Worldwide eLearning Nationally Ranked for Affordability, High-Quality Education

Texas Tech University's Worldwide eLearning online education program recently received three national recognitions for its services.

A list from the Affordable Colleges Foundation ranked Texas Tech No. 6 out of 46 universities in the United States for its affordability and economical degrees. Texas Tech is the only ranked university in Texas.

“Offering a quality online education is imperative to Texas Tech University's future growth,” Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis said. “We have begun focusing more on online offerings to enable convenient access to potential students and working professionals from anywhere in the world. Texas Tech's Worldwide eLearning is rapidly establishing itself as a destination for higher education.”

The ranking includes nonprofit and state institutions offering a wide variety of online degrees that demonstrate a history of academic excellence and financial support. To qualify for the list, colleges/universities must charge less than $500 per credit hour and maintain a six-year graduation rate of more than 50 percent.

Texas Tech's Worldwide eLearning charges $198 per credit hour with a 59 percent six-year graduation rate. The online education program offers a variety of degrees from nuclear engineering to personal finance, general studies, plant and soil sciences and family and consumer sciences education.

Worldwide eLearning has several degree programs available online:

• Five undergraduate minors
• Four bachelor's degrees
• 15 master's degrees
• Four doctoral degrees
• 21 graduate certificates
• Six graduate certification preparation programs

“Texas Tech has a long history with distance education,” Vice Provost Melanie Hart said. “Although the delivery modalities have changed over the years, the desire to provide students with the opportunities to succeed in high-quality courses and programs has not changed.

“The programs offered through Texas Tech's Worldwide eLearning allow students from throughout the globe to obtain an affordable education, with the offering of high-quality courses and programs as the utmost priority.”

Best colleges for online master's degrees in computer science

Texas Tech has three computer science master's degrees recently ranked fifth out of 43 universities in the nation for their affordability, job placement for graduates, percentage of students receiving financial aid, quality of education and graduation rate.

Texas Tech's online program is the only university in Texas in this ranking.

Higher education experts analyzed data from colleges and universities offering a high-quality education for an affordable price and student services to help young professionals get the graduate education they need. The schools listed in the ranking provide flexible learning and academic rigor in one of the fastest-growing industries today.

“We recently have made all of our graduate courses accessible for our distance students,” said Rattikorn Hewett, professor and department chairman for computer science in the Whitacre College of Engineering. “Our program tries to balance the quality of the course and its accessibility. Students can enroll in the courses and watch the recorded lectures at their convenience. Distance students are able to experience the same instructions as on-campus students, which is very appealing to non-traditional students.”

The three computer science programs offered through Worldwide eLearning include a master of arts in technical communication, master of science in software engineering and master of science in systems and engineering management.

Best online master in educational technology degree programs

Texas Tech's Master of Education in Instructional Technology program was ranked No. 22 out of 25 by TheBestSchools.org as a top online school for educational technology.

The 39-credit program, provided by the College of Education, features two education tracks: educational computing and distance education. Courses are offered over a two-year period, and students must pass a comprehensive exam to complete the program.

Texas Tech was included in the ranking for its strong foundation in research, curriculum and teaching skills. Curriculum theory includes foundations, educational psychology, computer programming for educators, video-based distance learning and instructional software design.