While it has been in existence less than 18 months, the online M.B.A. program at West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

“We are ecstatic that our online Master of Business Administration degree programs have been ranked in the first-ever online education rankings by U.S. News & World Report,” said Dr. Jose Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, WVU College of Business and Economics. “This comes on the heels of our No. 90 ranking last March in the Best Undergraduate Business Schools of 2011 by Bloomberg Businessweek, the first time the College had received a top 100 ranking in its 60-year history.”

There are four separate numerical indicator rankings for online master’s degree programs: admissions selectivity rankings, faculty credentials and training rankings, student engagement and accreditation rankings, and student services and technology rankings.

The rankings WVU’s business school received from U.S. News & World Report include:

• faculty credentials and training: No. 27
• teaching practices and student engagement: No. 33
• admissions selectivity: No. 40
• student services and technology: No. 89

“This is fantastic news for our students, faculty and staff, as well as for West Virginia University as a whole,” Sartarelli said. “When you rank high in areas such as faculty credentials, teaching practices, student services and admissions, that says a lot about the foundation of the program.”

The first-ever report by U.S. News & World Report, the report stated, was compiled because of the rapidly growing role of online education.

“U.S. News believes online learning is fast becoming an integral part of all education, including higher education, and that consumers are hungry for information related to online degrees,” the publication said in its report. “Online learning has come of age. It is fast becoming an integral part of all education, whether for K-12 students, higher ed seekers, or adult learners. Online education, combined with new types of digital learning resources, is here to stay.”

For further information on the WVU College of Business and Economics, go to www.be.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

1/18/12

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CONTACT: Dr. Graham Peace,
304.293.7940; graham.peace@mail.wvu.edu