Excellence in Purdue’s online master’s programs came first, high rankings followed 

When the 2025 U.S. News & World report rankings of the nation’s best online master’s programs came out in January, it was no surprise that Purdue University rated No. 1 in multiple categories. The surprise would have been if Purdue hadn’t. 

Intentional choices Purdue makes in the development and deployment of its online master’s degrees, as well as Purdue’s international reputation, put it in a prime position to excel in the rankings. But excellence at scale, not rankings, are the motivation for those choices. 

“We have consistently done very well because we’ve made some very clear choices in how we structure our programs that are not about the rankings, they’re about the kind of quality programs we want to deliver to our students,” said Milind Kulkarni, who besides his “day job” as an on-campus faculty member and department head leads Purdue’s online engineering programs. “The rankings are a reflection of what we do. They’re not the goal of what we’re trying to do.” 

Academic rigor and world-class faculty matter 

For example, one big factor in the U.S. News rankings is the number of a school’s online instructors who are tenure-track. 

“We do really well by that metric,’ said Kulkarni, the Michael and Katherine Birck Head and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue. “Whereas a lot of other schools will hire contract lecturers to teach their online classes, we don’t do that. We use our own faculty to teach these classes. We do that in order to deliver a high-quality product for the students, in order to deliver the best experience for the students.” 

Purdue’s online master’s programs in electrical engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and engineering management ranked No. 1 in the latest U.S. News rankings. The online master’s in civil engineering ranked No. 2 and Purdue ranked No. 5 in online engineering master’s programs for veterans. The full rankings can be viewed online. 

Collectively, Purdue’s online master’s programs in engineering placed among the nation’s elite, ranking only behind the University of California, Los Angeles and tied in the No. 2 position with the University of Illinois. 

“The pitch we make to students about any of our online programs is that the degree you get online from Purdue engineering is the same degree that you would get here residentially,” Kulkarni said. “It’s not a watered-down degree. It’s not a limited degree. You are not getting a different set of courses. You are not getting a different set of instructors.” 

Mia Reed cited interaction with Purdue’s world-class faculty as one highlight of her online master’s program. 

“The professors were really good about making sure you understood they were there,” said Reed, who earned dual online degrees through Purdue, including her  Master of Science in interdisciplinary engineering and Master of Business Administration “You could pop in on Zoom for office hours and talk to them just like you could pop in on campus.” 

Three of Purdue’s online master’s in education were among the Top 10 in the U.S. News rankings as well, including  curriculum and instruction, ranked No. 3, educational administration and supervision, No. 7, and education programs for veterans, also No. 7 — like engineering a reflection of faculty expertise and a commitment to quality. 

Student support services are a key ingredient 

The drive for parity between the programs on Purdue’s flagship campus and its online programs extends to other areas the U.S. News rankings consider as well, notably the quality of student support services that help students stay enrolled and graduate in a timely fashion, career guidance and financial aid resources. 

Advisors and online student success coaches are a key ingredient  in Purdue’s recipe for delivering outstanding support for online students with a personal touch, focusing on academic success, student life, professional development and graduation readiness from the time a student starts until the time they become one of Purdue’s more than 600,000 living alumni. 

“A lot of other institutions have advisors who also do coaching, and I think it’s a huge asset that we break it down into two different roles,” said Zach Rost, senior manager for success and completion, which includes Purdue’s online advising and coaching teams. “One role focuses on academic planning — guiding students through course selection, graduation requirements and registration — while the other enhances that support with holistic coaching, offering motivation, addressing challenges and connecting students with key resources for academic, career and personal success.” 

Purdue and its campus partners also have made investments in embedding online student support specialists in key offices such as the bursar, registrar and financial aid as well as Counseling and Psychological Services, the better to assist online students in navigating the university landscape, said Mitchell Farmer, student experience director. 

“Throughout all of our processes we’re trying to look at where we can take responsibility or burden off of the student and onto the university so that they can focus on academic success as their primary consideration,” Farmer said. 

“An overarching goal of our service model, even in the age of AI, is that we want to form personalized relationships at all points,” Farmer said. “We value developing that personal relationship with the student and knowing who they are and knowing what their goals are and helping match them to the best opportunities to achieve their goals.” 

Kiley Kallenberger, senior online student success coach and interim manager for success coaching, said Purdue’s online student support system complements the academic prestige of its online programs. 

“In coaching, advising, and across our student success team, we’re fortunate to work with dedicated professionals committed to meeting student needs,” Kallenberger said. 

Purdue scores advantages in reputation and sticker price 

In addition to quality academics and student services, the U.S. News rankings consider such factors as affordability and the overall reputation of the institution. U.S. News conducts a peer assessment survey of high-ranking academic officials, including deans and top online learning leaders, as an important element of its rankings. 

Purdue also rates highly in a variety of other rankings, including as the  No. 8 Public University in the U.S. (QS World University Ranking 2025) and among the Top 100 universities globally (Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2025). 

“I think that most students are looking at what is the very best school that I can get into and that I can afford,” Kulkarni said.  “Purdue does well on both scores.” 

Those factors were on Omar Mahboob’s mind when he was shopping for an online master’s program. 

“Looking at my options for online electrical engineering degrees I thought Purdue was the best choice from a prestige standpoint and from an education standpoint,” said Mahboob, now a Purdue graduate. “The cost per credit hour was very competitive compared to the other options that were out there.”