Home » Sullivan University online bachelor’s degree in business ranked as one of nation’s best

Sullivan University online bachelor’s degree in business ranked as one of nation’s best

Sullivan University

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sullivan University’s online bachelor’s degree in business has been ranked as one of the top online programs in the country.

The ranking of Sullivan as the 17th best online business program was released by Online Schools Report, a new authority in online education data.

In making its ranking, Online Schools Report said that Sullivan’s online business degree “can be completed in as few as 18 months”, “features faculty with real-world business experience” and offers students a $612,050 Return On Investment, or ROI, which represents how much more money a high school graduate would earn in 20 years by attending Sullivan rather than not attending college.

“If you’re looking for an online BS in Business Administration that will train you in business basics, then you should check this program out,” Online Schools Report said in describing Sullivan’s program. “Here, you’ll concentrate on management with courses in accounting, diversity management, business law, ethics, and more. Best of all, the program is highly flexible, meaning you can complete coursework when it’s convenient for your schedule.”

Heather Merrifield, dean of the College of Business at Sullivan, said she was “excited” to see the ranking.

“The College of Business has taken great strides over the past several years to ensure that our business students receive the same level of engagement in the online environment as those who opt to complete their education through more traditional face to face classes,” Merrifield said. “I applaud the College of Business faculty for their engagement and willingness to help our students meet their goals and plan for their futures both inside and outside of the classroom whether it be online or face-to-face.”

While Sullivan is primarily a bricks and mortar university, Sullivan has long committed to providing and maintaining robust online programs, said Dr. Anthony Piña, Sullivan’s Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning.

“The Dean and faculty of our College of Business all have years of experience in online course development and online teaching,” Dr. Piña said. “Many years ago, Sullivan University leadership made the decision to provide technical support for students and to enhance our admissions, financial planning, student services and career services with professionals who possess experience in providing a full range of services to fully online students, to assure that our students learning online are never treated like ‘second class citizens””

“A large percentage of our students are employed and are seeking education to further their lives and careers, while simultaneously balancing the demands of job, family and other concerns,” he said. “Thousands of students have reached their educational goals via the fully online programs offered by Sullivan University.”

As the ranking pointed out, Sullivan is fortunate to have both full-time and adjunct faculty who bring academic and industry credentials and experience into their craft, Piña said.

“As a career-focused university, Sullivan University students want the assurance that their professors are not only qualified academically to teach their subjects, but can draw upon their own practical experience in workplace settings, to let our students know what works in the ‘real-world’,” he said.

More than half of Sullivan’s College of Business courses use free textbooks and other materials, Merrifield said.

“We leverage open educational resources, or OER,  tools that allow us to be more agile when making updates to course learning outcomes based on what is currently happening in the business world,” she said.

Piña added that all of Sullivan’s “business courses and programs are available fully online and new business courses are developed first online and then adapted for face-to-face or hybrid delivery, assuring that principles of sound instructional design are followed and that student learning outcomes are equal across all modalities.”

Convenience was also a factor cited in Sullivan’s ranking.

“With an increasing number of non-traditional students,” Merrifield said, “the convenience of the online environment enables students to fit their education into their daily lives and complete class work within a timeframe that works best with their schedules to provide a more realistic work-life balance and encourages them to learn to plan, schedule, and manage their time in a way that works for them.”

Online Schools Report synthesizes data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statics, Payscale, and the College Scorecard. Ultimately, colleges are scored based on their commitment to online education, admission rates, student satisfaction, alumni debt, and specialty in the program in question.