U.S. News Releases the 2014 Best Online Programs for Veterans

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, publisher of Best Colleges and Best Online Programs, today released the 2014 Best Online Programs for Veterans on usnews.com. The rankings, now in their second year, were designed to help veterans identify high-quality online degree programs that suit their educational needs.

The 2014 edition includes rankings for online bachelor's programs and online master's degree programs in business, education, engineering and nursing. For the first time, the Best Online Programs for Veterans include rankings of online master's degree programs in computer information technology.

Central Michigan University claimed the No. 1 spot in two of the veterans-focused categories: online bachelor's programs and online master's in education programs. The school also tied for first in the bachelor's category in the broader 2014 Best Online Programs rankings, cementing its reputation as offering one of the strongest online programs in the country. Arizona State University has two of the top-ranked online programs for veterans in the country: the No. 1 online master's in business program and the No. 1 online master's in engineering program.

"Veterans and active-duty service members face unique challenges as students, from transitioning between bases and grappling with deployment to balancing work and family life upon return," said Robert Morse, director of data research for U.S. News. "The Best Online Programs for Veterans are high-quality programs that also offer educational benefits and flexibility for veterans pursuing a degree."

To be ranked, an online degree program had to report participation in four key programs that offer educational benefits to people with military service. The rankings methodology requires programs to belong to institutions that are certified for the GI Bill; they must also belong to schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program or public institutions that charge in-state tuition for all out-of-state veterans. The Best Online Programs for Veterans are also affiliated with schools that are members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium and offer at least once​ course in the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) catalog.

Finally, all schools evaluated in this ranking must have been awarded a numerical rank in the overall 2014 U.S. News Best Online Programs rankings, which were released earlier this year. Those programs were assessed for various factors, including affordability, faculty credentials, student services and reputation. Only regionally accredited degree-granting programs that were predominantly online were considered.

U.S. News & World Report developed the Best Online Programs for Veterans and inaugural Best Colleges for Veterans, released in November, to help the thousands of returning veterans and active-duty service members pursue college or advanced degrees under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

"Veterans are going back to college in the highest numbers since World War II," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. "We developed these rankings to help them find top-quality institutions and programs that also offer federal benefits that ease the burden of applying, paying for and completing a degree."

2014 Best Online Programs for Veterans

Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans

1. Central Michigan University
2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—Worldwide (FL)
3. Arizona State University
4. Indiana University-Purdue University—Fort Wayne

Best Online Graduate Business Programs for Veterans

1. Arizona State University (Carey)
2. University of Nebraska—Lincoln
3. Washington State University

Best Online Graduate Computer Information Technology Programs for Veterans

1. Syracuse University (NY)
2. Sam Houston State University (TX)
3. Southern Polytechnic State University (GA)

Best Online Graduate Education Programs for Veterans

1. Central Michigan University
2. Ball State University (IN)
3. University of Nebraska—Lincoln

Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs for Veterans

1. Arizona State University (Fulton)
2. Texas Tech University (Whitacre)
3. Washington State University

Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs for Veterans

1. St. Xavier University (IL)
2. East Carolina University (NC)
3. Duquesne University (PA)

For more information on the Best Online Programs for Veterans or Best Colleges for Veterans, please visit www.usnews.com/education or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Personal Finance, Education, Travel, Cars and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its annual "Best" series of consumer Web guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans and more.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report