10 Best Online Universities You’ve Never Heard Of

Online universities became therefore ubiquitous that nearly} everybody has heard about the University of Phoenix on-line, Kaplan, Devry University, Capella University and yankee Intercontinental University. These learning institutes have branded on-line learning to the purpose where most of the people have accepted an accredited on-line expertise in job applications and as a socially-acceptable learning expertise. But, are these on-line schools and universities your solely choices

The following list of the 10 best on-line universities could boggle your mind. you'll not have regarding|considered|thought of} them or perhaps heard about them. But, they provide a top-notch education, as witnessed by their standings in OEDb’s high 10 on-line school Rankings 2009. Note that none of those schools or universities are household names…yet they provide a similar benefits because the high 5 on-line degree programs listed within the 1st paragraph.

First, the web courses and degree programs listed below are accredited; thus, you recognize you’ll receive a solid education with the flexibility to transfer credits and to create upon the next degree if you want within the future. Additionally, their locations are a moot problems — all the degree programs offered are obtainable to anyone who will gain admission to those programs. Finally, all the programs listed below provide monetary aid to people who qualify. Additionally, several of those programs provide discounts for military personnel and their families.

So, why attend a “crowded” on-line category once you will gain access to a program that's top-notch, nonetheless less documented. After all, your success within the future may build one among the subsequent on-line degree programs famous. It’s up to you — every program offers how to earn a degree from a distance whereas you're employed your far that career ladder or whereas you serve within the military.

The online schools, universities and degree programs listed below are within the same order as shown on OEDb’s high 10 on-line school Rankings 2009. The links, however, take you on to the listing’s on-line program offerings at the desired establishment therefore you'll learn a lot of concerning their programs.

    Nova Southeastern University: Nova Southeastern University is that the tenth-largest freelance university within the country and a pioneer of non-traditional approaches to high-quality education. NSU provides distance-learning programs that vary from bachelor’s to doctoral programs, all obtained through on-line or off-campus learning processes. Seventy-six of the university’s on-line undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and graduate certificate programs are certified by the Southern Regional Education Board’s Electronic Campus, and are offered through this highly successful consortium.
    Regent University: This Christian university is legendary for its combination of Biblical principles and rigorous tutorial curriculum. Regent University on-line could be a absolutely accredited program that uses a similar rigorous curriculum because the on-campus programs. Their programs vary from communications and therefore the arts to divinity faculty and a college of education. They additionally provide a faculties of presidency, psychology and counseling and a college of undergraduate studies that offer degrees in majors from accounting to psychology.
    Champlain school: Champlain College could be a 126-year-old establishment that has been delivering on-line education for over ten years. They offered their 1st on-line course in 1993, followed in 1996 by its 1st entirely on-line bachelor’s degree. Currently, Champlain is that the solely school in Vermont to supply bachelor’s degrees 100% on-line in business, writing, technology, paralegal and allied health careers. Champlain school is accredited by the New England Association of faculties & schools.
 higher Iowa University: UIU’s on-line Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, and Master of upper Education Administration degrees are designed to administer you the flexibleness you would like to balance classwork along with your career. they provide a reduction to military personnel and their relations yet as employee discounts for people who work with cooperating companies and organizations. candidates could transfer up to ninety hours of undergraduate credits.
    LeTourneau University: impressed by religion and a spirit of ingenuity, LeTourneau University integrates learning, living and Christian leadership in a very community of integrity, tutorial quality and technological innovation. This university offers an associate degree in interdisciplnary studies, bachelor’s degrees in business and in psychology and master’s degrees in a very type of majors. They additionally provide teacher’s certifications (PACT) and therefore the Texas Principalship Certification. LeTourneau incorporates a history of over sixty years of providing exceptional higher education, together with our on-line education.
    Liberty University: Liberty has become the world’s largest evangelical university and has never lost sight of its mission — equipping men and ladies with Christ-centered education to impact their world and workplace. Liberty’s mission is “Training Champions for Christ” in majors like business, counseling, criminal justice, education, nursing and in Christian ministry. But, don’t stop there, as LUOnline offers a spread of degrees in additional than forty programs and ninety areas of specialization.
    Grand Canyon University: Grand Canyon University could be a student-focused establishment that gives academically difficult education in a very Christian community for college students from numerous backgrounds. they provide undergraduate and graduates degree programs in education, nursing and health sciences, business and liberal arts. Grand Canyon University is accredited by the upper Learning Commission of the North Central Association.
    Dickinson State University: This North Dakota university offers on-line degrees in agriculture sales and repair equine management, an associate in arts, and degree programs in business administration, finance, human resource management, international business, technology and in university studies. Dickinson additionally offers these courses in an extended learning setting. All courses are offered on-line therefore you'll finalize a degree whereas you're functioning from a distance. they need been accredited by the upper Learning Commission of the North Central (regional) Accrediting Association since 1946.
    Western Governors University: WGU is that the recipient of the USDLA twenty first Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning for 2008, awarded in recognition of their success in expanding access to higher education. WGU could be a fully-accredited non-profit on-line university that provides on-line bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in a very wide selection of interests. If you would like to pursue business management, info technology, teaching or the health professions, this university might need special attractiveness for you.
    Salem International University: Salem University incorporates a tradition of educational excellence and innovation. Complete your Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Associates in Business Administration or Bachelors in Business Administration or Bachelors in info Technology on some time. categories begin each month, and monetary aid is obtainable for people who qualify. simply suppose — you may earn your project-based (not thesis based) MBA in as very little as twelve months.

