UW-Whitewater online bachelor's degree seventh best in the nation, MBA ranks highly
January 12, 2016
Students who pursue an online degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater are enrolled in some of the best programs in the country, according to new national rankings.
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2016 list of the best online programs — based on criteria including student engagement, peer reputation and faculty credentials and training.
UW-Whitewater's bachelor's degree ranked seventh best; the MBA came in at number 27.
"The online Bachelor of Business Administration program in particular has really taken off, with enrollment growing approximately 40 percent over the past year," said John Stone, interim provost. "There is no doubt that it is doing an excellent job of serving the adult student population."
The average age of students enrolled in the university's online bachelor's program is 31; most of the students take courses part time as they continue to work.
"This ranking is recognition of the time and effort our faculty and staff apply towards providing an exceptional experience for our students. Our dedicated advisers and technical staff are consistently focused on creating an environment where students and faculty can be successful," said John Chenoweth, dean of the College of Business and Economics. "Our faculty set high standards for students and then take the time to help them achieve their goals."
Online learning is a rich experience for UW-Whitewater students. They have access to academic advising, library services, writing workshops, financial aid, live tutoring, technical support, mentoring and career placement services.
Launched in 1998, the online MBA was one of the first of its kind offered nationally and has always distinguished itself by its quality. The program maintains exacting, research-based standards to ensure quality in all aspects, from course design, assessments, instructor-to-student interactions, and student-to-student interactions.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of UW-Whitewater's online MBA program is that it attracts students from around the world.
"I love it when students completing the program's exit evaluations discuss how much they have benefitted from working on case study teams and learning how their fellow students from Korea, Mexico and England all approach the challenges and identify solutions quite differently, calling on a wealth of diverse experiences," Stone said. "That is what professional master's-level education should be about."