U.S. News & World Report lauds online graduate programs

Florida State University’s online graduate programs in nursing and business are among the nation’s best, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Online Program Rankings.

“Florida State University has made quality its primary focus in the development of its online programs,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes.“We are pleased that providing a quality teaching and learning environment for our distance learning students is paying off in the rankings for our nursing and business online programs.”

The College of Nursing’s graduate program was ranked No. 6 among public universities and tied for No. 10 among both public and private universities.

“We are delighted with the ranking for our online Master of Science in Nursing program,” said Judith McFetridge-Durdle, dean of the College of Nursing. “This ranking speaks to the innovativeness of our faculty and highlights the distance learning expertise here at Florida State University. This ranking will raise the national profile of the College of Nursing and will allow us to continue to attract excellent students.”

The College of Nursing has offered the 35-credit-hour online Master of Science in Nursing program since 2005 and, to date, 163 nurses have graduated. Ten students are currently enrolled and eight students will graduate in May. The program is designed to meet the needs of registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees in nursing who live in Florida and want to teach in a community college setting.

“Ninety percent of the students work full time and therefore are enrolled part time,” McFetridge-Durdle said. “By attending classes online, students are able to stay in their communities and gain valuable field experience where they live.”

The online graduate programs in the College of Business were ranked No. 33 among public schools and earned the No. 43 spot among all universities. The business program placed No. 5 among all schools for admissions selectivity, which is based primarily on the qualifications of incoming students. The college also earned the No. 21 place for its student services and technology, a category that scores a school’s student debt, technology available for online learning, academic advising and career placement assistance.

“As an early leader in offering master’s degrees online, we have continued to refine and improve our programs over the past decade to serve students more effectively and efficiently,” said Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, dean of the College of Business. “We take pride in the fact our courses are taught by full-time faculty who are experts in their respective fields of teaching and research. We work hard to recruit the best students and provide them with the support structure they need to succeed. It’s great to see that these new rankings reflect our efforts.”

Florida State offers online master’s degree programs in business administration (MBA), management information systems (MS-MIS) and risk management and insurance (MSM-RMI). The college seeks out prospective students with work experience who are ready to tackle a rigorous program and advance or retool their careers, Beck-Dudley said.

The overall rank of the business programs secures Florida State’s place among the top 10 schools for online graduate business studies in the Southeast, Beck-Dudley said, adding that the rankings reflect improvements in the quality of faculty and students, technology training and student support services, such as academic advising and career placement assistance.

U.S. News & World Report’s ranking methodology was based on several factors: student engagement; faculty credentials and training; student services and technology; peer reputation; and admissions selectivity.

Florida State’s College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. March 1 is the next deadline for the college’s three online graduate programs. To request more information on a specific master’s degree, complete this online form.

The College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. The application deadline is July 1 for the online graduate nursing program. Click here for more information.