Mikeie Reiland is a staff writer for Education at Forbes Advisor. Before coming to Forbes Advisor, he wrote magazine journalism for publications like the Oxford American, Bitter Southerner, and Gravy.

When the 2025 U.S. News & World report rankings of the nation’s best online master’s programs came out in January, it was no surprise that Purdue University rated No. 1 in multiple categories. The ...