STEPS (Student Training & Education in Public Service) has identified the top U.S. colleges for online degrees in public service for 2024. Public service disciplines focus on supporting, protecting and improving the quality of life for members of a community.
RENO, Nev., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- STEPS, a trusted resource for connecting students with degrees and careers in public service, has released its college rankings for the 2023-2024 school year. The rankings feature colleges and universities with online degrees in subject areas focused on community health and improvement. Over 25 public service fields were ranked, including teaching, psychology, social work, public health and public administration.
"Our goal was to identify the colleges making community-focused higher education a priority," said Kyle Smith, a community outreach specialist at STEPS. "This means degree programs in high-impact fields, affordable tuition rates and increased accessibility via online learning."
The rankings arrive at a time when enrollment in online degree programs continues to grow. The most recent data (Fall 2021) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that 60 percent of students take at least one class online, and 30 percent are enrolled exclusively in online courses.
"As more students gravitate to online education, schools actively expanding their online program catalog should be recognized," said Smith. "The more online programs available, the more students who are able to go to college, and the more communities that stand to benefit."
STEPS analyzed multiple datasets from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Key data points used to identify top schools include the following:
- Number of online programs in a given subject area
- Tuition amount per academic year
- Percentage of students receiving institutional financial aid and the amount awarded
- Availability of academic counseling and career placement services
STEPS vetted over 6,000 postsecondary institutions to create its rankings. To qualify, a college or university must hold regional accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and have at least one partially online degree program in a field related to public service.
Schools with the most appearances in STEPS 2024 rankings:
- Liberty University – 28
- East Carolina University – 24
- University of South Florida – 19
- University of North Dakota – 17
- University of Nebraska at Omaha – 15
- Regent University – 15
- New Mexico State University – 15
- Florida State University – 15
- The University of Texas Permian Basin – 14
- University of Illinois Springfield – 14
You can review the full list of college rankings via the following page:
https://www.publicservicedegrees.org/online-degrees/
About STEPS
STEPS (https://www.publicservicedegrees.org) started in 2019 with the goal of connecting students with valuable and informative resources to help them get their degrees and find satisfying careers in public service. These free guides range from connecting students with online schools to breaking down options for affording a degree.
Media Contact
Kyle Smith, STEPS, 1 775-234-8689, [email protected], https://www.publicservicedegrees.org
SOURCE STEPS
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