Charlotte ranks No. 4 in nation for online bachelor’s degrees

January 24, 2023
Categories: General News Tags: Academic Affairs, Chancellor

UNC Charlotte has strengthened its reputation as one of the nation’s top providers of online education, rising to No. 4 (tie) on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees ranking, which was released Tuesday, Jan. 24.

This is the second consecutive year that UNC Charlotte has ranked in the top 10 nationally for its online bachelor’s degree programs, and the University has risen 30 spots over the past three years as its online portfolio supporting working professionals has grown. Charlotte is ranked first in North Carolina, the only university in the state to rank in the top 15.

U.S. News’ metrics for the online undergraduate rankings — which include student engagement, support given to students, and instructor training and credentials — were developed to identify degree completion programs for students who already have some college credit.

Online graduate programs rankings

U.S. News also recognized three UNC Charlotte master’s disciplines in its Best Online Master’s Degree rankings, which also were released on Jan. 24:

  • Best Online Master’s in Education: No. 23 (tie)
  • Best Online Master’s in Nursing: No. 37 (tie)
  • Best Online Master’s in Engineering: No. 62

The Cato College of Education also was recognized for its master’s specialty in curriculum and instruction, which ranked No. 17 (tie) based on a survey of peer institutions across the country.

Rising in rankings

“We are pleased to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a national leader in the development of high-quality, affordable online programs for working professionals,” said Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “This further illustrates the work our award-winning faculty and staff have done to streamline and develop online programs since we launched the School of Professional Studies in 2021.”

Charlotte Online, through the School of Professional Studies, provides access to more than 50 online degree programs. All programs are geared toward working adults.

The Belk College of Business began offering a fully online MBA program in August, and two new online degree programs debuted this month, a Master of Science in Mathematics, Math Education concentration and a bachelor’s in professional studies.

U.S. News evaluated more than 1,800 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for the rankings, the most ever.

According to the publication, while the methodologies are different for each discipline, they all incorporate metrics specific to online learning. Only degree-granting programs that are offered primarily online by regionally accredited institutions are eligible.

This is the latest in a growing number of national rankings for UNC Charlotte.

In November, the University ranked No. 18 in the nation on Newsweek’s student-focused “America’s Top Online Colleges for 2023.” Charlotte was awarded five stars out of five in the report, the highest recognition. Charlotte rose eight spots overall in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings for undergraduate colleges and universities.