Two online graduate programs at UC Riverside’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering are among the 2024 U.S. News Best Online Programs.

The online master’s in information technology program was named No. 21 while the online engineering graduate program was ranked No. 30, moving up four places from last year. Among public universities, UCR was No. 14 for information technology and No. 24 for online engineering.

Released Wednesday, Feb. 7, this is the 12th year of the online rankings by U.S. News & World Report which evaluated more than 1,600 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in nine categories. The rankings used metrics specific to online learning and include only degree-granting programs offered primarily online by regionally accredited institutions.

Schools were evaluated based on a variety of factors, such as student engagement, faculty credentials, and services and technologies.

This is the second year the BCOE programs were included in the U.S. News list.

BCOE Dean Christopher Lynch said the recognition reflects the caliber of the college’s online degrees and competitive programs.

“They enable working engineers to expand their knowledge, strengthen their technical skills, and accelerate their career goals in an effective and rewarding format,” he said. “Our online programs enable our students not only to succeed but to excel.”

U.S. News noted that both programs allow students to obtain degrees in as few as 13 months while working full-time and have a strong engineering management component, preparing students with technical and management skills.

The list is the latest ranking in which UCR has done well.  In September, U.S. News named the campus No. 2 university in the nation for social mobility for the second consecutive year. Washington Monthly named UCR No. 7 among 442 universities nationwide for Pell Grant student performance. Forbes magazine ranked UCR No. 31 among public universities, and the Princeton Review named UCR No. 23 on its Top 50 Best Value Colleges and No. 20 among public schools in its Making an Impact list.