SRSU ranks among top schools for online master's degrees for second year in a row
Jan. 31—Sul Ross State University has been recognized as one of the best schools for online learning at the master's level by OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD) for the second straight year.
SRSU's programs earned top honors in the following subject areas:
Best Online Master's Degrees in Homeland Security
Best Online Master's Degrees in English
Best Online MPA Degrees
Most Affordable Online Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice
Best Online Master's Degrees in Political Science
This recognition comes at a time when enrollment in master's degree programs is on the decline. According to a 2023 report by the Council of Graduate Schools, enrollment dropped almost five percent from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022 despite an increase in applications. The same report cites uncertainty in the value of a graduate degree as one of the main reasons for the downturn.
"With more students questioning whether a master's degree is worth the investment, it is important to highlight the schools offering the best value," Kyle Darland, co-founder of OMD, said in a news release. "For the OMD rankings, this started with regionally accredited institutions with the lowest net costs. This includes tuition and fees but also looks at the amount of institutional aid their grad students receive. Overall cost is a major factor in most enrollment decisions."
The rankings also consider value as it pertains to flexibility. Many master's students need to balance work, family and other responsibilities, making online learning a must-have option for colleges.
"Each ranked school offers at least one fully or partially online master's program, and many have dozens across a wide range of subjects," Darland said. "Online programs make earning a master's far more convenient and may encourage people on the fence about enrolling to take the first step."
SRSU has 25 online master's programs.
OMD analyzed more than 7,700 accredited colleges and universities using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the institutions themselves. After the data was compiled, OMD's data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each of the different master's degree specialties. Primary data points include:
— Graduate student tuition
— Number of online programs
— Number of graduate students in online courses
— Student-to-faculty ratio
— Graduate student acceptance rate
— Academic counseling services
— Career placement services
To be eligible, a college or university must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online master's program in the ranking subject. Just nine percent of U.S. postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position, the release said.
