SRU online bachelor’s degrees ranked among nation’s best by U.S. News

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U.S. News best online degreesbadge 2017

Jan. 10, 2017

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University's online bachelor degree programs have been ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

SRU offers a trio of online bachelor degree options, including: bachelor of science in interdisciplinary programs; bachelor of science in business administration in management; and a bachelor of science in nursing.

"We are pleased to once again be nationally recognized and have the spotlight shine on the inventive and first-rate instruction provided by our faculty," said SRU President Cheryl Norton. "It is a privilege to be able to deliver the many benefits of an SRU education to even more students - across the country and around the world - through these programs."

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U.S. News assessed more than 1,300 online degree programs based on four categories:

  • Student engagement (40 percent): Quality online bachelor's degree programs promote participation in courses, allowing opportunities to readily interact with instructors and classmates, as is possible in a traditional class setting. Instructors are not only accessible and responsive, but also tasked with helping to create an experience rewarding enough that students stay enrolled and complete their degrees in a reasonable amount of time.

  • Faculty credentials and training (20 percent): Programs employed instructors with academic credentials that mirror those of instructors for campus-based programs, and had the resources to train those instructors to teach distance learners.

  • Student services and technology (20 percent): Programs incorporated diverse online learning technologies allowing greater flexibility. Outside of classes, strong support structures provided learning assistance, career guidance and financial aid resources commensurate with quality campus-based programs.

  • Peer reputation (20 percent): A survey of high-ranking academic officials helped account for intangible factors affecting program quality that were not captured by statistics. Degrees from programs that are well respected by academics may be held in higher regard among employers.

Only programs that offered a 100 percent online environment were considered in the rankings.

Information used to compile the rankings was collected during the summer and fall of 2016 during the U.S. News annual statistical survey of online degree programs.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robert.king@sru.edu

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