Jared Barton
CONTRIBUTOR
2020 marks the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s fourth year in the list of the top five online degree programs. Specifically, the title was given to the Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice program.
The 2020 MBA in Criminology and Criminal Justice list was released Friday, January 14. Other schools on the list include the University of California-Irvine, Sam Houston State University, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. The list is evaluated and comprised from among 1,600 graduate and undergraduate programs alike from across the nation.
Titles are given based on multiple factors, mostly faculty expertise, student resources and the opinion of a group of expert judges.
Gaylene Armstrong, director of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice believes it is partially due to the college’s focus on staying relevant to the metro area and focusing on local issues that affect the communities that students come from.
“This notable ranking speaks to the hard work of our faculty and staff, close relationships with alumni and strong leadership and program support from the college and broader university campus leadership,” Armstrong said.
John Bartle, the Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS), summed up the college’s distinction and achievement.
“When you marry quality with relevance and affordability, you have a winning combination,” Bartle said.
Additionally, the online Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies program received accolades from the same list of experts, as one of the best online undergraduate programs in the country. The program is offered through the Division of Continuing Studies.
This year, the report added 18 new rankings among education, engineering, nursing and several other programs for more specific disciplines, such as civil engineering and special education. The rankings are mainly used by prospective college students evaluating options for the college they desire.
This year, U.S. News and World Report changed their formulas for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores, due to the increasing number of graduate programs not requiring such from applicants.
U.S. News’ managing editor of Education, Anita Narayan says this is for more flexibility in their education.
“Prospective students now have a lot of options when choosing an online undergraduate or graduate program.”
