East Central Alabama News

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s online education program, UAB Online, has seen tremendous growth over the past 10 years, with an increase of 117 percent of students enrolled in only online classes. Recently, the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs ranked two of the UAB Collat School of Business online programs in the Top 25 — the online graduate computer information technology degree and online graduate business degree in accounting.

“UAB Online offers the same world-class education that our in-person Blazers receive taught by the same highly distinguished professors,” said UAB Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Pam Benoit. “These rankings prove that our online students, whether they are in a blended or purely online program, receive the same educational experience from the comfort of home, while having a flexible schedule through thoughtfully crafted and innovative online class technology.”

According to the 2023 USNWR online rankings, UAB’s Collat School of Business Master of Science degree in management information systems degree climbed five spots this year to the No. 4 program in the United States. This is the first time a program from UAB has ranked in the Top 5 by USNWR. Additionally, UAB’s School of Engineering Master of Science degree in engineering ranked No. 54, up nine spots from 2021 and its best ranking since 2018. The Collat School of Business Master of Accounting degree received a Top 25 ranking, coming in at No. 21 in the country — landing in the top 10 percent nationwide. 

In addition to the main rankings, USNWR’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs ranked UAB No. 26 in the country for Veterans, UAB’s online master’s in engineering ranked No. 33 for veterans, a new ranking for the university, and it’s online MBA ranked No. 35 for veterans.

“The UAB Veterans Services staff take pride in providing excellent service to all our UAB online student veterans by assuring their enrollment is processed by the Veteran Affairs Regional Office to receive payments in a timely manner and without interruptions,” said Walter Stewart, director of Veteran Recruitment and Student Services at UAB. “UAB student veterans beginning and continuing their education online, experience a smooth process in using their VA education benefits, the same quality of education, and access to resources as veterans who attend in person classes. Our UAB veterans attend online classes while on active duty in other states as well as in other countries. Our UAB online student veterans are assured that our staff will do everything possible to address any needs or concerns of their VA education benefits.”

Other notable rankings include:

• Overall, UAB Online bachelor’s degree programs ranked No. 42, placing the online undergraduate programs in the top 12 percent in the country.
• The UAB School of Education’s online Master of Education degree achieved its highest score ever coming in at No. 37.
• The UAB College of Arts and Sciences online Master of Science degree in criminal justice at No. 43.
• The UAB Collat School of Business online Master of Business Administration degree is in the top 15 percent nationwide with a USNWR ranking of No. 51.
• Two UAB online programs were listed under specialty rankings, including the online bachelor’s degree in psychology, which ranked No. 28, and the online bachelor’s degree in business, ranking No. 44.

UAB Online offers 11 online undergraduate programs, 25 online graduate programs, 13 online undergraduate minor programs and 28 online certificate programs.  

USNWR online rankings assessed 1,833 and ranked 1,720 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, the most in the ranking’s history. Undergraduate rankings are based on faculty credentials and training, services and technologies available to students, student engagement, and expert opinion on the academic quality of programs. Graduate rankings look at these credentials combined with student excellence.  

Veteran program rankings are determined based on answers from the main online surveys. To be eligible for inclusion, schools must be ranked in the top half of schools, be certified for the GI Bill, and either participate in Yellow Ribbon or a be public institution that charges in-state tuition. They must also have enrolled what U.S. News determines “a critical mass of students with military backgrounds,” which is defined as 25 students for the Online Bachelor’s survey and 10 for the graduate programs.

The specialty rankings are based entirely on responses to the peer assessment survey. To be eligible for inclusion, a school must have received at least five ratings from peer institutions, have been ranked in the main ranking survey, and had their specialty offering verified through the peer assessment or otherwise by U.S. News.

Original source can be found here.