U.S. News Ranks Daytona State No. 2 for Best Online Bachelors’ Programs

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 15, 2013) - Among hundreds of colleges and universities offering bachelor degree programs online, Daytona State College ranks among the top in the nation, at No. 2, according to rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.
 
In the Top Online Bachelor’s Programs rankings, Daytona State came out with flying colors with criteria such as the quality and experience of its faculty and instructional delivery. The college entered its Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Supervision and Management (BAS) and its Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) programs for the rankings consideration.
 
According to U.S. News, the evaluations were based on: student engagement, faculty credentials and training, and students services and technology. For engineering and business programs, academic peer reputation was included in the ranking calculations.
 
“This latest high mark for Daytona State College is extremely gratifying. It points to the excellence of our faculty and our vision to lead with high-quality online programs,” said President Carol W. Eaton. “I could not be more proud of our institution and its dedicated, visionary faculty and staff.”
 
Daytona State began offering bachelor’s degrees in 2006 in response to a state-wide need to increase its college-educated workforce. The college offers seven bachelor’s programs: the BAS, BSET and five BS degrees in education. This year, nearly 1,400 baccalaureate students are enrolled in online courses at Daytona State.
 
“We have had the support of the Board of Trustees, the president and senior staff in providing the resources to make Daytona State’s online bachelor’s programs such a huge success,” said Eileen Hamby, head of the College of Business Administration, who implemented the first bachelor’s program, the BAS. She added, “The Instructional Resources Department has been instrumental in the design of our online programs, and our faculty and staff have been extraordinarily innovative in making our students career ready and improving the skills of our graduates.” The BAS program has nearly 1,000 alumni and currently enrolls over 800 students.
 
“In maturity of online programs, Daytona State is among the best,” said Ron Eaglin, head of Daytona State’s College of Technology, which houses the BSET program. “The MOOCs that are so hot right now are actually based on what our faculty have been doing for 10 years or more. We evolve our delivery and process continually,” he added. “It’s a constant learning process with faculty advancing their methodology with each class.”
 
As noted by U.S. News, the economic benefits of a college degree are clear: Bachelor's degree recipients “…earn 84 percent more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma, and the unemployment rate for workers without a college education is more than double the rate for those with a four-year degree, according to reports by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.”
 
For more information on the rankings, see U.S. News 2013 Best Online Education Programs rankings. The magazine, known for its measurement and annual rankings of colleges and universities, evaluated 237 online bachelor's degree programs for the 2013 report.
 
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