Everything You Need to Know About University of the People and Free Online Education

With the price of upper education rising, and with several students unable to participate within the “traditional” model of a university education, it's very little surprise that several are turning to on-line learning. several ancient faculties provide on-line courses — and even entire on-line degree and certification programs. on-line universities are getting increasingly accepted by the upper education institution, and a few are even accredited, in addition as able to award legitimate degrees, receiving moderately high rankings.

But these on-line programs still price cash. What if you'll get a university education while not having to buy it? that's what's proposed by the University of the folks.

What is University of the People?

Shai ReshefIn 2009, Shai Reshef started University of the folks as a venture meant to assist students who may not be able to afford a university education to urge one — for gratis. He has worked with for-profit education systems for years, and $1 million of the $5 million seed cash for the University of the folks truly came from Reshef’s own pocket. There are solely some paid instructors at the University of the folks, and every one of them — save Reshef — have doctorates in their fields of study.

However, it's vital to notice that the University of the folks doesn't have the complete vary of offerings that several folks expect from a university. There are solely 2 programs right now: pc science and business administration. the college has chosen to begin out tiny, and with programs that are a lot of possible to be taught successfully through distance education.

The school isn't fully free, either. whereas tuition isn't charged, there's an admissions fee, and a fee for every exam taken. every fee is between $10 and $100, and is charged on a sliding scale in keeping with the wealth of the country the coed is from. If the coed is from a poor country, and doesn't have the means that to pay the next fee, then he or she is charged $10 for admission, and then $10 for every exam. USA these days reports that so as to be profitable and sustainable, Reshef estimates that there would wish to be ten,000 to 15,000 enrollees within the next 5 years.
Admissions and Learning

Online LearningUniversity of the folks doesn't simply settle for anybody into its programs. Indeed, there are rigorous criteria. The university is currently in its third term, and it's to this point received three,000 applications. However, solely 380 of these students are accepted. University of the folks needs students to possess secondary college certification of some type and a fairly smart grasp of the English language.

Once admitted, students are largely expected to show themselves and every different. University of the folks contains a peer to look learning system that educates students by having them peruse course materials and then discuss the ideas with one another. The paid instructors (and some volunteer faculty) audit the discussions, and interject where required so as to clarify matters. Additionally, students will message and email instructors if they're having real issues with the knowledge. this can be a part of the explanation that prices are thus low and tuition is free: Students are teaching themselves and every different.

Exams, then, play an outsized role in “proving” whether or not or not the scholars are literally learning something. So far, just one spherical of exams has been given in 2 courses. whereas the pass rates were spectacular, the courses were English Composition and Skills for on-line Learning. till the exams for a lot of advanced subjects are administered, and pass rates are seen, it's not possible to determine how effective this learning model truly is.
Accreditation and Degrees

DegreeThe biggest issue with University of the folks goes to be its ability to achieve accreditation. And, of course, the countries the scholars are in can ought to grant the university the privilege of awarding degrees. whereas accreditation isn’t required so as for a university to award degrees, it's vital — particularly in most developed countries — if students need their degrees taken seriously.

An increasing range of on-line universities are accredited, and lots of ancient universities currently provide on-line degree programs in some fields of study. So, being an internet college doesn't bar University of the folks from receiving accreditation. However, there are some things regarding the university that are possible to form accreditation tough. Its business model, its long run sustainability and viability, its peer to look model that relegates instructors to marginal positions within the learning method, and its institutional management are all challenges to U.S. accreditation. And so as to be taken seriously by employers, and for the aim of credit transfer, accreditation is important in several cases.

