U.S. News Ranks ODU among Best Online Programs

January 12, 2017

Darden College of Education

U.S. News & World Report ranked Old Dominion's online MBA program 55th in the United States, based on categories such as student engagement, faculty credentials and training and admissions selectivity. The venerable news magazine also listed the University's online bachelor's programs and several other graduate programs among the best in the country in its annual feature.

Old Dominion University has been a pioneer in technology-delivered distance learning since the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, the University established a relationship with the Virginia Community College System to create a path for anyone in community college to continue their education toward a bachelor's or even graduate degree, said Andy Casiello, associate vice president for distance learning.

"ODU is far and away the leader in online learning in Virginia, with over 100 program offerings available at a distance," Casiello said. "Our online learning enrollment has grown in double digits for the last 6 years annually."

The University's online M.B.A. program, which moved up three spots since last year's rankings, is housed in the University's Strome College of Business and was made fully available online in fall 2014.

The program is designed to be demanding, yet flexible, as students may take any combination of online and in-person classes, and complete the degree requirements on a compressed or extended schedule.

A total of 179 online M.B.A. programs qualified for the rankings, out of 255 that submitted information nationwide. The programs sorted the information using five categories: student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training and student services and technology.

Using data related to distance education M.B.A. programs in each category, schools were ranked on a scale of 1-100 in relation to their peers. Old Dominion ranked highest in faculty credentials and training (a score of 88) and admissions selectivity (a score of 67).

Additionally, U.S. News ranked Old Dominion's online graduate engineering programs 45th; graduate nursing programs 61st; bachelor's programs 63rd; and online graduate education programs 77th.

To see the full online program rankings, see the U.S. News & World Report Website.