I’m always leery of “best of” lists, because my first reaction is “according to whom?” Any “best of” list is going to be subjective, and what may be a “best of” list for one person, certainly may not be the best for another.
So that was pretty much my initial reaction when I came across a story online for an eBook entitled “The Best and Worst Online Degree Programs”. According to the 2007 edition of the book, the top ten online universities in the world are, in order:
(1) The University of London;
(2) The University of South Africa;
(3) The University of Phoenix;
(4) The University of Texas;
(5) The University of South Australia;
(6) The University of Southern Queensland;
(7) The University of Maryland University College;
(8) Golden Gate University;
(9) Ellis College of NYIT; and
(10) Stanford University.
While I was happy to see that there were no degree mills listed (believe it or not, I’ve seen lists like that before), I have to admit I’m a bit surprised by the top U.S. online school on the list: the University of Phoenix. Now, I’m not biased against UoP. They do serve a marketplace here in the United States…but the BEST online school in the U.S.?
The author of the eBook, Fred DiUlus, explained UoP came out on top in the U.S. because "No amount of jealousy, backbiting by traditionalists, or finding fault with their extremely successful marketing strategy will take away from the fact that Phoenix is the best online provider in America." He goes on in his press release to say that UoP provides “the best scholar practitioners in higher education”. I think the folks at Stanford might have something to say about that. They came in tenth place on the list.
I did take notice that Mr. DiUlus promotes himself as the CEO & Founder of Global Academy Online, Inc. When I looked up Global Academy Online’s web site, I found that they provide services such as helping people set up their own online schools and selling books such as “Making an Income from Your Own Internet University.”
The bottom line is there are a lot of people who will try to tell you which online schools or programs are the “best”, but they usually have their own reasons for listing those particular schools and programs. The only “best” school is the one which works best for YOU.