KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 24, 2026

The 2026 U.S. News & World Report evaluated approximately 1,800 online degree programs at institutions across the United States to determine overall academic quality. This year, Radow College’s undergraduate psychology program received the highest ranking of any program at Kennesaw State University with the No. 12 spot for “Best Online Bachelor’s in Psychology Programs.” Additionally, the college’s graduate criminal justice program jumped from last year’s ranking of No. 52 to a new high of No. 26 for “Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs,”

Corinne McNamara, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Psychological Science and professor of psychology, is thrilled to see the department receive this recognition. McNamara said the faculty are “very progressive” in terms of learning the latest technology and communicating educational concepts in a way that resonates with students. She believes the ranking reflects the quality and caliber of KSU’s online psychology course offerings.

“We offer a comprehensive online psychology curriculum that includes introductory coursework, our research core, advanced electives, internships, and opportunities for student research and teaching assistantships,” McNamara said. “We have intentionally built this flexibility into the program because we recognize that many of our students are balancing professional responsibilities, family commitments, or military service.” 

McNamara knows that students who are balancing complicated lives want a high return on their educational investments. She believes students are drawn to Radow College programs, in part, due to the variety of research topics that faculty are pursuing and opportunities for student involvement as KSU’s research infrastructure grows. McNamara said that digitally savvy faculty are seeking ways to deliver those educational concepts in ways that resonate with their students. In addition, KSU’s Digital Learning Innovations accessibility training has allowed the department to offer a “robust... menu of classes for our online students.”

The commitment to integrating technology, high quality research, student engagement, and appealing instruction that students can engage with online at their own pace is shared by Radow College’s Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program. Sara Evans, Ph.D., MSCJ program director and associate professor of criminal justice, believes that the program’s asynchronous nature is one of the main drivers of growing interest and enrollment. 

“Many of our students are coming to us because they’re already working in some sort of public safety job, and they are interested in advancing their careers,” Evans said. “Having a master’s degree is more and more necessary... to do that.”   

Evans said that Radow College faculty excel at bringing research to their online classrooms that teaches students how to evaluate policies and practices that they might encounter by day at their public safety jobs. Students who pursue the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online at Radow College will develop skills including analytical thinking, evidence-based decision making, interpreting, evaluating, and analyzing data, and professional communication. Evans hopes the program’s students will carry that knowledge from their advanced degrees into advanced positions in their careers. 

Linda Treiber, Ph.D., interim chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and professor of sociology, said Radow College faculty are well-equipped to offer students high-quality online degree options. She said the importance of student-to-student interaction, student-to-instructor interaction, and accessibility were all central to the development of the college’s online courses. 

“It seems like our college was really ahead of the curve in terms of online learning,” Treiber said. “Long before we had the pandemic and COVID and everything had to shift quickly, we were already in a good place, so the faculty learned best practices of online learning probably... five years before COVID even hit.” 

The rankings are an external recognition of the commitment that Radow College faculty and staff demonstrate every day when it comes to creating learning environments that help students thrive.

“It really is a success of the program faculty as a whole. We’re all supporting our students to be able to complete the program successfully, and part of that lies with the program staff and advising, Evans said. “But much of it also lies with the rest of the faculty that are teaching the classes every day and supporting the students, both in classroom groups and at the individual level as well. It's a group effort.” 

 

--story and photos by: Noelle Lashley