Essential Questions to Guide New Program Development

Your institution or department has tasked you with finding new programs to increase enrollment and boost the visibility of your college, university, or department. This is a high-risk situation as success rates of new programs are estimated to be just 30% in 2021. For most institutions, it takes up to two years to get a new program launched. That’s a lot of time and resources that could be directed to supporting other program enrollment goals.

Over the years, I have developed the following essential questions to guide the new program development process.

Essential Questions

1. What is the employment opportunity for students in this program? Students are seriously considering their career outcomes when searching for a college to attend.  What does this program offer in terms of jobs, employers, work settings, and skills to meet employer demand in your area? Make sure your program leads to positive outcomes and use data to tell that story.

2. What type of student will this program serve? There are myriads of student types today—first-time undergrads, transfers, adult students, degree completers, grad students, international students, etc. Defining your audiences by type and geography (e.g., student personas) will help you position and market the program more effectively.

3. What is the target enrollment figure for considering this program a success? In one year? Two years? Five years? Getting a hard figure from leadership at the outset will go a long way before more resources are committed.

4. Can we offer this program at an attractive price point? In an attractive format? Price and place must meet student requirements and expectations. Online programs often achieve a higher success rate than those only offered in person.

5. Who else offers this program in our target market? What is their market share? Will our program be sufficiently different and compelling to achieve our target enrollment figure?

6. Who will be the main faculty champion of this program? This person must have a vested interest in the new program and the time and support to champion a new program through internal reviews and the accrediting approval process.

7. What other programs can be co-marketed with this program to support our wider academic portfolio? Often students have multiple interests so co-marketing-related programs, certificates, or offering 4+1 programs can meet that need. While some may find this new program more attractive than existing programs at your institution, the goal is to keep them at YOUR institution and not go elsewhere. Program marketing is essential in enrollment marketing today.

8. What cooperations, synergies, and partnerships will this program create? Who can join you—employers, institutes, other institutions, or well-known entities? These relationships could help drive enrollment, reduce costs, or increase visibility or knowledge bases.

9. How will the program be named? Faculty champions, often not knowing how prospective students search for programs, choose names they believe set the offering apart from others. SEO is important so appropriate naming is critical to being understood by students and being found by search engines. Key word metrics should be included in your evaluation before a program name is approved.

10. Who will be responsible for ensuring the success of the program? Is there a dedicated marketing plan? Is there a dedicated marketing content writer? We often encounter institutions where faculty are responsible for—and generally not successful at—creating program page content. It’s part of the marketing plan to assign metrics and measures to hold different entities accountable for success. Asking faculty to become student marketing experts is not a sound strategy. Asking faculty to be part of online information sessions with prospects or starring in short videos to highlight program advantages is a better use of their talents.

Enjoying Success

When faculty and marketing work together to identify, shape, and launch new academic programs you’ll achieve greater success with your program launches.

I’m here to help! Contact me at [email protected]

Read Next: How to Know When a Program Has Run Its Course: Using Academic Program Assessments