CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Value Colleges (www.valuecolleges.com), an independent online guide to the best values in undergraduate and graduate college education, has released its Top 50 Best Value Online Big Data Graduate Programs of 2016 at http://www.valuecolleges.com/rankings/best-online-big-data-programs-2016/
Value Colleges' Top 50 Best Value Online Big Data ranking helps working professionals find reputable higher education institutions providing flexible, convenient, and affordable online degree programs. The top 50 ranking includes only regionally accredited, proven values that find the sweet spot between price and quality for a degree that will carry its weight on the job market.
The top 50 are ranked using information from the U.S. News & World Report ranking, PayScale, and tuition cost (according to the institution's website).
The top 3 best values for 2016 are Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, followed by Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO, and Oklahoma State University-Stillwater in Stillwater, OK.
The complete list of schools can be found below (in alphabetical order):
American University – Washington, DC
Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
Auburn University – Auburn, AL
Bellevue University – Bellevue, NE
Boston University – Boston, MA
Brandeis University – Waltham, MA
California State University-Fullerton – Fullerton, CA
Capella University – Minneapolis, MN
Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, PA
Central Connecticut State University – New Britain, CT
City University of New York – New York, NY
City University of Seattle – Seattle, WA
Colorado Technical University – Colorado Springs, CO
Dakota State University – Madison, SD
DePaul University – Chicago, IL
Elmhurst College – Elmhurst, IL
Fairfield University – Fairfield, CT
Georgia Southern University – Statesboro, GA
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology – Harrisburg, PA
Hawaii Pacific University – Honolulu, HI
Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago, IL
Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
Iowa State University – Ames, IA
Lewis University – Romeoville, IL
Missouri University of Science and Technology – Rolla, MO
Northwestern University – Evanston, IL
Nova Southeastern University – Davie, FL
Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, OK
Pennsylvania State University – University Park, PA
Quinnipiac University – Hamden, CT
Regis University – Denver, CO
Saint Joseph's University – Philadelphia, PA
Saint Louis University – St. Louis, MO
Saint Mary's College – Notre Dame, IN
Slippery Rock University – Slippery Rock, PA
Southern Methodist University – Dallas, TX
Southern New Hampshire University – Manchester, NH
Thomas Edison State College – Trenton, NJ
University of Alabama-Huntsville – Huntsville, AL
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, AR
University of California-Berkeley – Berkeley, CA
University of Maryland University College – Adelphi, MD
University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Lincoln, NE
University of North Carolina-Greensboro – Greensboro, NC
University of Oklahoma – Norman, OK
University of Tennessee-Chattanooga – Chattanooga, TN
University of Wisconsin system
Villanova University – Villanova, PA
West Virginia University – Morgantown, WV
Wittenberg University – Springfield, OH
"More information is being recorded today than ever before," editor Carrie Sealey-Morris explains,"and while computers do the heavy lifting, it still takes highly-skilled, rigorously-trained human beings to program these computers, run the numbers, analyze outputs, and visualize and communicate the information." These careers, including such things as data analyst, are too new to have many trained experts, meaning a major labor shortage and a prime opportunity for entry into an in-demand profession. Value Colleges knows that most people interested in a Big Data career are going to be computer-savvy, but "if you're investing your hard-earned money, or taking out student loans that you will have to pay back later, you want to know that your degree is worth the sacrifice and investment." The top 50 ranking features only the best investments.
Value Colleges is an independent, online resource with one mission: to help prospective students find the best educational value in their chosen field. At Value Colleges, future students can find rankings for the top investments in online and residential college degrees, advice on making the best decisions about finances when in college, and explanations of commonly-misunderstood aspects of college costs.
Carrie Sealey-Morris
Editor, Value Colleges
(512) 710-9901