U.S. News picks four JMU programs for 2021 Best Online Master’s rankings

Four James Madison University online master’s degree programs were selected for the 2021 lists of the Best Online Master’s degree programs by U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings, released Tuesday, can viewed at www.usnews.com/education/online-education/james-madison-university-232423.

The JMU programs to make the lists are the online MBA at No. 26; the online Master of Science in Information Security, part of the computer science department, at No. 39; the online Master of Science in Nursing at No. 99 and the online Master’s in Education Programs that were placed in a range from Nos. 227-296.

U.S. News states on its website that it has been publishing school rankings in the education sector since 1983 and has done so specifically for online degree programs for the past eight years. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, U.S. News calculates rankings based on a variety of factors, which hold different weights depending on the ranking category.

JMU’s online programs are among more than 1,200 programs surveyed by U.S. News. Only regionally accredited institutions whose programs are offered mostly or entirely online were evaluated.

JMU’s MBA programs offer full time working professionals the ability to earn an MBA while taking classes with a small, diverse cohort of about 30 students. MBA students enjoy the benefits of having both online and in-person class sessions.

The master’s degree in information security, housed on the computer science department, is one of the best technical information security graduate programs in the nation. The rigorous academic program is 100% Internet-based, which makes the program especially suitable for working professionals. The program offers students the flexibility to learn, interact with expert faculty and quality students, complete assignments and obtain feedback from the faculty from their homes or offices, during the day, evenings and weekends.

The master of science in nursing prepares graduate nurses to meet the challenge of rapidly changing and increasingly complex health care environments. The program is designed to meet the challenges of adult students who wish to continue clinical practice while advancing their education.

JMU offers two online M.Ed. degrees: M.Ed. in educational technology and M.Ed. in mathematics. Qualified faculty with earned doctoral degrees teach courses and advise students through the updated coursework, rigorous key assessments and research projects.