On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 Best Online Programs rankings list. GW Engineering Online continued its meteoric rise and is now ranked 8th overall for online engineering graduate programs and 7th for graduate engineering programs for veterans.
The programs first appeared on the list in 2016, at #55. GW Engineering Online Director Dr. Shahram Sarkani and Co-Director Dr. Thomas Mazzuchi—both professors of Engineering Management & Systems Engineering (EMSE)—established a goal to reach the Top ten in ten years by growing and improving program offerings in every measurable category, focusing on program quality and the student experience.
Sarkani had this to say about the current ranking: “I’m excited about this. Dr. Mazzuchi and I, with the support of Drs. Amir Etemadi and JP Blackford, have been working toward this goal since the beginning. I knew this was going to happen because I never stop until I reach my goal – I can’t help it! And then I set new goals!”
Originally from Iran, Sarkani recalls the personal and professional impact of his early years and the role his transition from his childhood home to his U.S. home played in his journey. When He landed in Louisiana in 1975, he didn’t know what to expect and was happy to meet individuals who wanted to help.
“I’ve always liked improving processes and helping people, probably because so many people have helped me. My life experiences are at the foundation of who I am, and those experiences are why I do what I do,” said Sarkani. “At some point, someone gave me a chance to succeed, and I want to give other people that same chance.”
When Sarkani arrived at GW, almost forty years ago, one of the first staff members he met was Zephra Coles. At the time, she was the admin for the Civil, Mechanical, & Environmental Engineering Department and was helping students register for classes. With no prompting, and because he saw so many anxious students, Sarkani immediately applied his process-improvement, helping-people ideology to assist.
“Zephra was one of my first friends and foes, all at the same time. I walked in and immediately went into improvement mode, which completely caught her off-guard,” said Sarkani. “But she ran with it, and together we helped those students, which is what it is all about.”
He continued, “Looking back, I can laugh because Zephra was here at the beginning and was one of the first people at GW that I challenged. But we quickly became partners, working together toward the same goal of supporting the students. She will always have my gratitude and respect.”
Coles, who currently serves as the Associate Program Director for one of GW Engineering’s research programs, stated that Sarkani is one of the faculty members who took the time to get to know her over the years and provided opportunities for her to grow professionally.
“Working with Dr. Sarkani was an enriching experience. A combination of technical expertise and an emphasis on mentoring defines his leadership style. My time under his administration proved valuable in my growth as a department administrator,” said Coles.
GW Engineering has a long history of making quality graduate engineering education accessible to working professionals by setting up satellite classrooms with corporate entities both in the U.S. and with international partners.
In 1999, Sarkani joined the newly formed EMSE Department and, in 2000, was tasked by Mazzuchi, the EMSE department Chair at the time, with revamping the Department’s struggling off-campus operation. That was the beginning of an incredible partnership, as they worked together to improve the off-campus programs and eventually transformed them into today’s GW Engineering Online programs. Sarkani often refers to Mazzuchi as his academic brother in reference to their long-standing professional partnership and friendship.
Mazzuchi notes, “Working with Dr. Sarkani has been one of the highlights of my career. I have learned from him, we have accomplished a lot together, and we have also had some fun on the way.”
From 2001 until 2006, Sarkani delivered off-campus graduate education opportunities for employees at SAIC, Lockheed Martin, Leidos, and other reputable private companies with offices in the DC metro area and eventually across more than 22 cities in the U.S. and several locations worldwide. This coordination effort required the use of dial-in software that would accommodate different time zones, operating systems, and other required resources.
“When I realized the rate at which the programs were growing, I made a recommendation to the University leadership to open these programs up to the public and transform them into distance education programs,” said Sarkani. “The University agreed, which made these programs more sustainable and created a student pool outside of the private companies with whom we had initial contracts.”
In May 2024, GW Engineering Online hit another major milestone under Sarkani’s strategic leadership. Of the 2024 graduating class that earned a doctorate, more than 40% were members of underrepresented groups, including 32% who identify as Black / African American, compared to the national average of only 4%.
“I believe that if you provide everyone with a level playing field, anyone can succeed. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. If you want to be successful in our programs, we will do everything in our power to provide you with the necessary framework to meet your needs and help you achieve your goals,” said Sarkani.
He continued, “Education is our mission. Therefore, students are important to us. As long as each student does their part to ensure their success, I make sure that my entire team and I are always available to help and provide guidance.”
Sarkani continues to develop strategies to ensure the future of GW Engineering Online while maintaining high standards for entrance and completion for all the degree programs. Today, GW Engineering Online has more than 1500 students, which includes some of the best and brightest professionals in the country. You can find GW Engineering Online students in every government agency and at the top technology and Fortune 500 companies.
Tuesday’s rankings announcement is a result of the consistent hard work of GW Engineering Online leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Since its founding, GW Engineering Online has increased its number of applications, degrees offered, student enrollment, student outcomes, and rankings position annually. Despite this growth, enrollments in individual courses remain small, and all classes and office hours are live, enabling real-time interaction between instructors and students – this is a far cry from many online programs with hundreds or thousands of students watching recorded lectures.
Dr. John Lach, Dean of GW Engineering, had this to say about Sarkani and the programs he built: “Dr. Sarkani has been with GW for 39 years and built GW Engineering Online from the ground up. Thanks to his leadership, our online engineering programs went from number 55 to number 8 in the country in less than 10 years! He did it by focusing on quality and the student experience. At graduation, the students share with me how much they enjoyed the program and how beneficial it has been in their careers.”
Dean Lach continued, “These accomplishments and levels of student satisfaction don’t happen by accident – especially with online programs, which are notoriously impersonal. They happen because of people like Shahram Sarkani. He cares so deeply about students and giving them the highest-quality education and experience in our programs. ”
View the full ranking list here.