Distance Education continues its upward climb according to the most recent distance education data from IPEDS. The number of programs increased 8.2% in 2016, but this increase was less than the whopping 12.6% in 2015. There are now over 29,000 programs offered through distance education. Certificate programs continued their strong upward climb of double-digit increases with the exception of certificate programs between one and two years, which have actually declined 5.6%.
Business related programs continue to have be the largest percentage of distance related programs. Homeland security and law enforcement programs increased nearly 14%, which is almost double the increase in 2015. The top 10 categories are listed below.
