ASU's online programs ranked among best in the nation by US News

Editor’s note: This story is featured in the 2023 year in review.

U.S. News & World Report named three Arizona State University online programs No. 1 in the nation — bachelor’s in business, master in education administration and supervision, and master in education/instructional media design.

ASU Online was among the top 10 for overall Best Online Bachelor's Program at No. 7. Online graduate programs offered through the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and the W. P. Carey School of Business also received top 10 rankings. More than 1,830 programs were featured in the rankings, the largest number ever. 

Offered through ASU Online, a total of 23 online programs were among the top 10 in the 2023 Best Online Programs yearly report, including psychology, which was ranked in the top five in the U.S. 

Additionally, ASU was also ranked in the top 10 for best online programs for veterans across five categories:

• No. 3 — bachelor’s programs, ahead of the University of Arizona, George Washington University and Pennsylvania State University — World Campus.

• No. 4 — master’s degree in criminal justice, ahead of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Boston University and the University of Southern California.

• No. 4 — MBA program, ahead of Rice University, the University of Maryland — College Park and the University of Arizona.

• No. 7 — master’s degree in education, ahead of Florida State University, North Carolina State and the University of Kansas.

• No. 10 — master’s degree in engineering, ahead of the University of Maryland — College Park, the University of Virginia and Duke University.

In 2022, nearly 9,000 military and military-affiliated students were pursuing degrees offered through ASU Online. The university offers support services designed to meet the unique needs of active-duty learners, making online programs offered through ASU a top choice for military-affiliated learners.

These top-ranked programs are among the more than 300 online programs offered through ASU Online that afford students an exceptional student experience and cutting-edge learning technologies.

“ASU Online has seen tremendous growth and stands out from the competition — enrolling more students and offering more online undergraduate bachelor’s programs than any other university ranked in the top 200 without compromising educational quality,” said Phil Regier, university dean for educational initiatives and CEO of EdPlus at ASU. “As a large research institution, we are able to offer students access to more resources and more research opportunities, and our programs continuously evolve to provide cutting-edge student experiences. I am proud that our programs have been recognized as some of the best in the country.”

The Best Online Bachelor Program rankings consist of four ranking categories: student engagement, student services and technologies, faculty credentials and training, and expert (peer) opinion.

The university launched its first online program in 2006, and since then it has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to transforming online education through research-based course design and innovative learning technologies.

“The ASU academic community is dedicated to delivering an outstanding education experience to all ASU students,” said Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost. “These rankings are evidence that enrolling in an online ASU degree program provides students with the knowledge, skills and resources they need to succeed in their careers and lives.”

ASU Online offers degree programs in high-demand areas and areas otherwise only available through in-person instruction. Signature programs include bachelor’s degrees in digital photography, biological sciences, and astronomical and planetary sciences, and master’s degree programs in special education (applied behavior analysis), addiction psychology and architecture. Taught by the same world-renowned faculty who teach on campus, ASU Online provides learners premium instruction regardless of their location around the globe.

In 2022, more than 83,000 students were enrolled through ASU Online, and more than 75,000 students have graduated from ASU through online degree programs.

Additional 2023 Best Online Programs rankings for ASU

Bachelor’s degree programs: ASU Online’s bachelor programs ranked No. 7 overall among programs across the nation, ahead of the University of Arizona, Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State University — World Campus. Other top-ranked categories include:

• No. 1 (tied) — business, ahead of Pennsylvania State University — World Campus and the University of Arizona.

• No. 4 — psychology, tied with the City University of New York, Loyola University Chicago and the University of Florida, and ahead of Indiana University, the University of Arizona and Colorado State University.

Education: Ranked in the top 10 nationally for overall education graduate programs — ahead of Michigan State University, University of Kansas and Ohio State University — the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College also ranked in the top 10 in the following specialty categories:

• No. 1 — administration and supervision, ahead of Michigan State University, the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin.

• No. 1 — instructional media design, ahead of the University of Florida, Michigan State University and the University of Virginia.

• No. 2 — curriculum and instruction, ahead of Ohio State University, the University of Florida and the University of Wisconsin.

Engineering: The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering ranked in the top 15 nationally for its online graduate engineering programs — ahead of the University of Maryland — College Park, Cornell University and Virginia Tech — and received top 10 rankings in three specialty categories:

• No. 2 — electrical engineering, ahead of Georgia Tech, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

• No. 3 — engineering management, ahead of the University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, Texas A&M University — College Station and UCLA.

• No. 6 — industrial engineering, ahead of Cornell University, Texas A&M University – College Station and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Business: In addition to the No. 1 spot for online bachelor's in business, the W. P. Carey School of Business' online graduate programs in business (non-MBA) and the online MBA program were ranked in the top 10. It also ranked among the top 10 nationally within the following specialty areas for the online MBA: 

• No. 3 — general management, ahead of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California.

• No. 4 — marketing, ahead of the University of Southern California, the University of Florida and the University of Arizona.

• No. 5 — business analytics, ahead of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Rice University and the University of Washington.

• No. 6 — finance, ahead of George Washington University, Babson College and the University of Utah.

Criminal justice: The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions was ranked in the top 10 nationally for the online master’s in criminal justice, ahead of the University of Cincinnati, the University of Nebraska–Omaha and the University of Southern California.

More on the 2022 U.S. News & World Report online rankings

• Eight ASU online business programs rank in US News’ top 10
• Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College online graduate programs rank No. 7, with three programs in top 2
• Criminal justice online graduate degree program in top 10 for ninth consecutive year
• New College online psychology is No. 4 nationally
• Fulton Schools of Engineering recognized for excellence in online graduate programs

U.S. News does not provide individual rankings for online undergraduate programs. See the full rankings here.

Top photo by Brandon Sullivan for ASU.