The UF College of Education’s online graduate program trumped 262 other U.S. universities to claim the top spot two years in a row.
The U.S. News and World Report magazine released its 2017 rankings Tuesday, naming the program the best in the nation. In affordability, the college’s online master’s program in educational leadership was also highly ranked, placing 23 out of 231 accredited universities, per The Best Master’s Degrees website.
In its ranking, U.S. News judged universities’ student engagement, student services and technology, admissions selectivity, faculty credentials, training and peer reputation.
Tom Dana, the college’s associate dean of academic affairs, said students are one reason for the high rankings.
“We try to recruit students who are going to show us that they are going to benefit from having a degree because it will help them increase their salary, or get a better job, or get a raise or promotion,” Dana said.
About 90 percent of the 1,700 students across the world enrolled in the online program in 2016 have full-time jobs, Dana said.
The online programs allow professionals to conveniently advance their careers while working, added Bruce Mousa, coordinator of the educational leadership program.
“The ability of the College of Education at the University of Florida to offer programs like these is essential, because in today’s world, students who are working at master’s degrees have jobs, they have families, they have lots of activities,” Mousa said.
The affordability rankings were published in January.
The UF program’s total tuition is $26,424, according to the College of Education’s website.
“The rankings are a recognition of our ability to offer a quality education at a reasonable price,” he said.
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Originally built as P. K. Yonge K-12 Laboratory School in 1932, Norman Hall currently houses the UF College of Education.
