KINGSTON, R.I. Jan. 31, 2023 – The University of Rhode Island’s School of Education’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages/Bilingual and Dual Immersion (TESOL/BDL) online graduate degree program has been ranked number 82 out of 329 public research universities nationally, by the 2023 U.S. News & World Report listing of Best Public Graduate Schools for Education, released on Jan. 24.

The new ranking moves URI up a marked 139 slots from last year’s rankings of 221 (out of 321).

URI’s online master’s degree program is for students who are certified to teach in public schools, or enrolled concurrently in a teacher certification program, and want to teach English or bilingual education in a U.S. or international setting.

“Multilingual populations are increasing in Rhode Island schools and across the United States.  Our TESOL/BDL program is using cutting-edge research and teaching methods to build educator capacity in working with this population of students,” said Danielle Dennis, dean of URI’s College of Education and Professional Studies. “Our exceptional faculty have created a program that matches the reality of the classroom with best practices for teaching and learning.”

U.S. News & World Report assessed schools offering TESOL/BDL online programs based on factors such as student engagement, faculty credentials, services, and technologies.

Designed for individuals looking to complete or further their education, this year’s

edition evaluates more than 1,800 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The rankings only include degree-granting programs that are offered primarily online by regionally accredited institutions.

Prospective students can see how URI’s School of Education compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on USNews.com.

Based at the Kingston Campus, URI’s School of Education prepares future professionals in the field of education across multiple specialties, offering teacher certification degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level, in addition to graduate certificates.

First published in 1983, U.S. News & World Report’s rankings are based upon information collected from educational institutions via an annual survey, government and third-party data sources, and school websites. It also considers opinion surveys of university faculty and administrators outside the school.