Press Release
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University has once again been recognized as a prominent institution in distance education on a national scale, with several top 10 programs highlighted in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report Best Online Program rankings.
The IU Kelley School of Business’s Kelley Direct Online MBA Program has maintained its position as the best online MBA program in the United States for the third consecutive year. Additionally, five specialty programs have secured top positions nationally. The IU School of Nursing’s master’s degree program holds the second spot nationally, with its online master’s degree in nursing education also ranking second. Furthermore, four specialty programs at the IU School of Education in Bloomington have achieved top 10 placements.
IU’s online bachelor’s degrees have been ranked first in Indiana and 20th nationwide, showcasing the overall excellence of IU Online degree programs.
“These rankings for IU Online highlight the university’s dedication to providing rigorous academic programs that equip our students for personal and professional success,” stated IU President Pamela Whitten. “By offering nationally leading and high-quality flexible academic programs, we are also contributing to the development of crucial talent pipelines in fields essential to the economic prosperity of our state and nation.”
This marks the seventh time since 2013, when U.S. News began ranking online degree programs, that Kelley Direct has secured the top position. This recent recognition aligns with the continued success of the IU Kelley School of Business.
The IU Kelley School of Business has excelled in five specialty categories nationally:
- Finance, ranked first.
- Marketing, ranked first.
- Business and analytics, ranked second.
- General management, ranked second.
- Program serving veterans, ranked second.
The IU School of Nursing has shown significant progress in the rankings, with its master’s degree program climbing to the second position from 10th in 2023. Alongside the No. 2 ranking for the online master’s in nursing education, the online master’s degree in nursing administration and leadership has secured the 11th spot.
The IU School of Nursing is currently engaged in an ambitious initiative to expand its [ppp1] in Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Fort Wayne to meet the increasing demand for nursing professionals in the state.
The four specialty programs that have achieved top 10 national rankings at the IU School of Education in Bloomington are:
- Educational/instructional media design, ranked third.
- Educational administration and supervision, ranked fifth.
- Curriculum and instruction, ranked sixth.
- Special education, ranked sixth.
IU’s degree-granting distance education programs have been recognized as the “Best” due to their outstanding performance in the Best Online Programs rankings nationally across 16 categories. These include:
- An overall bachelor’s degree programs “peer rating” score of 3.6 out of 4, securing the sixth position.
- The online bachelor’s degree in psychology, provided by IU East’s psychology department, ranked eighth.
- The online bachelor’s in business degree, a collaborative program offered by IU’s five regional campuses, ranked 17th.
- The online master’s degree in criminal justice, offered collaboratively by the Indianapolis, East, Kokomo, Northwest, and Southeast campuses, ranked 28th. It also received a “peer rating” of 20th.
In total, IU has achieved 18 national rankings within the top 20. For the 2024 rankings, U.S. News evaluated over 1,600 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs using metrics tailored to online learning. These rankings exclusively cover degree-granting programs primarily offered online by regionally accredited institutions.