Publication recognizes PSU for online graduate education programs

  Tuesday, January 22, 2013 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

U.S. News and World Report has recognized Pittsburg State University for its online graduate programs in education. The publication included PSU in its recent list of best online graduate education programs.

According to U.S. News, 208 universities out of 1,043 regionally accredited universities it surveyed nationwide offer master’s degrees in education online. U.S. News examined data on those programs and scored them according to admission selectivity, student engagement, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.

The publication ranked PSU’s online graduate education program 67th, which was the highest of any of the state universities in Kansas.

Howard Smith, dean of the PSU College of Education, said that as the university has developed its online graduate program, the focus has been on maintaining the high standards that are traditional for its on-campus programs.

“We are continuing to determine the best online approaches for our programs,” Smith said. “Students who take our courses online should expect no less than students who come to class on campus.”

PSU Provost Lynette Olson said the university was working to expand its undergraduate and graduate online programs across campus with a similar focus on quality.

“There is no shortage of online classes for students to take,” Olson said, “but all online content is not equal. We believe in quality first and fortunately, we have dedicated faculty across campus who are working very hard to make sure that the online programs we are developing meet the high standards students should and do expect.”