The University of Kentucky College of Education climbed 45 spots to No. 15 in the nation in the 2021 U.S. News and World Report Best Online Programs rankings. The college is the top-ranked Kentucky school in the report.
“Our meteoric rise took place during a challenging year, as we faced reverberations from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UK College of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig. “This climb shines a light on the expertise and work people in our college have put toward continuing to innovate and adapt to students’ needs and changes in the education landscape.”
This was the second year the magazine used sub-categories to recognize programs within each ranked college. Called “concentration rankings,” they are based entirely on responses to a survey sent to peer institutions. For each specialty, respondents were asked to volunteer the names of institutions they believed to be strong.
UK’s special education online master’s program came in at 8th in the nation, and educational administration and supervision is 27th.
“When students seek fully-online programs, they should look for schools that are known for offering the same level of academic standards in their online programs as they do in their brick-and-mortar programs,” Vasquez Heilig said. “The U.S. News rankings provide prospective students a way to measure that level of quality as they research online program offerings.”
The UK College of Education master’s programs in teaching, instructional design, literacy, teacher leadership, school administration, special education, and STEM Education provide opportunities for career growth and enhancement for teachers, school administrators, and other professionals working in education-related careers.
Among the college’s fully online offerings are master’s degrees in:
- Instructional Systems Design
- Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
- Special Education
- Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (Counselor Education), which is consistently ranked in top 10 Rehabilitation Counseling Programs in US News Best Health Schools rankings, which is released separately
- Teacher Leadership
- Principal Preparation
- Research Methods in Education
To learn more about the more than 70 degrees and programs at the UK College of Education, visit education.uky.edu.