Six top-10 rankings for Penn State in U.S. News’ 2020 Best Online Programs

Penn State World Campus' online programs for veterans also ranked highly in latest lists

Penn State World Campus is in the top 10 of six of the U.S. News Best Online Programs rankings for 2020, the most of any institution in the country.

Credit: U.S. News and World Report

January 14, 2020

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State received six top-10 rankings in U.S. News and World Report’s 2020 Best Online Programs, the most of any college or university in the country for the fourth consecutive year.

The 2020 Best Online Programs lists, released today (Jan. 14), ranked Penn State World Campus, the University’s online campus, in the top 10 of five graduate degree disciplines and the overall bachelor’s degree programs category.

Here are Penn State World Campus’ rankings:

No. 6, online graduate engineering

No. 6, online graduate computer information technology
No. 6 (tie), online MBA
No. 7, online graduate education
No. 8, online graduate business (non-MBA)
No. 8 (tie), online bachelor’s programs

Penn State World Campus also had the most top-10 placements in the 2019, 2018 and 2017 rankings. 

“We are committed to providing online learners a high-quality, engaging education — one that empowers them as they advance in their careers and contribute to their communities,” said Renata Engel, vice provost for online education at Penn State. “We are honored to again receive the recognition as one of the best in the country. The faculty, staff and academic leaders of Penn State World Campus strive to provide robust learning experiences across the breadth of our undergraduate and graduate programs portfolio.”

Each year, U.S. News develops the rankings based on statistical surveys submitted by colleges and universities as well as data collected in a separate, peer-reputation survey.

The survey for the bachelor’s programs rankings weighed four categories: engagement, services and technologies, faculty credentials and training, and expert opinion. Surveys for graduate degree programs also measured student excellence.

U.S. News also ranked Penn State World Campus in six categories of its Best Online Programs for Veterans lists. Those rankings are based on the same factors as its Best Online Programs rankings in addition to an institution’s ability to make college more affordable and accessible through the GI Bill or other grant-in-aid programs designed for military students.  

Here are Penn State World Campus’ rankings for Best Online Programs for Veterans:

No. 2, online graduate education
No. 4, online MBA
No. 4, online graduate business
No. 5, online graduate engineering

No. 5, online graduate computer information technology
No. 6 (tie), online bachelor’s programs

Penn State was one of the pioneers in online higher education when it launched Penn State World Campus in 1998. Now, more than 20 years later, Penn State World Campus offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs online and has more than 14,000 students around the globe.

Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information about the bachelor’s and graduate degrees offered online.

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