Champlain College Offers Top-Ranked Online Education Programs

U.S. News '2013 Best Online Degree' Report Puts Champlain in Top 25 Percentile

Related Media

Jayson Boyers, executive director of Champlain College Division of Continuing Professional Studies

BURLINGTON, VT (01/15/2013)(readMedia)-- Champlain College's online degree program is among the top ranked colleges in the nation according to the "Best Online Bachelor's Education Program" released today by U.S. News and World Report.

U.S. News released its "2013 Best Online Education Report," ranking online degree and distance learning programs, and for the first time ranked them numerically, just like traditional colleges and graduate schools. There will be no print component to the Best Online Education rankings; however, U.S. News plans to include highlights in both the Best Graduate Schools 2014 and Best Colleges 2014 printed guidebooks.

Champlain's online bachelor's degree program is ranked 54th out of 237 participating schools by U.S. News, putting it in the top fourth of all the regionally accredited for-profit, private and public institutions that grant bachelor's degrees through online degree programs. The full list is at www.usnews.com/online-education.

"This recognition and the others we have received are a reflection of everyone at Champlain College for their continued commitment to providing the most student-centric, professionally-focused, education in the country, said Champlain College President David F. Finney. "The world of online education is constantly evolving and we have a great program offering flexibility, personalized service and a broad range of professionally-focused majors to help adult student get their degree and move toward the career they are seeking."

Online education allows people to attend school without having to quit their jobs or disrupt their lives. According to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, people with a bachelor's degree earn 84 percent more than those with only a high school diploma in their lifetimes-making online education, with its flexibility, an increasingly popular option.

Online degree programs in business, IT and health care have been underway at Champlain College since the 1990s. "We believe online really offers the working adult a chance to advance in their career, offers communities a chance to have access where education fits within their life, fits within what they're juggling and also allows them to really apply it to their workforce," said Jayson Boyers, the executive director of continuing and professional studies at Champlain College.

There are about 800 people are enrolled online at Champlain, Boyers added, noting that having the online education option allows adult students to find success in an environment that suits them best. "I think it common sense that this is part of the portfolio of higher education," he said.

Champlain College, established in 1878, is a pioneer in online education, offering its first online courses more than 20 years ago and in 1996 began offering entirely online degrees. Champlain's Online and Continuing Education Division offers more than 30 degrees and professional certificates in the areas of business, technology and health care. "We are truly honored to be in the top 25 percentile of the top colleges ranked for excellence in online degree programs," Boyers said.

Champlain recently enhanced its online degree program with "Personalized Access to Higher Education" (PATHe), offering adult learners a faster and more affordable way to obtain a college degree through the college's online and continuing education division.

"Adult students bring different levels of skill, experience and time to the pursuit of higher education," said Boyer. "PATHe provides adult students a flexible, personalized degree plan that will save them both time and money."

Students in PATHe can accelerate their education in multiple ways: a personalized degree plan developed with a PATHe advisor; earning up to 90 credits for through exams (testing out) or an assessment of prior learning; self-paced learning with free course content and access to an academic advisor; and instructor-led seven-week online courses

Champlain College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges. Its traditional undergraduate program at Champlain College is ranked 13th in the North Region by U.S. News' 2013 Best Colleges; in the top 15 percent of colleges by the Princeton Review's "Best 377 Colleges"; and third for delivery of online education by the Online Education Database.

"Online education is becoming an essential part of higher education," said U.S. News & World Report Editor and Chief Content Officer Brian Kelly. "Our goal has always been to provide our consumers with the most accurate information so that they may make their best decision. Incorporating online education rankings and data is the next step in providing our consumers with the information they need."

Greatly improved participation from schools and data collection enabled U.S. News to rank online education programs numerically this year. Factors used to compute the rankings this year include retention rates, graduation rates, and the indebtedness of students upon graduation. Online bachelor's degree programs were ranked in three different categories: student engagement, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology. Data was collected from both for-profit and not-for-profit schools. There is no distinction between the two in the rankings. For more information about the rankings methodology, please go to www.usnews.com/onlinemeth.

For more information on the Best Online Education Programs rankings, please visit www.usnews.com/education/online-education.

For more information about Champlain's online degree programs, visit www.online.champlain.edu, call (877) -772-2265 or email, cps@champlain.edu

About Champlain College

Champlain College, located in Burlington, Vt., was established in 1878. It has helped students succeed in business and technology careers for more than 130 years. It was a pioneer in online education, offering its first online courses more than 20 years ago and in 1996 began offering entirely online degrees. Champlain is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, and is ranked 13th in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report, in the top 15 percent of colleges by the Princeton Review and third for delivery of online education by the Online Education Database. Visit www.champlain.edu to learn more.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform, digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on health, money, education, travel, cars, and public service/opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its News You Can UseĀ® brand of journalism and its "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans, and more.