The UF College of Education’s online teacher education program has been ranked 16th in the nation—and sixth among public programs—by TheBestSchools.org, an independent online resource for people seeking college degree programs and higher-education institutions that best meet their needs.
The rankings, announced Thursday, June 21, by the Web-based group, are based on academic excellence (measured by faculty education and productivity), program depth (measured by number of courses available) and affordability.
The website’s listing of the top 25 ranked programs includes a five-paragraph summary of UF and the College’s “wide variety” of education degrees and certificate programs.
Dan McCoy, senior director of E-learning, technology and creative services for the College, attributed the high ranking to “the fact that we take the needs of our online students very seriously.”
We work hard to accommodate the busy lives of working educators in the structure of our programs while also providing an excellent education,” McCoy said. “Access to an online degree can better facilitate the immediate application of our best research by teachers and administrators to their workplace.”
The University of Florida’s overall distance education program ranked second nationally behind the Penn State University World Campus.
TheBestSchools.org provides information on a wide variety of career options and strategies and in-depth rankings of colleges and degree programs in many categories. It has no ties to any educational institution and, according to the website, the organization’s editors “all hold Ph.D. degrees and have extensive experience in teaching, research and publishing at the university level.”
CONTACTS
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137