vcsuValley City  (CSi)  Both of Valley City State University’s online degree programs—its Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Bachelor’s Degree programs—have been nationally ranked in the 2015 U.S. News Best Online Programs.

VCSU’s online M.Ed. is ranked 54th among 252 programs listed in the Graduate Education rankings, and in the Best Online Bachelor’s Program category, VCSU is ranked in the top third, coming in 111th of 297 listed programs.

“The U.S. News online education rankings provide a moment in the spotlight,” said VCSU President Tisa A. Mason, “but beyond the accolades is the solid body of work our faculty and staff do in providing these transformational programs to students who need online access to advanced educational opportunities.”

“Our founding as a teacher’s college in 1890 was predicated on the need to provide teachers for North Dakota,” said President Mason. “We’ve progressed in the 125 years since then, and successfully offering highly valued online instruction—particularly the Master’s in Education with its far-reaching impact on K-12 teachers, schools and students—indicates that we’ve stayed true to our mission.”

Criteria and weights for the Best Online Graduate Education Programs rankings include:

            • student engagement (35 percent)

            • student services and technology (20 percent)

            • admissions selectivity (15 percent)

            • faculty credentials and training (15 percent)

            • peer reputation (15 percent)

Best Online Bachelor’s Programs criteria and weights include:

            • student engagement (40 percent)

            • faculty credentials and training (20 percent)

            • peer reputation (20 percent)

            • student services and technology (20 percent)

U.S. News surveyed colleges and universities with online programs to obtain data for the rankings. Graduation rates, class sizes, retention rates, student indebtedness, technological infrastructure, and percentage of faculty with terminal degrees and with tenure were among the many factors that were considered in ranking online programs.

More information on the rankings is available at www.usnews.com/education/online-education.

VCSU’s fully accredited M.Ed. program is offered completely online to meet the needs of practicing teachers. Concentrations in the M.Ed. program at VCSU include Elementary Education, English Education, Library and Information Technologies, Teaching and Technology, Teaching English Language Learners, and Technology Education. More information about the program is available at www.vcsu.edu/graduate.

VCSU offers online Bachelor’s Degree programs in Business Education, Business Process Integration Management, Career and Technical Education, English Education, History Education, Professional Communication, and Technology Education. More information can be found online at distancelearning.vcsu.edu.