ROCK SPRINGS – Western Wyoming Community College sits atop the list of the nation’s best online community colleges, according to the latest Best Value ranking from ValueColleges.com.
Value Colleges researches and ranks reputable, accredited college degree programs to find the perfect balance between quality and cost. Western was one of two Wyoming colleges to make this year’s list, along with Laramie County Community College, which ranked 33rd.
Complete Value Colleges Best Value Online Community College rankings.
Value Colleges specifically cited Western’s fully online degree programs in Criminal Justice, Computer Information Systems and Business Administration as examples of high-quality academic programs made available to students across Wyoming and nationwide at relatively low tuition cost.
Distance Learning Director Nancy Johnson said that students throughout Southwestern Wyoming benefit from the College’s emphasis on providing rigorous academic instruction through accessible online platforms that allow students to balance their classes with many other life obligations. Online students benefit from the same high-quality instruction and personalized faculty attention as students who take face-to-face courses at the Rock Springs campus, Green River Center, or one of Western’s many outreach locations, she said.
“Online learning is an essential component of higher education today, and even many of our on-campus students will take one or more online classes as a way to maintain a flexible schedule and accommodate their jobs, athletics and extracurricular activities,” Johnson said. “Our academic standards at Western are consistent for all classes, regardless of format or method of delivery. Our top ranking by Value Colleges underscores the excellent work being done by our distance-learning faculty and staff every day to bring quality online instruction to all Western students.”
In total, Western offers 17 web-based educational programs, including: an Associate of Arts degree with emphases in criminal justice, general studies, social science, social work, or sociology; an Associate of Science degree with emphases in accounting, business administration, computer information systems, marketing, and general studies; an Associate of Applied Science degree in Office Information Systems; and six professional certificates requiring commitments of anywhere from 15 credit hours to one year.
In August 2015, BestColleges.com ranked Western #6 on its list of the 50 Best Accredited Online Associate Degree Programs. BestColleges.com has also ranked Western as the #1 two-year college in Wyoming.