Northwestern online programs receive high rankings

Northwestern College’s Master of Education program tied for 73rd out of more than 300 schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Online Master’s in Education Programs ranking, released on Feb. 7. The rating earns Northwestern the distinction of being the top-ranked member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, as well as placing third in the state of Iowa.

Northwestern also tied for 90th in the online bachelor’s degree program category in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings—highest among institutions in Iowa. Northwestern offers online bachelor’s degree-completion programs in early childhood and RN-to-BSN.

“These rankings reflect the dedication of our faculty and staff to providing a convenient yet holistic experience for our students,” says Dr. Jill Swisher, dean of Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division. “The distinctive contributions to our curriculum by researchers and practitioners coupled with dependable support from advisers and mentors equip our students for their important work in the world.”

Northwestern offers the M.Ed. degree in eight tracks: early childhood, early childhood + endorsement, educational administration + K-12 principal endorsement, master teacher, special education, special education + endorsement, teacher leadership, and teaching history. Graduate-level endorsements and certificates are also available.

The U.S. News rankings are based upon student excellence and engagement, faculty credentials and training, services and technologies, and expert opinions.

Another national ranking organization, OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD), has ranked Northwestern’s M.Ed. in early childhood ninth in the nation and highest among Iowa institutions. OMD also ranked NWC’s M.Ed. in educational leadership 30th in the nation and M.Ed. in special education 31st.

Northwestern’s programs earned top honors from OMD for overall quality, affordability and commitment to student success. OMD analyzed more than 7,700 accredited universities by using data pulled from the schools themselves and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Just 9% of U.S. postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position.

Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division offers flexible, affordable programs designed to help adult learners meet their professional goals. Many programs have 100% online coursework, including master's degrees in education (eight tracks); school and clinical mental health counseling; graduate-level education endorsements and certificates; undergraduate degree-completion programs in early childhood education and nursing; and certificates in medical and legal interpreting. The division also offers an on-campus master's degree in physician assistant studies, which is accredited by the ARC-PA.