April 19, 2023 (Jackson, Miss.) – Belhaven University earned top honors as one of the best schools for online learning at the master’s level. OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD) awarded the University two of its highest rankings, second for Best Online Master’s Degrees in Sports Management and ninth for Best Online Master’s Degrees in Organizational Leadership.

The University was recognized for its overall quality, affordability, and commitment to student success. Only six percent of regionally accredited postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position.

“This honor is well-deserved by the curriculum team, advisement team, and instructors in our sports management program,” said Dr. Antwon Woods, chair of sports management, assistant dean and assistant professor of sports management and business administration. “Their knowledge and perseverance, which support our students’ growth, testifies to the transformational leadership that has assisted this program to earn this high national recognition.

“This year, we focused on the schools making it easier for students to compete in today’s increasingly difficult job market,” said Kyle Darland, co-founder of OMD. “Each ranked school offers a fully or partially online master’s program in business at a time when earning a master’s has become a minimum barrier to entry for many.”

Darland referenced a recent survey from CareerBuilder, which found that “33 percent of employers are hiring workers with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by those with four-year degrees.”

“Top-ranked schools had competitive tuition rates and/or scholarships to help drive costs down,” added Darland. “And with grocery, gas, and other expenses on everyone’s mind right now, an affordable master’s is key.”

OnlineMastersDegrees.org analyzed more than 7,700 accredited universities by using data pulled from the schools themselves and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

After the data was compiled, OMD’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each of the different master’s degrees specialties. Primary data points included academic counseling services, career placement services, student/faculty ratio, tuition, percent of students receiving school-based aid, and amount of school-based aid per student.

Woods added, “Our program has a bright and promising future, and I can’t wait to see it continue to advance the academic careers of our current and prospective scholars in the marketplace.”