That would be helpful to know, right? In today’s highly competitive higher education market, the need for the right program mix can mean the difference between meeting your recruitment goals or falling short. It is also invaluable in proving ROI to your institution’s bottom line and providing the skills and expertise necessary for employees and employers.

Furthermore, if you had market intelligence and knew who the top employers in your area were for the types of programs you were offering and planned to offer, past and current job openings in those fields, and the types of skills needed to fill those jobs planning new academic programs would be a much easier task! Not to mention a tremendous service for recent graduates and alumni.

While academic program evaluation of current and future programs isn’t an easy process, it is an increasingly necessary one. It will allow you to move confidently forward knowing your decisions are based in data and evidence.

So where to begin?

1.) Evaluation of Current Program Offerings

Start with an an in-depth review of all academic programs currently being offered by your school. Layer in a high level discussions regarding the success of each, as well as those sometimes difficult conversations that would address the political benefits behind various program offerings.

2.) Market Analysis

Much data exists in relation to current and projected market trends from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Valuable information from IPEDS, the National Center for Educational Statistics and Google Trends Data all provide insight into current and future trends and help with the evaluation process. There are several innovative companies that also aggregate job openings data by region, position and field that is incredibly valuable as a resource.

3.) Competitor Analysis

There is rarely only one piece of data that tells the entire story related to the opportunity that exists with an academic program. With that in mind, understanding the competitive landscape within each of these programs will be a critical element of this process.

Within your competitor set it makes sense to review the digital marketing strategy, program delivery, price point, credits required for completion and points of differentiation.

Research and hard data in relation to new program evaluation is one of the most important strategic moves that your institution can make. We work with dozens of colleges each year on research based/data driven evaluations and would love to learn more about your institution’s needs.