2015 - Daytona State ranks among Best U.S. Online Bachelor’s Programs

3rd year running, DSC places in top 10 among prestigious national universities

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 7, 2015) - Among hundreds of colleges and universities in the nation offering bachelor degree programs online, Daytona State College has again ranked in the top 10, coming in at No. 2, according to rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report, continuing its prestigious placement in the category.

In the 2015 Top Online Bachelor's Programs rankings, Daytona State stood among the best based on criteria such as the quality and experience of its faculty and instructional delivery. DSC entered its fully online bachelor's degrees, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management (BAS), Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), for the rankings consideration.

"This third year of Top-10 placement for Daytona State reaffirms our success with delivery of high-quality online bachelor's programs, as well as our commitment to continuous improvement," said President Carol W. Eaton. "This can only be accomplished through the shared vision and hard work of our innovative faculty, student-support teams and technical staff."

Daytona State began offering bachelor's degrees in 2006 in response to a statewide need to increase Florida's college-educated workforce. The college now offers 11 bachelor's programs: the BAS, BSET, BSIT, seven BS in Education degrees and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Nearly 1,600 baccalaureate students have enrolled in DSC online courses so far this school year, which ends in May. Overall, 11,500 students took online DSC classes during the 2013-2014 academic year.

"Our goal is simple: leverage digital platforms to give our online students the best learning experience possible," said Dr. Meghan Griffin, head of DSC's School of Management, which implemented the first bachelor's program, the BAS. "Because we serve returning adult and working students, our students have as much to learn from one another as they do from faculty. So we've made our online classrooms highly interactive and team-oriented, where you're part of a network of professionals located across the globe. You're in a low-cost, engaging and dynamic online learning environment in a program that teaches applied learning skills immediately useful in the workplace."

Dr. Ron Eaglin, head of DSC's College of Technology, credited his faculty and the student-support services available to online BSET students for the program's success. "Our support services are second to none and our faculty understand that teaching online as opposed to in the classroom requires a change in pedagogy," he said. "Being successful online requires an understanding of the different working parts necessary to develop a course and everyone working together. While we're pleased with our ranking, there's the old saying that it's the company you keep that's really important and, judging by the other schools who made the top rankings, I think we're in great company."

###

---