Concordia climbs to top-150 ranking for U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs for master's degrees in education

Concordia University, Nebraska has been ranked 149 by U.S. News & World Report for the 2017 “Best Online Education Program,” an increase of 27 spots from 176.

Concordia launched the online M.Ed. in 2011 and has seen steady growth in both students and number of programs.

"Our Master of Education programs in Education Administration, Literacy, Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have been designed by seasoned administrators and classroom teachers to provide our students with a dynamic experience in gaining the knowledge that will not only help them become better educators, but also leaders in their schools and districts,” said Jonathon D. Moberly, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Adult Education.

For the 2017 edition of the Best Online Graduate Education Programs rankings, U.S. News ranked schools based on five general categories:

• Student engagement: Quality online graduate education programs grant aspiring teachers and educational administrators opportunities to readily interact with their instructors and classmates. In turn, instructors are not only accessible and responsive, but they are also tasked with helping to create an experience rewarding enough that students stay enrolled and complete their degrees in a reasonable amount of time.

• Student services and technology: Programs that incorporate diverse online learning technologies allow greater flexibility for students to take classes from a distance. Outside of classes, strong support structures provide learning assistance, career guidance and financial aid resources commensurate with quality campus-based programs.

• Admissions selectivity: Student bodies entering with proven aptitudes, ambitions and accomplishments can handle the demands of rigorous coursework. Furthermore, online degrees that schools award judiciously will have greater legitimacy in the job market

• Faculty credentials and training: Strong online programs employ instructors with academic credentials that mirror those of instructors for campus-based programs, and they have the resources to train these instructors to teach distance learners.

• Peer reputation: A survey of high-ranking academic officials in education helps account for intangible factors affecting program quality that are not captured by statistics. Also, degrees from programs that are well respected by academics may be held in higher regard among employers.

“Our Master of Education programs have held accreditation through the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE) since their inception and are now accredited by the Council for Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP). We are honored that our Master of Education programs have been recognized in this way which is a strong testament to the work of our Master of Education Program Directors," Moberly said.

For more information about the awards and recognition Concordia has received, visit cune.edu/points-of-distinction.