VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at Valley City State University have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Online Programs rankings.

In the national rankings of degree-granting online programs, Valley City State’s online master’s programs in education were ranked 115th of 311 schools, and the online bachelor’s programs at VCSU were ranked 173rd of 367 schools.

The rankings are based on program attributes including student engagement, faculty credentials and training in online teaching, and support from institutional services and technology, along with survey data from higher education experts.

“Our students benefit from the flexibility of Valley City State’s online offerings,” said Alan D. LaFave, VCSU president, “and the U.S. News rankings present well-deserved recognition of the exceptional opportunity and value these programs provide.”

Online bachelor’s degree programs at VCSU include business education, business process integration management, career and technical education, communication, English education, history, history education, music, social science, social science education, and technology education.

VCSU offers two online graduate programs: the Master of Education (M.Ed.) and the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)

The M.A.T. program allows those with non-teaching bachelor’s degrees a means to earn teaching credentials.

The M.Ed. program—designed for practicing teachers with undergraduate education degrees who wish to augment their teaching credentials—offers six concentrations: elementary education, English education, library and information technologies, teaching English language learners, teaching and technology, and technology education.

Both graduate programs are taught entirely online to allow working professionals opportunities to earn graduate degrees at their convenience.

The U.S. News online programs rankings can be found at www.usnews.com/education/online-education.