CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Value Colleges, an independent online guide to the best values in undergraduate and graduate education, is pleased to share their Top 50 Best Value Online Graduate Schools for 2017 athttp://www.valuecolleges.com/rankings/best-value-online-graduate-schools-2017/.
Today it is widely acknowledged that a master's degree is a must for those who want to excel professionally. Working adults who find themselves stalled for promotion or higher pay look to a master's degree to provide the career boost they are seeking. The choice of an online program makes sense for its flexibility and convenience, but the financial commitment can be daunting for many. That is why Value Colleges has scoured reputable, accredited colleges and universities that offer fully online master's degrees to identify programs that promise a top-quality education for the best price.
Value Colleges ranked the top 50 online colleges using the following criteria: cost (per credit hour); reputability according to U.S. News & World Reports online graduate subject rankings; ROI according to the College Scorecard website; and the number of online Master's degree programs offered.
The top three Best Values for 2017 are: 1) University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana; 2) University of Massachusetts Online; and 3) Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Value Colleges congratulates the top three, along with all who made the ranking!
The full list, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
Auburn University – Auburn, AL
Ball State University – Muncie, IN
Boston University – Boston, MA
California State University, Fullerton – Fullerton, CA
California University of Pennsylvania – California, PA
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
Colorado Technical University – Colorado Springs, CO
Concordia University Chicago – Forest River, IL
Concordia University St. Paul – St. Paul, MN
Creighton University – Omaha, NE
Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA
East Carolina University – Greenville, NC
Emporia State University – Emporia, KS
Florida International University – Miami, FL
Florida State University – Tallahassee, FL
George Mason University – Fairfax, VA
George Washington University – Washington, DC
Georgia Southern University – Statesboro, GA
Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
Michigan State University – East Lansing, MI
Mississippi State University – Mississippi State, MS
Missouri University of Science & Technology – Rolla, MO
Northeastern University – Boston, MA
Nova Southeastern University – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Old Dominion University – Norfolk, VA
Penn State World Campus – University Park, PA
Purdue University – West Lafayette, IN
Regent University – Virginia Beach, VA
Regis University – Denver, CO
Robert Morris University – Moon Township, PA
Saint Joseph's University – Philadelphia, PA
Saint Leo University – Saint Leo, FL
Sam Houston State University – Huntsville, TX
Stevens Institute of Technology – Hoboken, NJ
Stony Brook University (SUNY) – Stony Brook, NY
Texas Tech University – Lubbock, TX
University of Alabama at Birmingham – Birmingham, AL
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, AR
University of Colorado Denver – Denver, CO
University of Denver – Denver, CO
University of Florida – Gainesville, FL
University of Georgia – Athens, GA
University of Houston – Houston, TX
University of Illinois at Springfield – Springfield, IL
University of Massachusetts Online – Amherst, MA
University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Lincoln, NE
University of South Florida – Tampa, FL
University of Texas at Arlington – Arlington, TX
"As recently as a decade ago," editor Carrie Sealey-Morris notes, "there were only a small number of fully online degree programs, and these were dominated by predatory, deceptive providers. This is no longer the case, as hundreds of accredited, reputable colleges and universities have developed excellent, fully-online graduate degree programs." With Value Colleges' research and expertise, students can be assured that the online program they are choosing will be reputable, affordable, and a financially rewarding investment.
Value Colleges has a mission to help future students–whether they are working professionals, new graduates, minority and first-generation students, or others–to find residential and online degree programs that will help them make their goals a reality. Value Colleges is unbiased, ranking degree programs, providing guides for the complex financial and professional questions of college students, and offering honest facts about the potential and pitfalls of a college education.
Carrie Sealey-Morris
Editor, Value Colleges
(512) 710-9901