Several colleges and universities in D.C., Maryland and Virginia were ranked among the nation’s best in online education on an annual ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
For those seeking higher learning in the fields of nursing, business, computer information, engineering and education, here are several online graduate programs at D.C.-area schools to consider.
Johns Hopkins University in Maryland came in at No. 2 for the best online graduate program in information technology. Coming in at No. 4 is Virginia Tech at the Falls Church campus; and further down the list are George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia (No. 24), and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (No. 28).
In engineering, online graduate programs at Virginia Tech (No. 10), Johns Hopkins University (No. 13) and The George Washington University (No. 15) made the top 20 rank. The University of Virginia came in at No. 32.
The 2020 ranking included specialties in mechanical, electrical, industrial, management and civil engineering.
Two universities in Virginia are in the Top 10 best online graduate programs in education — University of Virginia (No. 3) and Virginia Commonwealth University (No. 8).
Nurses looking for advanced degrees can head over to The George Washington University’s online graduate program in nursing, which came in at No. 6, and The Catholic University of America’s online program, which just missed a spot on the Top 10 at No. 11.
For the 2020 ranking, U.S. News included rankings of nursing specialties, including nursing administration (in which Johns Hopkins’ program also came in at No. 2), nursing education, nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health, among others.
For a master in business administration, University of Maryland Global Campus (formerly University of Maryland University College) ranked No. 10 for best online MBA program. Further down the list are The George Washington University (No. 22), The College of William & Mary (No. 28) and Virginia Commonwealth University (No. 35).
For an online business program that’s not an MBA, the online graduate program at Georgetown University (No. 12) and George Mason University (No. 19) also made the ranking.
And for those who want to earn a bachelor’s degree online, The George Washington University’s program came in at No. 20.
U.S. News & World Report ranked each school and program using five categories: engagement, services and technologies, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training and student excellence.
It selected factors, known as ranking indicators, to assess each program in the categories. A program’s score for each ranking indicator was calculated using data that the program reported
to U.S. News in a statistical survey and a peer reputation survey.
For the complete list of rankings, go to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Programs.
Check out U.S. News & World Report’s list of accredited online colleges.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained an erroneous reference to the University of Maryland Global Campus’ former name. The story has been corrected.