The other issue is that the awarding of degrees. Accreditation isn't necessary for University of the folks to award degrees; it simply needs to meet the factors set forth by sure countries and states. So far, though, the University of the folks cannot award degrees in the slightest degree. several students hope that in another 3 years, once they need completed a four year course of study, degrees are offered and awarded. several hope that the actual fact that University of the folks has partnerships with Yale and different prestigious establishments can facilitate within the quest to receive authorization to issue degrees. However, the road to degrees and accreditation at the University of the folks could be a long one.
Bottom Line

MIT OpencoursewareIf you're fascinated by obtaining an accredited degree from the University of the folks, you would possibly have your time to attend. However, if you're fascinated by learning with others, and expanding your data base, the University of the folks may not be a foul choice.

There are different choices for learning on-line, though. several universities provide free open courseware. These are courses from variety of colleges, on variety of subjects, offered for gratis. MIT has the most important open courseware assortment, with thousands of courses offered. Additionally, many colleges, together with Harvard, UC Berkeley, Notre Dame and dozens of state and personal universities, offer access to lecture notes, video shows and free open courseware.

You should perceive, though, that once you complete an open courseware category at one in all these faculties, you may not receive credit for your efforts. it's just in serious trouble your own edification and learning. you'll get a degree on-line, and there are some nice higher education values, however if you would like an accredited degree that others take seriously, you may got to be choosy regarding the program during which you enroll.

The University of Everything

Over the previous few weeks, I've told a couple of those that i used to be supposeing of beginning a campaign to encourage teenagers to think twice concerning planning to university. Not as a result of i believe it is a waste of your time, however as a result of i believe plenty of teenagers find yourself at university while not extremely knowing why they're there. (There also are too several teenagers who feel like their choices are closed down for all times as a result of they did not create it to college at eighteen - and plenty of well-meant recommendation geared toward teenagers reinforces this misconception.)

One place I found myself thinking out loud concerning this was on this post from Tsheko. He created an inexpensive response: "I wouldn’t be encouraging my sons to rethink tertiary education unless there was one thing to interchange it."

I was still pondering that, after I stumbled on a post from Jeff Thomas Cobb at Mission to be told, talking concerning Seth Godin's recent provide of an "apprenticeship/not-internship/graduate faculty/charm school track-changing opportunity" with him this winter.

Jeff points out that there is no reason why there should not be plenty additional opportunities like this:

Whether your goal is to start out a business, learn a trade, or become a much better artist, writer, or musician – simply to call a number of the probabilities – there are folks out there in your community who would be willing to mentor you for a few amount of your time in exchange for your labor or maybe modest payment. notice them through Craig’s List, native organizations just like the Chamber of Commerce, or maybe by employing a web site like faculty of Everything.

I love the concept that faculty of Everything will contribute to gap a wider vary of ways through life - or simply creating the opposite ways that were forever there additional visible.

And i would like to persevere this conversation, on this blog or elsewhere. can we would like a "replacement" for higher education because it currently exists? If you're employed in an exceedingly university, what changes have you ever seen - and where is that the system heading? What would a University of Everything look like?

THE 100 Under 50 university rankings: results

New league table aims to spot the rising stars of the worldwide academy. John Morgan reports

The Republic of Korea's Pohang University of Science and Technology has topped the primary Times Higher Education ranking of the a hundred best universities underneath the age of fifty, leading a powerful showing for East Asian universities.

The THE a hundred underneath fifty aims to point out that nations are difficult the US and also the UK as higher education powerhouses - and offers insights into that establishments is also future world leaders.

The list uses an equivalent thirteen performance indicators because the the globe University Rankings, however with a reduced weighting for subjective indicators of educational name.

East Asian nations contribute six establishments to the highest twenty, with Pohang (known as Postech) at much loved, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (third), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (fifth), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (12th), Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (16th) and also the town University of Hong Kong (18th).

Postech, founded simply twenty six years ago, has benefited from investment by Posco, one amongst the world's largest steel corporations - and support from the Republic of Korea's government throughout a time when the state was finishing its fast transformation into a complicated industrial and technological economy.

The UK takes 5 places within the prime 20: the University of York (eighth), Lancaster University (ninth), the University of East Anglia (10th), the University of Warwick (13th) and also the University of Essex (20th).

The UK has a lot of establishments within the a hundred underneath fifty than the other nation, with twenty representatives.

Academic 'diasporas'

Writing in THE's supplement to accompany the rankings, Jamil Salmi, former tertiary education coordinator at the globe Bank, notes that the creation of recent universities with world ambitions is a very important trend in higher education, citing notable ventures in rising economies like Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.

He argues that it "may be easier to succeed in world-class standing by establishing a replacement establishment than by making an attempt to upgrade an existing one".

Dr Salmi identifies the employment of educational "diasporas" as key to the success of some newer East Asian establishments.

"As Postech and HKUST have shown, convincing massive numbers of overseas students to come back to their country of origin is a good method of increase the educational strength of an establishment rapidly," he says.

