ASU's online programs ranked among best in the nation
Jordan Foletta, from Roseville, California, earned both a bachelor's and master's degree through ASU Online. ASU photo
Arizona State University has been ranked No. 4 for best online bachelor’s programs by U.S. News & World Report, ahead of University of Arizona, George Washington University and University of Georgia. ASU also earned the No. 3 spot in the nation for best online bachelor's in business.
Offered through ASU Online, graduate programs from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and the W. P. Carey School of Business were ranked among the top 10.
This year's edition evaluates more than 1,700 online bachelor's and master's degree programs across multiple disciplines using metrics specific to online learning.
The rankings measure overall academic quality at the undergraduate and graduate levels across multiple disciplines and are assessed on a variety of factors such as student engagement, services and technology, and faculty credentials.
Designed to meet the unique needs of military-affiliated students, ASU’s online programs are a top choice for active-duty learners and their families.
In 2023, nearly 12,000 military-affiliated students were enrolled in degree programs through ASU Online.
This year, ASU ranked in the top 10 for best online programs for veterans across five categories:
- No. 2 in bachelor’s programs, ahead of George Washington University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Syracuse University.
- No. 4 in MBA programs, ahead of University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon and University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
- No. 6 in master’s in education programs, ahead of University of Kansas, Florida State University and University of Massachusetts–Boston.
- No. 6 in master's in criminal justice programs.
- No. 7 in master's in engineering programs, ahead of John Hopkins University, University of Southern California and University of Maryland–College Park.
Since its inception, ASU has demonstrated a commitment to transforming online education through research-based course design and innovative learning technologies.
In 2006, The university launched its first online program, which became ASU Online four years later.
ASU Online was intentionally designed to expand and serve countless students. In 2023, ASU boasted more than 88,000 degree-seeking, online students, and more than 90,000 graduates through ASU’s online degree programs.
“ASU Online has proven that online education does not equal sacrificing educational quality,” said Phil Regier, university dean for educational initiatives and CEO of EdPlus at ASU. “We have made strides in the online education space — offering more online undergraduate degree programs than any other university and as a large research institution, offering learners more access to resources, experiential learning opportunities and cutting-edge learning technologies.
"Our programs and initiatives are centered around the student experience and their success, including receiving premium instruction by the same faculty who teach on our ASU campuses. This recognition, among the best programs in the country, is a testament to our commitment to educational excellence.”
ASU Online provides access to more than 300 degree programs, regardless of a student's location in the U.S., including biological sciences, medical studies, pharmacology and toxicology, special education (applied behavior analysis), positive psychology and architecture.
Additional 2023 Best Online Programs rankings for ASU
Bachelor’s degree programs
ASU Online’s bachelor programs ranked No. 4 overall among programs across the nation, ahead of the University of Arizona, Syracuse University and University of Denver.
Other top-ranked categories include:
- No. 3 (tied) — business.
- No. 6 (tied) — psychology.
Education
Ranked in the top 10 nationally for overall education graduate programs — ahead of University of Wisconsin–Madison, Texas A&M University–College Station and University of Georgia — the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College also ranked in the top 10 in the following specialty categories:
- No. 2: Educational administration and supervision, ahead of University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin–Madison and Indiana University–Bloomington.
- No. 3: Curriculum and instruction, ahead of University of Virginia, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and Indiana University–Bloomington.
- No. 4 (tied): Educational/instructional media design, ahead of University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, University of Virginia and University of Central Florida.
- No. 6 (tied): Online master’s in special education programs, ahead of University of Georgia, University of Central Florida and University of Arizona.
Engineering
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering ranked in the top 15 nationally for its online graduate engineering programs — ahead of Cornell University, Stanford and University of Arizona — and received top 10 rankings in three specialty categories:
- No. 4: Electrical engineering, ahead of Stanford, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and University of California–Los Angeles.
- No. 5: Engineering management, ahead of Stanford, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and Georgia Tech.
- No. 7: Industrial engineering, ahead of Stanford, John Hopkins University and Texas A&M University–College Station.
Business
In addition to the No. 3 spot for online bachelor's degrees in business, the W. P. Carey School of Business' online graduate program in business (non-MBA) also ranked No. 3 — ahead of Duke, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and University of Maryland–College Park — and the online MBA program was ranked in the top 10 — ahead of University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and Rice University.
It also ranked among the top five nationally within the following specialty areas for the online MBA:
- No. 3: General management, ahead of University of Southern California, University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon.
- No. 4: Marketing, ahead of University of Southern California, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities and University of Arizona.
- No. 4: Business analytics MBA, ahead of University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Rice University and University of Washington.
- No. 5: Finance MBA, ahead of Rice University, University of Washington and University of Texas at Dallas.
Criminal justice
The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions was ranked in the top 15 nationally for its online master’s degree in criminal justice.
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