by Julie Lineback
The University of West Georgia’s College of Education (COE) continues to be highly ranked among peer institutions. COE placed sixth in the nation for online doctoral education according to the most recent ranking of online programs by GradSource.com, a top destination for prospective and doctoral students.
"The College of Education is proud to have our doctoral programs ranked so highly,” said COE Dean Dr. Dianne Hoff. “This is reflective of our focus on providing a relevant, rigorous, and innovative curriculum that expands the thinking of our graduate students and makes them highly marketable."
Flexibility, affordability, and student success were three factors that led to the high ranking, according to GradSource.com. Other schools listed in the top 10 include Texas A&M University-Commerce, Appalachian State University, Kennesaw State University, and Sam Houston State University.
COE currently offers two doctoral degrees—an Ed.D. in School Improvement and an Ed.D. in Professional Counseling and Supervision.
The Ed.D. in School Improvement is a three-year, 60 credit-hour doctoral degree that offers students the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to make systemic changes to K-12 schools and educational systems.
"It is great to see the hard work of our faculty and staff recognized nationally,” said Dr. Lara Willox, director of the Ed.D. in School Improvement program. “As an interdisciplinary program, we rely on the entire College of Education to support our doctoral program. While we have always known our program is exceptional, it is great to see others recognizing that as well."
The professional counseling and supervision Ed.D. is a 36 credit-hour program that can be completed in two years of continual studies and helps professional counselors to advance in their careers.
“We are always excited about being ranked highly as a destination for online doctoral programs,” said Dr. Mark Parrish, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Clinical and Professional Studies. “The program is designed to offer professional counseling practitioners an opportunity to learn advanced knowledge, skills, and awareness in program evaluation. This program specifically assists our students in developing approaches to evaluating programs within their professional job setting, and applying the outcomes of that research to enhance the delivery of services related to the programs being evaluated.”
This is the third time in recent months that the College of Education has received national accolades. In January, U.S. News & World Report placed COE as 66th in the nation for online graduate education, and in February, GoGrad.org ranked it sixth in the nation for online doctoral education.
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