Nicholls online writing program ranked in top 20
Photo by Dominique Barquero
Nicholls State University’s online writing program has recently been ranked #13 for Best Online Bachelor’s in Writing by TheBestSchools.org.
The Nicholls Online English degree program has nine badges of excellence for its program, which is more than any other online program at Nicholls. The Nicholls Online program is nationally recognized and is the best priced online degree program in the state, according to their website.
Ellen Barker, department chair of the department of languages and literature, says programs are ranked on the basis of affordability, the rigor of the program, how well constructed the program is and how well it meets the needs of students.
“We have the only Ph.D. for creative writing in the state, and our retention rates are pretty high,” Barker said.
The online creative writing degree program has 27 students currently enrolled, and the online rhetoric and writing degree program, a more recent program, has eight students currently enrolled.
Dr. Michele Theriot, the advisor for the Nicholls Online English program, said she feels the reason the program is so outstanding is because of the consistency of it and the personal feel.
“They feel like they are apart of something; they feel like they are a part of this university,” Theriot said.
Theriot said all of the online professors are either currently teaching on campus or have in the past. This ensures the online classes are very similar to the regular, on-campus classes, and she explained that the professors are better able to connect with their online students.
Nicholls English online bachelor’s degree programs include creative writing, rhetoric and writing, film studies and literary studies. The film studies degree program was just added to the program this semester.
“We have these different areas of concentration, so we are meeting the needs of students across the country,” Barker said.
Last week, a new area of concentration, children’s and young adult literature, was approved to be added to the program, which will begin in the 2020 fall semester.
