By Bill Kisliuk

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science online master’s degree program has been named the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

UCLA’s Master of Science in Engineering Online program is designed for working engineers who seek to advance their knowledge, skill sets and career opportunities. MSOL students can earn a degree in two years through classes that are delivered completely online. Classes are fully equivalent to those in the on-campus master’s curriculum.

 More than 60 UCLA Engineering faculty members and lecturers teach in the program, which has an enrollment of roughly 250 students.

“This ranking is welcome recognition of our success combining the academic rigor required of all UCLA Engineering students with the advantages of all-online delivery,” said Vijay K. Dhir, the school’s dean. “I’d like to thank our MSOL faculty, students and staff for their hard work and commitment to excellence.”

Areas of study include advanced structural materials, aerospace engineering, computer networking, computer science, electrical engineering, electronic materials, integrated circuits, manufacturing and design, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, signal processing and systems engineering.

In fall 2014, the MSOL program began offering an engineering management degree, with courses taught by faculty from UCLA Engineering, the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In 2015–16, data science engineering and sustainable water engineering programs will be added.

“We are very pleased to be recognized as the best in the country,” said Jenn-Ming Yang, UCLA Engineering’s associate dean for international initiatives and online programs. “Access to a high-quality online education is of growing importance for working engineers and companies that employ a high number of engineers. We have aggressive plans for expanding the breadth and depth of our offerings.”

For the rankings, U.S. News analyzed 80 online programs, considering criteria such as faculty academic credentials; instructional technology and student access to academic, career and financial support; opportunities for student interaction with faculty and fellow classmates; admissions selectivity; and the program’s reputation among peers.

UCLA’s program received the highest mark in student services and technology, and was in the top three for both faculty credentials and admissions selectivity.

In addition to the top online ranking, U.S. News and World Report places UCLA among the nation’s top 10 public universities for undergraduate and graduate engineering education. UCLA Engineering has been named the best engineering school among U.S. public universities, and ninth-best engineering school in the world, by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. It is ranked fourth in the world by the Microsoft Academic H-Index for the volume and influence of research published by students and faculty.

For more information on UCLA’s Master of Science in Engineering Online, visit the program’s website, call (310) 825-6542 or email admissions@seas.ucla.edu.

Main Image: Professor Suneel Kodambaka in an MSOL studio.