Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9324-9928

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Jake Follmer

Committee Co-Chair

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Member

Nate Sorber

Committee Member

Theresa Felder

Abstract

Institutions of higher education have historically been designed as engines of innovation and knowledge dissemination in the United States and across the world. Whether this comes by way of short-term credentialing programs at community colleges or through R1 research programs at prestigious universities, all institutions deliver value and knowledge through their academic programs. Over the past decade, colleges across the country have been adding new programs at a frantic pace. While some of these programs seem to provide a clear path forward to gainful employment, some have fallen flat and proven to be bad investments by both the institution and, ultimately, those students who enrolled in the program. What factors lead to the creation of these new programs? Furthermore, what are colleges doing to better understand their investments and how they adopt new programs? This dissertation examines the power of institutional characteristics, finances, enrollment, and community features in predicting the adoption of new academic programs by institutions of higher education. More specifically, this study explores the effects of these variables on program adoption by different types of institutions to better understand the ambiguous playing field of creation. This work considers the establishment of new programs in the context of higher education, but also uses comparative devices to liken the development of credentials to the development of new products in the business realm—a process that is seemingly more established, calculated, and proves to be an interesting lens in which to view this issue through. This dissertation delivers new evidence about who has been creating new programs, which institutional variables have a likely influence on program creation, and how specific factors should be considered by institutions seeking to innovate by way of new programs in the future. With the field of higher education changing by the day and the growing questions surrounding the value of a college credential, this dissertation looks to provide the groundwork for administrators, governing agencies, and ultimately, students to make the most of new academic programs.

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