THIBODAUX — Nicholls Online ranks among the top online bachelor’s degree programs in the nation, according to new rankings released Wednesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Nicholls State University launched Nicholls Online in January 2013. The program ranked second out of only three Louisiana public universities chosen for their online bachelor’s degree programs.
“I think it’s a tribute to the quality of our faculty, which was a contributing factor to our ranking,” said Dr. Laynie Barrilleaux, vice president for academic affairs. “We’ve built a solid foundation for Nicholls Online, and as in everything we do at Nicholls, we strive for improvement. We will only continue to move up.”
Only degree-granting programs offering courses that are 100 percent online were considered for the rankings. The rankings examine student engagement, faculty credentials and training and student services and technology. That includes factors like the number of faculty with advanced degrees, their level of training in distance education and student graduation rates.
Nicholls Online is designed to be a flexible alternative for students who have difficulty attending on-campus classes, providing remote access to the university’s nationally accredited degree programs and highly qualified instructors.
Nicholls Online currently offers bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, English, general family and consumer sciences, history, interdisciplinary studies, nursing (for students who already have an unencumbered RN license) and sociology. A master’s degree in educational leadership with an educational technology concentration is also available.
Courses are taught in accelerated eight-week sessions beginning in January, March, May, August and October. Students who take three courses per session can earn a bachelor’s degree in just three years.
In addition to those degrees available through Nicholls Online, Nicholls also offers online master’s degrees in community technical college mathematics and educational leadership — K-12 leadership, and an online bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. A master of science in nursing is offered online through the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing, a coalition of universities including Nicholls.
To view the 2014 U.S. News & World Report rankings visit usnews.com/education/online-education.
For more information about Nicholls Online visit www.nicholls.edu/nichollsonline, call 1-855-NIC-ONLINE (642-6654) or email nichollsonline@www.nicholls.edu.
