VCU news

By Brian McNeill

U.S. News & World Report has ranked six of Virginia Commonwealth University’s online programs among the best in the country, with four of the programs ranking in the top 25.

“Building on the excellence of our online offerings is of strategic importance for VCU as we strive to prepare many more learners for the future of work and serve their career-long retooling and re-skilling needs,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “These rankings attest to the quality and impact of our online education programs and bode well for the bold vision we have laid out to expand online education at VCU for the benefit of our students and our community.”

Announced today, the magazine’s annual list of “Best Online Programs,” ranked the VCU School of Nursing as No. 11 for Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs Nursing Administration/Leadership and No. 21 for Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs overall. For both rankings, VCU is No. 1 in Virginia.

“VCU School of Nursing is proud of its online master’s program,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., dean and professor, Doris B. Yingling Endowed Chair, VCU School of Nursing. “The quality of our curriculum and instruction and flexibility that an online format affords means that our students, many of whom already have established and successful careers, can continue to advance by learning anytime, anywhere. We are so pleased to continue to receive recognition of this top-ranked program.”

The VCU School of Education’s online Master’s in Education Program jumped 28 spots in the rankings to No. 25 of the 329 ranked programs in the U.S. The school’s online Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction was ranked for the first time and enters the rankings at No. 19.

“I am excited about the work of our outstanding faculty and staff,” said Andrew Daire, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education. “The availability of high quality online programs is essential in our efforts to reach more students and best accommodate many learners, particularly working professionals.”

The VCU School of Business’s online MBA Program moved up seven spots to rank No. 49 out of 344 ranked programs on the list of Best Online MBA Programs. And the College of Engineering’s online Master’s in Engineering Program moved up 12 spots to rank No. 51.

Learn more about VCU’s rankings at the university’s rankings and recognition page.