Ohio State’s Top-Ranked Online Program Portfolio Sees Rapid Expansion
Year after year, Ohio State’s online programs continue to be ranked among the best in the nation.
Since 2015, Ohio State’s online program portfolio has grown by an average of 30 percent each year while continuing to be ranked among the best in the nation.
Ohio State’s online program offerings have grown to include over 57 programs from 12 colleges. Changing demographics and learner needs spurred a boom in online learning opportunities even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many colleges and universities to embrace online learning for the first time.
Amid greater competition and rapid growth, Ohio State’s online degree and certificate programs are consistently recognized for their quality and value by U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Online Programs – which included over 1,700 institutions in 2022.
U.S. News & World Report first ranked Ohio State’s online programs in its Best Online Program rankings in 2013, when the online Master of Science in Welding Engineering was ranked No. 15 and the online Master of Science in Nursing ranked 47. Since then, Engineering’s online Global Engineering Leadership and Engineering Management master's programs have contributed to the college’s overall ranking.
This year, with an increase in eligible programs in every category, Ohio State’s online programs continue to be recognized for their commitment to academic excellence, emphasis on student success, and faculty expertise. U.S. News & World Report ranked the online Master of Science in Nursing as the No. 1 online nursing master’s program in the country in 2022. The program has ranked in the top five on U.S. News & World Report’s list since 2016.
In 2022, Ohio State’s online undergraduate programs – the College of Nursing’s RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the College of Medicine's Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and AS to Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences degrees, and the College of Dentistry’s Bachelor of Science, Dental Hygiene program – are ranked No. 7 in the nation.
Ohio State’s online bachelor's programs have consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation for the past seven years – during which time the number of schools competing for the top spots increased by approximately 60.
In addition to maintaining this level of excellence for online bachelor’s and graduate nursing programs, Ohio State's online Graduate Education and Graduate Engineering rankings improved in 2022.
The College of Engineering’s online graduate programs, which include the Master of Science in Welding Engineering, the Master of Global Engineering Leadership and the Master of Engineering Management were ranked No. 20 nationally (improved from No. 25 in 2021).
Ohio State’s online graduate education programs – The College of Arts and Sciences’ Master of Arts in Art Education and the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Master of Learning Technologies – were recognized by U.S. News & World Report, ranking 28th in the country, improved from No. 42 in 2021. For the second consecutive year, the Master of Learning Technologies led Ohio State’s online graduate education programs to be named among the top 10 in the Educational and Instructional Media Design specialty.
Ohio State’s ever-growing portfolio of online degree and certificate programs are taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, and courses have a small student-to-instructor ratio. Each faculty member partners with an instructional designer – an expert who helps the instructor optimize the course content and engagement experience for a technology-rich modality.
With a focus on quality instruction and affordability, U.S. News & World Report ranks the top online programs at regionally accredited institutions across the country. Rankings indicators include engagement, student excellence, services and technologies, faculty credentials and training, and expert opinion.