Thinking of an online degree? See which NC colleges rank highest in your field.

Are you thinking of pursuing an online degree program in 2026? Good news: North Carolina had at least one top-50 program in every subject area evaluated by U.S. News and World Report in the media outlet’s most recent rankings.

The state’s strongest online programs are in health care and business. Duke University’s online nursing program ranks second nationally. Among online MBA programs, UNC-Chapel Hill ranks third.

UNC Charlotte stands out in the rankings as a rising star. It is tied for the fourth-best online bachelor’s degree program in the country. Plus, for veterans, the school is the second-best online degree program.

Most of the programs assessed in the rankings are degree completion programs, not programs for incoming freshmen. U.S. News and World Report looked at whether these online degree programs “have academic standards commensurate with quality brick-and-mortar programs that are properly adapted toward the unique pedagogy of distance education.”

Best online bachelor’s degree in NC: UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte is tied with the Ohio State University for the fourth-best online bachelor’s program. UNC Wilmington is next, tied for 15th-best with the University of Arizona. NC State University comes in at 38th-best, while NC A&T State University is 48th. Lees-McRae College, Appalachian State University and Campbell University are also in the top 100.

Best online non-MBA business degree in NC: Duke

Duke is tied with Michigan State University and University of Massachusetts-Amherst for the fifth-best online non-MBA business degree. UNC came in at 18th, tying with Loyola University Maryland, Florida State University, the University of Rhode Island and Villanova University. That’s a decline of six places for Chapel Hill since last year. NC State is in the 25th spot, and UNC-Greensboro is in 82nd.

Best online criminal justice degree in NC: East Carolina University

North Carolina schools don’t fare too well in the online criminal justice degrees ranking. The top spot goes to ECU, which is tied for 40th with Georgia College & State University and Westfield State University. ECU’s program fell by 13 spots in the rankings this year. No other North Carolina school made the top 100.

Best online education degrees in NC: NC State & UNC Charlotte

NC State and UNC Charlotte are among schools tied for 18th best online education degree. NC State rose two spots in the rankings, while Charlotte fell nine. UNC Greensboro is tied for 36th. App State and ECU are among schools tied for 50th. That’s an increase of 47 spots for App State.

Best online engineering degree in NC: NC State

NC State is home to the 29th best online engineering degree. Duke is tied for 50th with Florida International University, George Mason University and University of Central Florida. UNC Charlotte is tied with Villanova for 56th best online engineering degree.

Best online information technology degree in NC: NC A&T

NC A&T is tied with Florida State and Ferris State University for ninth-best online IT degree, rising one spot. NC State is among schools tied for 18th best in IT, falling five spots. UNC Greensboro is tied for 44th, also falling five spots.

Best online MBA in NC: UNC-Chapel Hill

UNC boasts the third-best online Master of Business Administration program. Also in the top 100? NC State, NC A&T, Wake Forest University, App State and Fayetteville State. NC A&T’s designation as 50th best marks a 22-spot rise.

Best online nursing degree in NC: Duke

Duke is tied with University of Southern California for second-best online nursing program, outshined only by Ohio State. ECU came in at ninth and UNC Charlotte is among seven schools tied for 22nd. UNC Wilmington ranks 35th. UNC Greensboro and UNC-Chapel Hill are tied for 48th.

This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

Jane Winik Sartwell

The News & Observer

856-759-9651

Jane Winik Sartwell covers higher education for The News & Observer.