WESTFIELD – Westfield State University leads Massachusetts’ nine state university system placing in the top 30 percent out of 214 schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Online Education Programs Rankings. Westfield State’s official ranking was 58 out of 214 in the Online Education Bachelor’s Programs category based on research and methodology conducted by U.S. News & World Report.
“We are committed to finding new ways to expand access to a high quality college education,” said Elizabeth H. Preston, president, Westfield State University. “Offering online access to our academic programming allows us to support the needs of students who might not otherwise be able to take advantage of the educational opportunities we offer.”
Westfield State has offered online classes since 2002 and currently offers six online bachelor’s degree completion programs in business management, criminal justice, liberal studies, history, sociology, and psychology.
Evolving the program has been key to its success and expansion. Last year, Westfield State signed the MassTransfer Plus agreement that allows students who have completed an online associate’s degree at Holyoke Community College (HCC) to transfer to the university’s online bachelor’s degree program, making it possible for them to complete a four-year degree fully online. The MassTransfer Plus agreement builds on the growing number of fully online degree programs available at HCC and Westfield State, as well as the institutions’ determination to make it easier for Massachusetts residents to obtain an education and move into higher-paying, in-demand career fields.
U.S. News online rankings were created in response to today’s high demand for education provided in a flexible manner.
When determining scores, U.S. News chose factors that weigh how these programs are being delivered and their effectiveness at awarding affordable degrees in a reasonable amount of time. Rankings were determined by four different criteria: student engagement (40 percent), faculty credentials and training (20 percent), peer reputation (20 percent), and student services and technology (20 percent).
Data was collected from both for-profit and not-for-profit schools. For more information about the rankings methodology, go to Methodology: Best Online Bachelor’s Programs Rankings.
For more information about Westfield State’s online bachelor’s degree programs, please visit www.westfieldontheweb.net.
