The University of Scranton’s Online MBA and Graduate Education Programs Ranked Among Best in Nation by U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Online Programs ranked The University of Scranton’s graduate program in education No. 13 and its MBA program No. 74 in the nation. The lists, published Jan. 7, ranked online programs offered by nonprofit and for-profit institutions in the United States in categories of “bachelor’s degrees,” and graduate-level programs in business, MBA, education, engineering, nursing, criminal justice and computer information technology.

Scranton’s online graduate program in education was among just 10 Pennsylvania colleges and six Jesuit universities ranked by U.S. News. Scranton’s online MBA program was among the three Jesuit colleges and 10 colleges in Pennsylvania ranked.

For the 2015 Best Online Education Programs ranking, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. For graduate programs in education, the ranking was based on student engagement (35 percent), which includes graduation rates, class size, retention rates and best practices such as accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and collaborative coursework requirements, among other factors; student services and technology (20 percent), which includes student indebtedness and support services; admissions selectivity (15 percent), which includes student GRE scores, GPA and experience of students; faculty credentials and training (15 percent); and peer reputation score (15 percent).

This year, U.S. News ranked MBA programs separately from online graduate business programs. The MBA ranking is based on student engagement (28 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation, collaborative coursework, course evaluation requirements and other factors; admission selectivity (25 percent), which looked at GMAT scores, GPA and experience, among other factors; peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (11 percent); and student services and technology (11 percent).

The University of Scranton offers online a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, healthcare management, international business and operations management; and a Master of Science degree (MS) in the education fields of curriculum and instruction and educational administration (K-12), in addition to a non-degree administration certification program. The University also offers a Master of Science degree online in accountancy, human resources and health administration, as well as certificate programs.

For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Bisk Education for online graduate education degree programs and Deltak for the online MBA degree program and its master’s degrees in accountancy, human resources and health administration.

The 2014 Best Online Education Programs can be viewed at usnews.com.

This is the fourth consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs in education and MBA among the best in the nation. The methodology used by the U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed each year.

In other rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, the University’s MBA ranked No. 5 in the nation for having the best financial value at graduation. In addition, U.S. News has ranked Scranton as one of the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 21 consecutive years. The University is also listed in its “America’s Best Graduate Schools” guidebook.