02/18/14
Fort Hays State University has ranked first in affordable online master's degrees in the nation. GetEducated.com, a consumer group that ranks the most affordable online degrees out of 3,187 different degree programs, gave its highest ranking to three different FHSU's online master's degrees, based on overall costs.

GetEducated ranked two different human resources programs offered by FHSU, the Master of Professional Studies in human resource management and the Master of Business Administration in human resource management, as No. 1 and No. 6 respectively. Costing only $7,407, FHSU's human resource program beat Texas Amberton University at $8,712.

FHSU's online management degree, the Master of Liberal Studies in global management, ranked No. 1 at a cost of $7,654 for all students, rather than Western Carolina University in North Carolina, which offers a program at an in-state-only cost of $7,783.

The No. 1 online leadership ranking is held by FHSU's Master of Liberal Studies in organizational leadership program at a cost of $7,654. The next least expensive program is Stephens College, Missouri, at a cost of $14,025.

FHSU's overall online bachelor degree programs are listed as No. 3 on business management rankings and No. 4 in business administration rankings.

FHSU also earned a "Best Buy" ranking for students seeking a high-quality, low-cost online master's degree in public administration. Currently, FHSU's Master of Liberal Studies in public administration is ranked No. 2 among all competing options nationwide in GetEducated's category of Master of Public Administration.

The Master of Liberal Studies online organizational leadership program at FHSU was also ranked in the top 20, at No. 15, by TheBestSchools.org. The website says FHSU has "a flexible degree program that focuses on intellectual, social and moral growth to help the student foster the love of learning" and that the program "provides opportunities for them to systematically explore a wide realm of knowledge and wisdom to help them better understand themselves, others and the world around them."

FHSU currently offers, through its Virtual College, 10 master's degree programs and 27 bachelor's programs completely online, with three other programs that require on-campus participation. To earn a Best Buy from GetEducated, a college's online learning program must be found, by independent reviewers, to offer high quality instruction while objectively costing less than the average of all of the reviewed degree programs.