Tusculum ranked 14th in the nation in list of best online education and teaching degree programs

GREENEVILLETusculum University’s investment in teachers has captured the attention of a national web-based organization that has named the institution 14th in the country and tops in Tennessee in a listing of the best online education and teaching degree programs.

Dr. Tricia Hunsader

Study.com highlighted Tusculum’s Master of Arts in education, which supports teachers who already possess a K-12 license but seek to enhance their teaching methods. The company also noted the special education concentration available in online and on-campus formats as well as the completely online curriculum and instruction concentration.

The national organization also noted how Tusculum provides $500 tuition discounts for each semester a teacher is enrolled full time in this master’s program and is employed at a school system with which the university has established a formal agreement. This master’s degree can be completed in three full-time semesters, so teachers could receive as much as $1,500 in tuition discounts. Tusculum has reached agreements with 23 school systems in Tennessee, the most recent being Washington County, for these discounts.

“We are pleased this national company has recognized the quality of our program with such a high ranking,” said Dr. Tricia Hunsader, dean of Tusculum’s College of Education as well as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs. “This reflects the exceptional work of our faculty, the support of our leadership and the value our students place in the strength of our academic offerings.”

Study.com said Tusculum provides an excellent support system for students from online access to e-books, journals and databases at the Thomas J. Garland Library on the Greeneville campus.

A Mountain View, California, company, study.com assists students with articles about school, degree and career options, as well as video lessons and online courses. Study.com said it evaluated hundreds of schools that offer online teaching degrees in compiling this list of the top 50. It reviewed several data points from the U.S. Department of Education, such as graduation rates, tuition costs, student-faculty ratio and career resources and job placement. The company took into account other items such as support for online students.

“Study.com’s online degree rankings are unique in that they emphasize accessibility, affordability and quality of education, which we considered the most important attributes in our school rankings,” the company said.

To see the rankings, please visit https://study.com/resources/best-online-teaching-degrees.

This ranking is another feather in the cap for the College of Education, which has nearly doubled enrollment in teacher education programs in the last three years.

“Through our diverse programs, the College of Education successfully supports schools and other academic institutions by training teachers who are able to profoundly impact lives in all realms of learning,” said Dr. Greg Nelson, Tusculum’s acting president. “We anticipate continued success for the College of Education because of the commitment to excellence by everyone.”