Penn State World Campus Programs Ranked Among Nation’s Best

Penn State’s online-only campus is once again receiving national acclaim for its degree programs.

U.S. News and World Report rated Penn State’s World Campus graduate and bachelor’s programs in the 2023 “Best Online Programs” rankings. The annual rankings recognize the nation’s top programs for varying degree levels, disciplines and specialties, including programs for veterans.

World Campus earned particularly high marks for its engineering, psychology and education programs spread between bachelor’s and master’s degree tracks. In total, 11 different programs placed within the top five of ranked programs in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings categories.

To assemble its rankings, U.S. News and World Report reviews submitted surveys and rates institutions on a wide array of factors, including student engagement, available services and technology, faculty credentials, peer assessment and more.

Penn State World Campus earned the following in the overall “Best Online Programs” rankings:

• No. 3, master’s in engineering programs 
• No. 10 (tie), master’s in computer information technology programs 
• No. 16 (tie), master’s in education programs 
• No. 16 (tie), master’s in business (non-MBA) programs 
• No. 19 (tie), MBA 
• No. 25 (tie), bachelor’s programs 

The online-only campus also received acclaim for its degree programs for veterans. Those programs are rated similarly to the “Best Online Programs” rankings while factoring in veteran-specific needs, such as financial aid for military students and accessibility through the GI Bill.

Penn State World Campus earned the following in the “Best Online Programs for Veterans” rankings:

• No. 1, master’s in engineering 
• No. 4 (tie), master’s in education 
• No. 6, master’s in computer information technology 
• No. 7, master’s in business (non-MBA) 
• No. 15, bachelor’s 
• No. 15 (tie), MBA 

The university also earned recognition for some of its specific disciplines within program categories. These rankings were assembled through the use of ratings provided by peer institutions through a survey, the university said.

Penn State World Campus produced the following specialty program rankings:

• No. 1 (tie), bachelor’s in psychology 
• No. 3 (tie), bachelor’s in business 
• No. 3, master’s in engineering – industrial  
• No. 3 (tie), master’s in education – administration and supervision  
• No. 4 (tie), master’s in education – education/instructional media design  
• No. 5, master’s in engineering – management  
• No. 5, master’s in engineering – mechanical  
• No. 5 (tie), master’s in engineering – electrical  
• No. 7 (tie), master’s in education – special education 
• No. 8, master’s in education – curriculum and instruction 
• No. 9 (tie), MBA – marketing 
• No. 9 (tie), MBA – general management 
• No. 22 (tie), MBA – business analytics 

Launched in 1998, Penn State World Campus offers more than 175 online degree and certificate programs to thousands of students across the globe. To date, the online campus has produced more than 34,000 alumni.

For more information on Penn State’s online bachelor’s and graduate degree programs, visit the Penn State World Campus website.