Ole Miss Online Programs Ranked Among Nation's Best by U.S. News

Four University of Mississippi online degree programs in business and education earned spots among the nation's best in U.S. News & World Report's latest evaluation of nearly 1,780 online degree programs across the country, the university announced from Oxford on March 9.

The recognition extends to the Ole Miss online MBA, which the university says outranks programs at every other Mississippi institution of higher learning. Rich Gentry, chair and professor of management, pointed specifically to the online general business program, saying it landed "among the top 15 in the nation."

"I am thrilled that the dedication of James Flanders and the UM business school faculty has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report, ranking our online general business program among the top 15 in the nation," Gentry said. "This achievement reflects years of intentional effort to build a program that meets the evolving demands of today's workforce while remaining accessible and dependable for our students."

U.S. News assessed the programs on four criteria: engagement, services and technologies, faculty credentials and training, and peer assessments from high-ranking academic officials.

April Murphy, director of academic outreach, framed the rankings as a reflection of Ole Miss's broader academic identity rather than a separate online operation. "Our online degrees are not separate from our campus experience; they are an extension of it," Murphy said. "The same accomplished faculty who teach on-campus also lead our online programs, ensuring students receive the same expertise, rigor and commitment to excellence."

Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration, presented diplomas at the school's May 2025 commencement ceremonies, where Oxford-based and remote graduates alike completed degrees through the programs now drawing national attention.

The specific program-by-program placements among public universities were not included in the university's release, and precise ranks should be confirmed directly against U.S. News's published dataset. What the university has made clear is that four programs cleared a high bar in a field of roughly 1,780 competitors, and that Oxford's flagship university now holds the state's top-ranked online MBA.