Best online programs are at Anderson University, U.S. News & World Report says

Anderson University has one of the top online criminal justice graduate programs in the country, newly released rankings from U.S. News & World Report show.

This year’s Best Online Programs rankings “focus on graduate indebtedness, course delivery and academic and career support made available to students remotely,” according to the report’s methodology.

U.S. News ranked online bachelor's degrees as well as master's programs in business, education, nursing, engineering, computer information technology and criminal justice for the 2019 report. A total of 1,545 online programs were evaluated.

Anderson University earned top honors for its online criminal justice program, which is ranked 12th in the nation. It is the only South Carolina school to be ranked in that category. 

“Innovation is one of the hallmarks of the educational experience at Anderson University,” Anderson University President Evans Whitaker said in a statement. “We’re proud of the strides we’ve made in positioning AU as a national leader in delivering quality programs online.”

The school is ranked 84th nationally for its online bachelor's program, up 59 spots from last year’s report. It trailed Charleston Southern University (25), and the University of South Carolina – Aiken (76). 

The report also ranks Anderson University as 50th in best online nursing program, behind the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina, which are tied for No. 6. 

Clemson University is tied with the University of Florida for the top spot in best online graduate program in education. The University of South Carolina is No. 34 and Anderson University is No. 84 in that category. 

Only degree-granting programs at regionally accredited institutions that are offered primarily online were considered for the 2019 rankings, U.S. News said. 

The full rankings can be found here.