Online masters programs ranked No. 12 in nation by U.S. News & World Report

Rutgers Business School's master of accountancy in governmental accounting and master of science in supply chain management programs together ranked Rutgers Business School No. 12 among the nation's online graduate business programs, moving up 2 places according to the latest ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Against its peers in the Big Ten, Rutgers Business School was No. 3 on U.S. News & World Report's annual list of best online graduate business programs, behind Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and Penn State University's World Campus.

The first-of-its-kind online master of accountancy in governmental accounting program at Rutgers ranked No. 2 among all of the online graduate accounting programs surveyed by U.S. News & World Report (#1 public online accounting program). Villanova University holds the No. 1 spot according to the ranking.

The Rutgers online master of science in supply chain management program ranked 6th (4th public and 3rd in the Big 10).  The two specialty masters programs moved Rutgers Business School into the online learning space, and there are plans to continue expanding its presence there.

Both existing online programs are differentiated by their curriculum and convenience to students who are seeking to obtain a master degree in a specialized area of study. The programs at Rutgers tied for the No. 12 spot with California State University--Fullerton.

The master of accountancy in governmental accounting is a 30-credit program offered entirely online. The only advanced degree specializing in governmental accounting, the program prepares professionals who are seeking to advance in the expanding fields of government financial management, accounting, and auditing.

Irfan Bora, director of the master of accountancy in governmental accounting program, said "The program continues to be the only graduate program in the country which provides much-needed governmental accounting and public financial management education to employees in federal, state, and local governments. The online program which utilizes a nationally recognized faculty fulfills the public purpose of educating public finance managers, and we are happy to see this recognition from U.S. News & World Report."

The master of science in supply chain management is built on the same quality instruction offered through the highly ranked supply chain department in a convenient online format. The 10-course program can be completed in as little as one year and has no residency requirement. 

Rudolph Leuschner, an assistant professor of supply chain management, said that the curriculum was developed with the input of industry and geared to people who are working in supply chain and plan to continue – and advance – in the field. "The program was built from the ground up focused on best practices," Leuschner said.

"We strive to continuously improve our program, not only in what we teach, but also in how we teach," Leuschner said.  "One example is utilizing Canvas, the leading Learning Management System (LMS) system on the market. We are also re-shooting all the lecture videos starting this summer."

U.S. News & World Report analyzed 141 online graduate programs across the country – online MBA programs were not considered – and the new ranking includes 101 of those programs. The criteria used to analyze the programs includes student engagement, admission selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials, student services and technology.

-Sean Ireland