Story by: Wesley Holsomback

MONTEVALLO Ala.– The University of Montevallo’s online graduate education programs in the College of Education and Human Development have moved up in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Master’s in Education Programs national rankings.

Montevallo’s online graduate education program has climbed to 50th in the nation, being previously ranked 54th in 2025. “We strive to ensure these online advanced programs are in fact the same quality and ‘high touch’ for which the University is so well reputed at the undergraduate level.” Shared Dr. Courtney Bentley, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at UM.

333 schools are assessed by U.S. News & World Report through the following five categories:

  • Engagement (30%): Quality online graduate education programs grant aspiring teachers and educational administrators opportunities to readily interact with their instructors and classmates
  • Faculty credentials and training (20%): Strong online programs employ instructors with academic credentials that mirror those of instructors for campus-based programs, and they have the resources to train these instructors to teach distance learners
  • Peer assessment (20%): A survey of high-ranking academic officials in education helps account for intangible factors affecting program quality that statistics don’t capture
  • Services and technologies (20%): Programs that incorporate diverse online learning technologies allow greater flexibility for students to take classes from a distance
  • Student excellence (10%): Student bodies entering with proven aptitudes, ambitions and accomplishments can handle the demands of rigorous coursework

UM’s College of Education and Human Development offers a number of online programs such as applied instruction, elementary education, secondary education, P-12 education and instructional leadership.