Additional factors he identifies as keys to success within the ranking embrace the employment of English because the main operating language - a key consider attracting leading foreign teachers - and concentration on niche areas like the sciences and engineering, enabling the fast achievement of important mass in analysis.

In terms of the UK's leading young establishments, Laurie Taylor, emeritus professor of sociology at York, writes within the supplement that his university created a way that it absolutely was "trying to try and do things differently" through its self-contained campus, school structure and stress on interdisciplinary collaboration.

Top 50 Social Sciences universities

The social sciences subject table is totally dominated by the English-speaking world.

The US takes twenty eight of the fifty places, followed by the united kingdom with 9, Australia with 5 and Canada with 3.

That leaves solely 5 places for the remainder of the globe in a very broad subject that encompasses business, communication, economics, education, geography, law, negotiation and far additional.

The table options 9 countries, with only one establishment apiece from the Netherlands, China, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.

Stanford University, joint second with Harvard University within the overall high two hundred rankings, takes high spot within the social sciences table.

The establishment encompasses a sturdy record of manufacturing leading economists and boasts many living Nobel economics laureates among its world-class college.

These embody 1992 winner Gary Becker from Stanford's famous Hoover establishment and his colleague Douglass North, who shared the Nobel the subsequent year for his work on economic history and institutional modification.

Mainland China's sole representative within the high fifty is Peking University (30th).

While a lot of recent analysis investment in China has gone into applied science subjects, Peking has centered on maintaining its centuries-old strength in social science disciplines, particularly economics and law.

It has a 1,100-strong teaching workers in its faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Mainland Europe's solely representative is that the University of Amsterdam (joint 40th), one in all the Netherlands' premier higher education establishments.

Its college of Social and Behavioural Sciences hosts 2 of the university's fifteen analysis priorities - urban studies and brain and cognition - designated by the establishment as areas of world-class excellence to be nurtured.

Top 50 Physical Sciences universities

The US takes every of the highest six places within the physical sciences league table - and twenty seven of the highest fifty.

Honours are shared for the highest spot by the West Coast's California Institute of Technology and therefore the East Coast's Princeton University.

Chartered in 1746, Princeton is that the fourth-oldest school within the US, however its work within the physical sciences is as up up to now because it gets.

The first undergraduate chemistry laboratory within the US was founded by Princeton physician John Maclean in 1795, and throughout the nineteenth century chemistry was a needed subject for all Princeton students.

Today, it boasts the flagship Frick Chemistry Laboratory, opened in 2010. it's the second-largest single tutorial building on the university's campus and homes a number of the world's most advanced instrumentation within the discipline.

Covering a variety of subjects as well as astronomy, chemistry, arithmetic and physics, the physical sciences could be a globally various field - and an increasingly competitive one.

Although the US accounts for quite [*fr1] the world's prime fifty, there are 9 countries represented within the table.

France has 3 representatives: the École Polytechnique, the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and therefore the école Normale Supérieure.

Pierre et Marie Curie is one amongst the 3 famous Parisian Sorbonne universities. It specialises in science and drugs and it accounts for the lion's share of the annual budget allotted to the trio: €472 million (£416 million) out of €684 million.

Its foundations within the heart of the capital's Latin quarter date back 900 years. Its most famous alumna is Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 together with her husband Pierre for his or her work on radioactivity, and therefore the prize for chemistry in 1911 for her analysis into polonium and radium - analysis that ultimately value her her life.

Curie remains the sole lady to possess won 2 Nobel prizes.

Top 50 Life Sciences universities

The University of Oxford, that tops the league table for clinical, preclinical and health subjects, is that the solely non-American establishment at the summit of any of the topic tables.

Oxford will trace the study of drugs there back to the 14th century, though clinical student teaching began throughout the Second World War when medical students were evacuated from London throughout the Nazi bombardment of town.

Its medical courses are maybe best known for being very exhausting to induce into: in August, student Prina Shah created the headlines when she was rejected despite her four A* grades at A level. In 2000, Oxford's rejection of equally starred state-school pupil Laura Spence sparked a political storm: Gordon Brown, the long run prime minister, accused its admissions tutors of elitism when she did not win an area to browse drugs.

But it's in medical analysis where Oxford extremely stands out, bolstered by the biggest cluster of overseas analysis activity across the whole university - the Africa and Asia Tropical drugs network.

And the future appearance bright, too: in August, the establishment was awarded well over £100 million over 5 years in 3 separate tranches by the National Institute for Health analysis to fund analysis partnerships between the university and native hospitals.

Oxford heads an inventory of eight British universities within the prime fifty, with four within the prime ten as well as Imperial faculty London and also the University of Cambridge.

Three Asian representatives create the table - the University of Tokyo, the University of Hong Kong and also the National University of Singapore.

Hong Kong's medical college was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1887 and is currently the biggest of the university's schools.