The 15 Best Online Colleges for 2014

Thursday, October 30, 2014

David Cath, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Oregon State

A view of OSU by air. Photo Credit: Saml123 on Flickr.

More than 7 million students are attending college online as of 2013, and that number will continue to rise given the convenience and legitimacy of some of the nation's top online programs.

Oregon State University - known for its programs in fields such as nuclear engineering, conservation biology and agricultural sciences - ranked tenth overall in The 30 Best Online Colleges for 2014, according to TheBestSchools.org.

Slideshow Below: 15 Best Online Colleges for 2014

Factors such as academic excellence, scholarly quality of faculty, online teaching methods, cost, reputation, awards, financial aid, and number of degree programs were incorporated into the ranking methodology.

This is the fourth year OSU has received a top national ranking from organizations including U.S. News & World Report, SuperScholar, TheBestColleges.org and TheBestSchools.org. It offers 17 undergraduate degrees, 20 graduate programs, and nearly 20 minors online.

Although students chose online classes for many reasons, most do so to further their education after a change in career. According to a survey by the Learning House, Inc. and Aslanian Market Research, more than 90 percent of online students were motivated to take classes because of career issues.

The Learning House survey also revealed 60 percent of online students were employed full-time. Students of all ages participate in online education, but around 40 percent are younger than 30.

Banner Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee on Flickr.