Adult Student Market Analysis - Rider University Student Market Analysis Rider University January, 2005 Aslanian Group, Inc. ... mass media is also important to help raise the visibility

Adult Student

Market

Analysis

Rider University January, 2005

Aslanian Group, Inc.

149 East 63rd

Street

New York, NY 10021

T: (212) 588-1202

F: (212) 937-2019

[email protected]

www.aslaniangroup.com

Adult Student Market Analysis

Conducted for:

Rider University Conducted by:

The Aslanian Group

New York, NY

January, 2005

Aslanian Group offers market research services to colleges and universities nationwide. These services include community-wide market studies to assist colleges in determining the educational needs of targeted audiences—high school students, adult students, public and private organizations. The outcomes and recommendations of these studies provide actionable steps a college can take to improve programs and shape priorities to better match the needs of its constituencies. In addition to large-scale market research studies, the organization also conducts professional development seminars and conferences for higher education administrators who seek new techniques, information, and best practices in reaching out to and serving college students. Further, Aslanian Group offers consulting services to specific colleges who want on-site audits and reviews of their programs, including the design and conduct of on-campus workshops for colleges with special and unique needs. Aslanian Group was incorporated in 2000. The organization is headed by Carol Aslanian who has had more than 20 years of experience in serving colleges nationwide. As past director of the Office of Adult Learning Services and the Office of Community College Relations at the College Board, she has conducted hundreds of studies for colleges and has provided on-site assistance in planning future initiatives. Aslanian Group is based in New York City and employs staff locally and nationwide for data collection and analysis tasks. Aslanian Group Inc. (AGI) 149 East 63rd Street New York, NY 10021 212. 588.1202 tel 212. 937.2019 fax [email protected] www.aslaniangroup.com Copyright ©2005 Aslanian Group

CONTENTS

PAGE

Executive Summary ......................................................................................... i

Study Methodology and Background Findings ...............................................1

Undergraduate Adult Study

The Position and Image of Rider University in the Undergraduate Adult Market .....7

1. In What Fields Should Rider University Offer Undergraduate Courses for Adults? .............................................................................................................10

2. When Should Rider University Schedule Undergraduate Courses for Adults? ..............................................................................................................13

3. What Media Should Rider University Use to Advertise to Undergraduate Adult Students?.................................................................................................20

4. At Which Off-Campus Locations Should Rider University Offer Undergraduate Courses for Adults?..................................................................27

5. What Should Rider University Charge Adults for Undergraduate Courses? ...30

6. What Distance Learning Instructional Methods Should Rider University Use to Provide Undergraduate Courses for Adult Students? ...................................34

Graduate Adult Study

The Position and Image of Rider University in the Graduate Adult Market ............36

7. In What Fields Should Rider University Offer Graduate Courses for Adults?. .............................................................................................................39

8. When Should Rider University Schedule Graduate Courses for Adults?.........42

9. What Media Should Rider University Use to Advertise to Graduate Adult Students? ...........................................................................................................52

10. At Which Off-Campus Locations Should Rider University Offer Graduate Courses for Adults?...........................................................................................59

11. What Should Rider University Charge for Graduate Courses? ........................62

12. What Distance Learning Instructional Methods Should Rider University Use to Provide Graduate Courses for Adult Students? ............................................66

Study of Organizations………………......................…………………………. 68

Analysis of Area Colleges…...................................................………………… 78

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Executive Summary ______________________________________________________________________________________

In the fall of 2004, Rider University commissioned the Aslanian Group to study the supply of and demand for adult learning in a geographic area surrounding the Lawrenceville main campus and its Princeton-based campus. The major purpose of this market study was to identify new policies and practices that would assist Rider in enhancing its market share of adult students (25 years of age and older) who enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs. The summary of our findings below highlights some of our major conclusions. Later chapters present specific findings and recommendations that go beyond this executive summary, providing action-oriented next steps that Rider should consider taking. Based on our analysis, the seven counties included in our study (Mercer and Somerset, as well as portions of Bucks, Burlington, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union) provide a socio-economic setting that is much higher than most communities in the nation. Households in these counties produce the types of adults who often return to higher education to gain the skills and competencies they need to advance in their careers. They are more highly educated, engage in higher level occupations and produce higher than average incomes. Moreover, these counties are home to an impressive variety of private sector employers producing products and services in a wide variety of fields. These employers, too, have characteristics that very often require the continued educational development of their employees, either by sponsorship through tuition reimbursement plans or through direct contracting with outside suppliers, such as colleges and universities. Together, the population and employer base of these seven counties create an active adult learning market. Our market study focused on the demands of recent adult students for undergraduate and graduate education. We also surveyed employers to identify their education and training needs as well as analyzed the offerings of institutions competitive to Rider for the adult undergraduate and graduate market. Let us now summarize some major findings and recommendations for each group of students. In regard to attracting larger numbers of undergraduate adult students, Rider should:

• Target other competitors of similar size and authority such as LaSalle, Holy Family and Monmouth in order to expand its market share.

