U.S. News Releases the 2015 Best Online Programs for Veterans

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, publisher of Best Colleges for Veterans and Best Online Programs, today released the 2015 Best Online Programs for Veterans on usnews.com. The rankings, now in their third year, identify 737 programs that provide veterans with high-quality, flexible online education options across eight categories.

The 2015 Best Online Programs for Veterans includes rankings for online bachelor's programs and online master's degree programs in business, education, engineering, nursing and computer information technology. New this year, U.S. News ranked online MBA programs and graduate criminal justice programs for veterans.

Pennsylvania State University—World Campus ranks No. 1 among online bachelor's programs and places in the top 10 in five graduate categories. Indiana University—Bloomington, Temple University in Pennsylvania and the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill are tied for the top spot in this year's new online MBA program rankings. The University of California—Irvine is No. 1 in the new evaluation of online graduate criminal justice programs. Arizona State University maintains a strong presence in the rankings, appearing in the top 10 in four Best Online Programs for Veterans categories. 

"When veterans return to higher education they can experience unique challenges during their transition out of the military and into civilian life," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. "The Best Online Programs for Veterans are designed to help veterans balance applying, paying for and completing a degree, on top of their work and family commitments."

To qualify for the Best Online Programs for Veterans rankings, an online degree program had to report participation in two 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 to public institutions that charge in-state tuition for all out-of-state veterans. This year, the U.S. Department of Defense discontinued two programs that U.S. News previously factored into its analysis: the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium and the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) catalog. As a result, many more programs were included in the 2015 rankings. 

To be ranked, programs also had to be among the top 75 percent of schools in the overall 2015 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.

2015 Best Online Programs for Veterans

Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans 
1. Pennsylvania State University—World Campus
2. Daytona State College (FL)
2. Western Kentucky University

Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans
1. Indiana University—Bloomington (Kelley)
1. Temple University (Fox) (PA)
1. University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)

Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs for Veterans 
1. University of California—Irvine
2. Arizona State University
2. Boston University
2. Pace University (NY)

Best Online Graduate Education Programs for Veterans 
1. University of Houston
2. Florida State University
3. Northern Illinois University

For more information on the Best Online Programs for Veterans, please visit www.usnews.com/online and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. 30 million people visit www.usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report

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