No. 1 in California
La Verne’s Online Undergraduate Programs Lead State in U.S. News & World Report Ranking
The University of La Verne online programs, established to increase student access to higher education, have been recognized as the best of its kind in California. U.S. News & World Report, in its annual national rating of Online Education, ranks La Verne’s online undergraduate programs 13th in the country and No. 1 among California institutions. It is the second consecutive year that La Verne achieved the 13th national ranking. But this year’s rating moves La Verne to the top spot among the California colleges and universities included in the 2014 U.S. News listing.
“This ranking is a reflection of our institutional mission to offer a distinctive and relevant education,” said University President Devorah Lieberman. “It is also a testament to our dedicated faculty and staff who work daily to ensure that a quality college academic program and successful career preparation is attainable for all our students.”
A total of 283 institutions were part of the national publication’s review of online undergraduate programs. Of those, 278 were ranked, with 210 having their numeric rankings published (schools performing in the bottom 25 percent were categorized as “Rank Not Published”).
“We are, obviously, very pleased by these rankings. I believe the student-centered focus of our academic advising and support staff, as well as an instructional emphasis that encourages a high degree of faculty-student and student-student interaction, have contributed to both student success and student satisfaction – and this is what these rankings represent,” said Steve Lesniak, the University’s Dean of Regional & Online Campuses.
La Verne launched its online programs in 2000, providing students the opportunity to receive a college education without the need of attending classes at a physical campus. The degrees presently offered include a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees in Organizational Management and Public Administration. Graduate programs include a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Child Development. Beyond the coursework, enrolled students receive support from university faculty and staff who are dedicated to the online programs.
As part of its national Online Education review, U.S. News also released its ratings of the country’s top online graduate business programs. La Verne ranks 95th out of 239 institutions. Of the California-based colleges and universities ranked, La Verne placed sixth in the state and second in Los Angeles County.
Along with the release of its 2014 rankings, U.S. News detailed the criteria used. To create the listing required identifying institutions offering bachelor’s degree programs online and collecting data from the listed schools.
For undergraduate programs, factors include student engagement (comprised of best practices, graduation rates, assessments, class size, retention rates and time to degree deadline), faculty credentials and training (Ph.D. faculty, preparedness to teach distance learners, tenured faculty, faculty with a master’s degree or higher, and technical staff available to faculty), peer reputation (scores from a peer reputation survey administered for U.S. News by a market research firm), and student services and technology (student indebtedness, technological infrastructure, and support services).
For the graduate business programs, factors include student engagement, admissions selectivity (undergraduate GPA, SMAT scores, experience, and acceptance rate), peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.
