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Three online graduate programs at the University of North Georgia (Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨) — nursing, education and criminal justice — earned a spot on the 2020 U.S. News & World Report .

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) with a major in higher education leadership and practice and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree programs launched within the past three years. The first DNP cohort started in fall 2019.

"We are creating new opportunities for graduate education and expanding our current offerings to online formats to better serve students in our region," said Dr. Chaudron Gille, Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s online graduate degrees in nursing include the DNP and Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in nursing education. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ also offers an online nurse executive leader certificate.

Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s online graduate degrees in education include: the Ed.D.; Master of Education in early childhood education; Master of Science with a major in kinesiology; and Master of Education in middle grades math and science. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ also offers online a number of graduate-level certificates in education.

Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ also offers a Master of Science with a major in criminal justice.

"U.S. News believes that online learning is integral to all types of education, including higher education, and that consumers are hungry for information related to online degrees," according to a news release. "In our ninth year of collecting data from distance education master's and bachelor's degree completion programs, we've been able to expand the range and depth of our information."

Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ also was ranked 16th among regional public universities in the South in the U.S. News & World Report 2020 Best College list released Sept. 9 in addition to strong placements in other recent national rankings.

In August, Forbes magazine named Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ one of the nation's top higher education institutions in its annual "America's Top Colleges" ranking. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ was one of only six public universities in Georgia to be included on the 2019 list and ranked fourth among all public universities in the state. Money magazine included Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ in its list of Best Colleges released in August. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ also landed on Kiplinger's Best College Values list released in July.

Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ serves about 20,000 students and is one of the state's largest public universities. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨'s five campuses are located across northeast Georgia in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Oconee County. Å·±¦ÓÎϷƽ̨ offers more than 100 programs of study, including certificates, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and professional doctoral programs.