Georgia Southern University's online programs, once again, were recognized for excellence in rankings released by "U.S. News & World Report" for the best online programs among colleges and universities across the country for 2017.
        Georgia Southern jumped from the 114th spot in 2016 into the top 100 this year, tying with six other universities for the 92nd spot for the 2017 Best Online Bachelor's Programs. Because it considers students enrolled in these ranked programs likely to be working professionals in their 20s to 40s looking to advance or change their careers, U.S. News chose factors that weigh how these programs are being delivered and their effectiveness at awarding affordable degrees in a reasonable amount of time.
        Three online Georgia Southern programs were ranked in the top 50 of their respected list, including the online Master of Science in Computer Science program, online Masters of Business Administration program and online graduate business programs.
        The online MBA at GSU tied with five other universities for 36th out of nearly 200 ranked programs on the list of 2017 Best Online MBA Programs.
        Additionally, the university's online graduate business programs (non-MBA) tied for 45th with St. Joseph's University (Haub) out of more than 100 schools included in the list. The 2017 Best Online Graduate Business Programs rankings assess master's-level business degree programs that are not MBA programs. Examples of non-MBA graduate business programs include degrees in accounting, finance, insurance, marketing and management.
        Georgia Southern's computer science program tied with Florida Institute of Technology, Marquette University and Pace University for the 21st spot on the list of 2017 Best Online Graduate Computer Information Technology Programs.
        Also, the university's online graduate education program tied for 77th with six other schools out of more than 200 schools nationwide.
        U.S. News publishes numerical ranks for only the top three-fourths of each ranking category, and selects factors to assess each program in the categories of student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.