Newswise — FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Once again, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has been recognized for providing students with one of the nation’s top online academic programs. U.S. News & World Report has released its rankings of top online graduate programs for veterans, and NSU's Criminal Justice program was ranked in a tie for 21st.

"For more than 50 years, NSU has worked hard to create programs that provide academic opportunities for students that meet their varied needs," said Dr. George Hanbury, President and CEO of NSU. "One segment of our student population that's growing is our veterans, and we want to ensure we provide them with educational opportunities that best suit their needs as they transition back to civilian life."

Dr. Hanbury said that this latest honor is in keeping with NSU's Vision 2020, where the university will be recognized by accrediting agencies, the academic community and the general public as a "premier, private, not-for-profit university of quality and distinction." This is the second time NSU's criminal justice program has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report – earlier this year the online program for all students was ranked 22nd in the country.

This is the third year that U.S. News & World Report has issued these rankings, which identify programs that provide veterans with high-quality, flexible online educational options. According to the report, to be eligible, programs had to be part of an institution of higher learning that is certified for the GI Bill, be participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program or be a public institution that charges in-state tuition for out-of-state veterans. In addition, to be ranked, a school had to be part of the top 75% of schools in the overall 2015 Best Online Programs rankings by the publication (NSU was in the top 22 programs overall.)

"We've worked hard to position our criminal justice program as one of the premiere programs online and I’m very proud of this recognition," said Kimberly Durham, Psy.D., dean of NSU's Institute for the Study of Human Service, Health and Justice. "It's a reflection of the program's faculty – they are truly at the heart of what distinguishes our program from others."

NSU's criminal justice graduate program is unique as it's offered entirely online. This format allows students to participate in courses from anywhere in the world and provides flexibility in completing a master's degree while providing time for students to continue their current career if need be. NSU's master's program in criminal justice is designed for those interested in careers in several areas, including, but not limited to: police officer; detective; FBI special agent; DEA agent; Secret Service special agent; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent; and Federal Air Marshall.

For more information about NSU's criminal justice program, please visit us online at http://www.nova.edu/humanservices/index.html

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and first-professional degrees levels. An independent, not-for-profit institution with approximately 25,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico and online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu