahoma (8)

For those who want to pursue a business degree, the online MBA program at Indiana University–Bloomington was ranked No.1. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill was tied with Indiana University for No.1. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh ranked No.3. The University of Florida ranked No.4 and the University of Southern California was ranked No.5.

The top online MBA programs offered by Pennsylvania colleges are:

• Carnegie Mellon University — No. 3 MBA program
• Pennsylvania State University World Campus — No. 9 MBA program
• Lehigh University — No. 13 MBA program
• Villanova University — No. 13 MBA program
• Drexel University (Lebow) — No. 45 MBA program

Online graduate programs in nursing, education and engineering were also ranked by U.S. News.

Below are the top online programs for each category:

Nursing

• Johns Hopkins University (1)
• Ohio State University (2)
• St. Xavier University (3)
• Rush University (4)
• University of Colorado (4)

Top nursing programs offered by Pennsylvania colleges:

• Clarion University/Edinboro University — No. 35 in Nursing
• Duquesne University — No. 35 in Nursing
• University of Pittsburgh — No. 35 in Nursing
• Drexel University — No. 53 in Nursing
• Robert Morris University — No. 68 in Nursing

Education

• Clemson University (1)
• University of Florida (1)
• Utah State University (3)
• Virginia Commonwealth University (3)
• Michigan State University (5)
• University of Georgia (5)
• University of Iowa (5)

Top education programs offered by Pennsylvania colleges:

• Pennsylvania State University World Campus — No. 9 in Education
• University of Pittsburgh — No. 22 in Education
• Drexel University — No. 54 in Education
• Kutztown University — No. 77 in Education
• Edinboro University — No. 89 in Education

Engineering

• Columbia University (1)
• University of California–Los Angeles (2)
• University of Southern California (2)
• Pennsylvania State University–World Campus (4)
• Purdue University (5)

Top engineering programs offered by Pennsylvania colleges:

• Pennsylvania State University–World Campus — No. 4 in Engineering
• Drexel University — No. 35 in Engineering
• Villanova University — No. 48 in Engineering
• Lehigh University (Rossin) — No. 59 in Engineering

You can view the complete rankings via U.S. News here as well as the methodologies used to compile the rankings for each category.

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