The University of 缅北禁地 Springfield鈥檚 online bachelor鈥檚 degree programs have been ranked 33rd best in the country out of more than 348 institutions by U.S. News & World Report. The January 15 ranking put UIS among the top 10 percent of best online bachelor鈥檚 degree programs in the United States.
鲍滨厂鈥� online master鈥檚 degree programs were also ranked highly by U.S. News and World Report. The management information systems (MIS) online master鈥檚 degree was ranked 33 out of 150 in the non-MBA business category, while the UIS online master鈥檚 degree in education was ranked 77 out of 299 degrees.
鈥淭his is an important recognition that UIS continues to provide exceptionally high quality online learning experiences that are ranked among the top ten percent of those universities that were evaluated,鈥� said Ray Schroeder, UIS associate vice chancellor of online learning. 鈥淭he U.S. News rankings are thorough. They are the most credible among online learning rankings, assessing best practices and validated outcomes in direct comparison to the other top online learning programs nationally.鈥�
In evaluating the best online bachelor鈥檚 degree programs, U.S. News & World Report assessed schools in four general categories including engagement 鈥� promoting student participation in courses and interaction with instructors and classmates, service and technologies 鈥� incorporating diverse online learning technologies allowing greater flexibility for students to take classes from a distance, faculty credentials and training 鈥� employing instructors with academic credentials that mirror campus-based programs and expert opinion 鈥� a survey of high-ranking academic officials.
U.S. News selects factors, known as ranking indicators, to assess each program in the categories outlined above. A program's score for each ranking indicator is calculated using data that the program reported to U.S. News in a statistical survey and a peer reputation survey.
UIS offers 14 online bachelor鈥檚 degree programs in business administration, communication, computer science, English, health care informatics, history, information systems security, liberal studies, management information systems, mathematical sciences, philosophy, political science, psychology and teacher education.
鈥淥nline degree programs provide access for students who are working, have families, and many other responsibilities in their lives,鈥� said Vickie Cook, executive director of the UIS Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. 鈥淥nline programs also offer a learning modality that provides students with more control of their learning, high impact strategies that assist with learning, more personalized attention and ability to interact directly with faculty.鈥�
According to census data, a total of 1,636 students were enrolled in online at UIS during Fall Semester 2018. UIS online students reside in 45 states, 82 counties in 缅北禁地 and 11 foreign countries. Almost 90 percent of online majors have a mailing address outside of Sangamon County.