Graceland University Top 10 Rankings by US News & World Report

Graceland University’s master’s programs in education and nursing were ranked in the top 10 Best Online Programs in the country by the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings edition of the Best Online Education Programs.

Graceland’s Online Masters Programs’ rankings are:

• #5 in the country for Graduate Education programs
• #9 in the country for Graduate Nursing programs

The rankings improve on three years of Graceland University top 20 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The 2015 rankings evaluate information and data from nearly 1,000 online degree programs.

President Sellars praised the nursing and education faculty and staff noting, “We are incredibly pleased by the announcement of the new U.S. News & World Report rankings. Graceland University continues to strive to provide excellent educational opportunities across the board, and these programs are obviously getting it right. We commend the faculty and staff in these areas for their dedication and hard work.”

Programs for distance learners that are 100 percent online were ranked numerically, just like traditional colleges and graduate schools. For the 2014 edition of the Best Online Graduate Programs rankings, U.S. News incorporated program ratings by peer institutions. Other criteria were:

• Student engagement
• Faculty credentials and training
• Student services and technology
• Admissions selectivity

Online programs are becoming more prevalent each year as students need the convenience of an online environment, and online education plays an increasingly important role in higher education, as more and more schools join the list of educational institutions offering online courses, making it difficult to stand out. Graceland is meeting the challenge by consistently providing academic excellence.

“According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, people with a bachelor’s degree earn 84 percent more than those with only a high school diploma in their lifetimes — making online education, with its flexibility, an increasingly popular option. Online education allows people to attend school without having to quit their jobs or disrupt their lives. This is why online education is becoming an essential part of Graceland’s education,” said Graceland University President John Sellars.

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform, digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. U.S. News & World Report’s signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its “Best” series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans and more.