Brenau University’s online graduate education and MBA programs rank among the top online higher education programs in the United States, according to the 2018 listings compiled by U.S. News & World Report.
Evaluated alongside programs from more than 1,200 colleges and universities surveyed by the publication this year, Brenau’s two programs scored high marks for student engagement, student services and technology, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, and faculty credentials and training.
In the 2018 national listings, the Brenau online graduate education program was the highest-ranked among private colleges and universities in Georgia and placed No. 3 among all Georgia institutions on the list behind only the flagship University of Georgia and Georgia State University in providing high-quality teacher education and professional training for administrators in public and private K-12 schools in Georgia.
That’s good company, said Eugene Williams, dean of the Brenau College of Education, who added faculty training and credentials are one of the most important factors in the quality of education provided at Brenau.
“Training, along with frequent refresher and professional development opportunities, ensures that our online students receive quality instruction from instructors who possess experience with the course content they are teaching and who have received proper training to teach in an online format,” Williams said. “All of our College of Education faculty possess doctoral degrees in their field, as well as having extensive experience in K-12 educational settings where they served as classroom teachers or administrators.”
Meanwhile, the Brenau online MBA program was one of only eight public and private universities in Georgia to make the U.S. News list. In separate listings published by The Atlanta Business Chronicle, Brenau has more students enrolled in its MBA programs than any other institution. The Brenau MBA also recently ranked No. 25 in the nation by Top Management Degrees for its MBA in Project Management – the only Georgia MBA program to make the list.
“Our faculty are focused on teaching, and we continuously evaluate our curriculum to be sure we are keeping up with needs in the marketplace,” said Suzanne Erickson, dean of the College of Business & Mass Communication at Brenau.
Erickson said the majority of Brenau MBA students are working professionals who take classes part-time, allowing their schoolwork to fit into already busy lives with work and family.
“The flexibility of online is a major benefit to working adults,” she said. “At the same time, the faculty maintains a rigorous curriculum and work on making their online classes engaging and connected.”
