The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice master’s degree in criminal justice studies jumped two spots to No. 5 in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report ranking of online programs.

The college attributes the online program’s growing success to a combination of the first-rate faculty with the flexibility of a distance-learning environment.

“We are pleased that our college’s online graduate program is recognized as among the very best in the country,” said Thomas Blomberg, dean of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “Our online and campus graduate programs are taught by the No. 1 ranked faculty in the country for research productivity over the past 10 years. As a result, students completing our programs are receiving the highest quality educational instruction to propel their career trajectories.”

For a complete list of the U.S. News & World Report online graduate rankings visit: http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education.