Three University of Delaware online graduate programs are ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 U.S. News Best Online Programs.

The College of Education and Human Development is ranked 23rd in the Best Online Graduate Education Programs; the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics is ranked 32nd in the Best Online MBA Programs; and the College of Engineering is ranked 46th in the Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs.

“We are elated but not surprised to receive this recognition,” said Louis F. Rossi, dean of UD’s Graduate College and vice provost for graduate and professional education. “We have been investing the resources needed to deliver outstanding in-person graduate offerings and use them as the foundation for top-flight graduate offerings led by world-class faculty in the online arena. We know online students need new kinds of support and access, which we are happy to provide. It’s all part of our mission to bring our unique strengths in graduate education to students who might not be able to come to campus or need more flexibility in the scheduling or timeline of their chosen degree.”

Based on the five general categories of engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, and student services and technologies, programs are evaluated using data reported by the institutions to U.S. News in statistical surveys and from data collected in separate peer reputation surveys.

“Our positions in the U.S. News rankings for these online graduate degrees reflect UD’s strong commitment to offering our students excellent online master’s degrees built on high-quality online teaching by our world-class faculty, positive career outcomes for our graduates and online courses that make learning engaging and interactive,” said George Irvine, UD associate vice provost for Professional and Continuing Studies. “These factors make our online master’s degrees and certificates stand out in a crowded educational marketplace.”

Education and Human Development

The College of Education and Human Development offers four online master’s degrees in literacy, teacher leadership, educational technology, and exceptional children and youth. The curriculum, which is designed to meet the needs of aspiring educational professionals and currently certified teachers, prepares graduates to become leaders in their fields. Courses run for five, seven and 14 weeks, depending on the program, and are created by full-time faculty renowned for both teaching and research.

“At a time when online learning is at the forefront of education efforts, we are thrilled to have this recognition,” said Chrystalla Mouza, director of UD’s School of Education and distinguished professor of teacher education. “Our programs are led by full-time faculty who are not only outstanding educators but they are also active scholars, bringing the latest research into their teaching. Our students work on authentic projects with immediate benefits for their own professional development, their classrooms and beyond.”

Online MBA

The UD Online MBA program offers five areas of emphasis: business analytics, finance, healthcare management, strategic leadership and international business. Four departments in the Lerner College (accounting and management information systems, business administration, economics, and finance) contribute core and elective courses to the online program, which features intensive seven-week terms and access to personal career coaching.

“Moving up 15 places and placing among the top 10% of the 300-plus accredited programs reflects our continuous enhancements to the quality of our Online MBA program,” said Bruce Weber, dean of UD’s Lerner College. “We invest in a transformative experience and our students’ ultimate success. We constantly curate the content of our offerings and update the design our courses. We are proud that our program continues to grow, now attracting a record number of students from across the nation. The fall enrollment of 480 makes it the largest graduate program at UD.”

Engineering

Online graduate engineering programs are offered by the University of Delaware in applied bioinformatics (certificate), railroad engineering (certificate), cybersecurity (certificate and degree), electrical and computer engineering (degree), mechanical engineering (degree), and composite manufacturing and engineering (certificate). Online students take the same courses that full-time, on-campus engineering students take, enabling synergy between research and industry.

“I am incredibly proud that our college’s online graduate programs have been ranked this year,” said Levi T. Thompson, dean of UD’s College of Engineering. “These outstanding programs allow our students to access an extraordinary UD engineering education from home. Our online and in-person programs help engineers advance their careers and sharpen their skills so that they can make a more positive impact on people and the planet.”