LU's affordable online graduate programs tapped 3rd nationally
Lamar University’s online master’s degree programs have been ranked third in the 2015 Rankings of the 50 Most Affordable Online Graduate Schools for Master’s Degrees by College Choice, an independent online publication.
At $8,865, LU was only $211 more than the No. 1 spot. The highest cost reported in the rankings was at for-profit DeVry at $32,212, according to the website. State institutions Louisiana Tech and Oregon State took the 49th and 48th spots at $24,889 and $23,450 respectively, according to the site.
“I am always pleased to hear about the recognition of our online programs,” said Paula Nichols, executive director of the Division of Distance Learning. “This ranking affirms that Lamar has established excellent online master’s degree programs and has developed a reputation as a university that provides quality education. It is gratifying to know that the hard work of the staff, students and university is being acknowledged.”
“Our goal is to provide students accessible, affordable programs that contain rigor and quality,” said Nichols. “Our students are graduating without excessive debt and advancing their careers, demonstrating the success of our online programs. I feel certain that this is an attractive feature to prospective students.”
It is not the university’s first time to be ranked highly by College Choice. In February, College Choice ranked LU third in its 2015 Rankings of Best Online Master’s of Nursing (MSN) Programs and 26th in the 2015 Ranking of the Best Online Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs.
The organization evaluated all regionally accredited online schools with at least five online master’s programs and ranked them according to total cost to complete a master’s degree online, including both tuition and fees. The rankings are based on a variety of factors including faculty, technology and student support, accreditation, cost, and the national and regional reputations of each school.
Data was drawn from the websites of the universities listed, and from a variety of reputable publications like U.S. News and World Report and the National Center for Educational Statistics. Each school on the list is accredited by their respective national and regional accrediting agencies.
More information on Lamar’s online programs can be found at www.lamar.edu/lu-online.
