CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa’s online master’s in education programs ranked in the top 20% nationally, based on the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs. The UNI programs tied for #63 among 303 schools in the rankings.

“We have a long history with online education, well ahead of the more recent focus on distance learning,” said Colleen Mulholland, dean of the College of Education, which has 10 of 17 programs represented within the submission to U.S. News and World Report. “We continue to adapt curriculum, particularly for adult learners, to support professional advancement while balancing career and home.”

U.S. News assessed schools in the Best Online Programs based on a variety of objective factors, such as student engagement, faculty credentials and services and technologies. This year, more than 1,800 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs were evaluated. U.S. News has been publishing school rankings specifically for online degree programs for a decade. 

UNI’s online master’s programs included this year are as follows:

• Art Education Master of Arts
• Early Childhood Education Master of Arts in Education
• Elementary Education Master of Arts in Education
• Learning Technologies and Instructional Design Master of Arts
• Literacy Education Master of Arts in Education
• Mathematics for Elementary and Middle Grades (K-8) Master of Arts 
• Mathematics: Secondary Teaching Emphasis Master of Arts
• Music Education Master of Music
• Physical Education-Pedagogy Master of Arts
• Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs Master of Arts
• Principalship Master of Arts in Education 
• School Library Studies Master of Arts
• Science Education Master of Arts 
• Special Education: Consultant emphasis Master of Arts in Education
• Special Education: Instructional emphasis Master of Arts in Education
• Teacher Leadership for International Educators Master of Arts
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Master of Arts

These are 17 of the more than 40 degree, certificate and endorsement programs that the Division of Online Education & Individual Studies, positioned under UNI’s College of Graduate, Research and Online Education (GRO) umbrella, supports as entirely online or a combination of mostly online with limited in-person coursework. 

“In GRO, we take pride in our commitment to providing exemplary support for our adult learners,” said Steph Huffman, associate vice president for strategic initiatives and dean of the College of Graduate, Research and Online Education. “With UNI faculty leading the coursework, we excel at providing in-demand, online offerings that meet the needs of busy working professionals. This honor is reflective of the high quality programming we offer.” 

To learn more about UNI’s online programs, visit online.uni.edu.