(Photo above: Albert Diaz of Manteca, Calif. is a current student in Oregon State University’s Ecampus postbaccalaureate computer science program, and his wife, Samantha Diaz, earned her psychology degree online in 2016 | courtesy of OSU)
Driven by the expertise of its faculty and an award-winning faculty development program, Oregon State University has been named one of the nation’s 10 best providers of online education for the fourth straight year by U.S. News & World Report.
In a report released today, Oregon State Ecampus ranks sixth out of more than 350 higher education institutions in the category of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. OSU improved two spots from last year’s list.
The full rankings are available online at http://www.usnews.com/online-education.
Schools were evaluated based on four criteria: student engagement; faculty credentials and training; student services and technology; and peer reputation. Overall, Oregon State scored 93 points out of 100.
“This national recognition reinforces our commitment to developing innovative ways for people to learn and teach,” said Lisa L. Templeton, associate provost for OSU’s Division of Extended Campus. “We’re focused on providing adult learners with access to learning opportunities that challenge them and help them improve their lives and the communities around them.”
As in previous years, Oregon State received its highest marks from U.S. News & World Report for its methods of preparing faculty to teach online. The university received a score of 94 in the category, which ranks in the top 5 percent among schools on the list.
OSU Ecampus partners with more than 700 OSU faculty members and has earned national acclaim for the quality of its faculty development program. The close-knit collaboration between instructors and Ecampus staff has helped Oregon State stretch the boundaries of what’s possible in delivering an education.
“I’ve become something of an ambassador for online education among my peer instructors, particularly those at other institutions,” said Brian Sidlauskas, an associate professor in the fisheries and wildlife sciences bachelor’s program who is developing a 3-D fish model database. “Most other ichthyology professors initially assume that it is impossible to teach these classes without access to physical specimens, at least until I show them what we are accomplishing.”
OSU Ecampus delivers 22 bachelor’s degrees online including business administration and a post-baccalaureate program in computer science. An additional 27 OSU graduate degree and certificate programs are offered online and in a hybrid (online/face-to-face) format.
In the 2016-17 academic year, 21,400 Oregon State students took at least one Ecampus class online. That figure includes adult learners in all 50 states and more than 50 countries as well as campus-based students.
U.S. News also recognized Oregon State’s online industrial engineering master’s program as being among the best of its kind in the nation. The fully online program, which has a focus on engineering management, is ranked No. 26 nationally.
About Oregon State Ecampus: Through comprehensive online degree programs and courses, Oregon State Ecampus provides access to a high-quality OSU education no matter where they live. Ecampus delivers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate programs and more than 1,000 classes online to learners around the world. Oregon State is consistently ranked among the nation’s best providers of online education. Learn more about OSU degrees online at ecampus.oregonstate.edu.