• Increase its moderate level of visibility among potential undergraduate adult students (one-half of the market does not know Rider well enough to rate it) through expanding its current minimal budget for advertising and promotional

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activities. Such steps would also help in convincing prospective students that Rider is a place for them to study. In short, Rider needs to work harder both in increasing its visibility as well as its rating among adults as a place for them to study.

• Promote more aggressively Rider’s bachelor’s degrees in business—the major most often sought by these adults. Rider should also develop and offer bachelor’s degrees in education, possibly partnering with community colleges by offering upper division completion programs. Rider should also consider ways in which to partner with other institutions in providing degrees in the health professions.

• Develop and promote aggressively 7-8 week course schedules as well as intensive 3-week courses offered in January and May. Rider can consider a weekend program that focuses on high demand areas of study, namely business.

• Use Rider’s own Web site (this site needs to be improved in its attractiveness to undergraduate adult students) and direct mail to students at home as the primary means of reaching out to undergraduate adult students. The expanded use of mass media is also important to help raise the visibility of Rider.

• Increase course offerings at Rider’s Princeton-based campus to take advantage of the high undergraduate adult student demand in this area and consider an off-campus site near the Oxford Valley Mall or the Bridgewater Mall.

• Promote and offer new and attractive financial arrangements that help prospective adult students accept Rider’s undergraduate tuition price, such as merit-based scholarships, frozen tuition rates, discounts for taking more than one course or multiple courses, or enrolling in consecutive terms.

• Recruit adults through employers with healthy tuition reimbursement plans and encourage more employers to offer and expand such plans.

• Expand considerably hybrid (partly on-line/partly in a classroom) courses and degree programs.

In regard to attracting larger numbers of graduate adult students, Rider should:

• Target other competitors of similar size and authority, such as LaSalle, Georgian Court, Monmouth, Seton Hall, and Fairliegh Dickinson in order to expand its market share.

• Increase its moderate level of visibility among potential graduate adult students (40 percent of the market does not know Rider well enough to rate it) by expanding its current minimal budget for advertising and promotional purposes.

iii

Allocating less than $150,000 to this function is not powerful enough to attract the hundreds of graduate students Rider seeks for its education and, in particular, MBA programs.

• Promote aggressively Rider’s Master’s degrees in education and business. These two areas represent about half of market demand among adults.

• For education courses, offer short-term, weekday morning, and afternoon summer courses primarily in June and July; also offer 6-8 week weekday evening courses during the months of January through May, preferably once a week on Wednesday or Thursday.

• For other courses, promote courses scheduled September through November most aggressively, followed by February though May.

• Develop and promote 7-8 week course schedules.

• Consider a weekend Saturday program that offers high demand areas of study, namely education and business.

• Use Rider’s own Web site and direct mail to students at home as the primary means of reaching out to graduate students. Expand the use of radio and newspaper advertisements to help raise Rider’s visibility.

• Increase course offerings at Rider’s Princeton and Lawrenceville campuses to take advantage of the high graduate adult student demand in these areas.

• (In keeping Rider’s graduate tuition at its current levels) promote and offer more merit-based scholarships, frozen tuition rates, discounts for taking more than one course and/or registering early, in order to expand Rider’s graduate market share.

• Target employers with tuition reimbursement plans to help ease the concern students may have with Rider’s pricing.

• Consider hybrid courses and hybrid degree programs as a means for expanding its graduate offerings to adult students.

In regard to developing stronger ties with employers, Rider should:

• Promote aggressively to employers what Rider has to offer in undergraduate and graduate programs, since there is relatively little familiarity with such programs.

• Ensure that Rider’s Web site is current and up-to-date and applicable to information employers seek.

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• Explore ways to join organizations in promoting reimbursable study and emphasize the availability and underutilization of tuition reimbursement when advertising to prospective graduate adult students.

• Establish a system to regularly contact employers regarding their unmet education and training needs.

This report assumes that Rider wants to expand its presence in the undergraduate and graduate adult market we have studied. That is, Rider would like to increase its undergraduate adult enrollment from the current 700 or so students to a level commensurate with the characteristics of its service area. As well, we assume that Rider also wants to go beyond the 900 or so graduate adult students it now attracts to levels that better match the higher socio-economic levels of its potential clientele. We envision a bright potential future for Rider in these two markets. A reasonable goal would be for it to increase its enrollment by hundreds of students if it were to focus on the accommodations we recommend in this report.

1

Study Methodology and Background Findings

In the fall and winter of 2004, the Aslanian Group conducted a Community Assessment Program (CAP) for Rider University (including both the Lawrenceville main campus and its Princeton-based campus). Planned jointly by representatives of Rider and the Aslanian Group, Rider’s CAP consisted of the following four studies: Study 1: A study of the context for educating adults as shown by demographic

data for a geographic area surrounding Rider University campuses.

The following five counties were selected for analysis:

• Burlington (New Jersey)

• Hunterdon (New Jersey)

• Mercer (New Jersey)

• Middlesex (New Jersey)

• Bucks (Pennsylvania) Census data were analyzed to classify the census tracts within these counties into four types, according to their probability of producing adult students (with type 1 being the most likely and type 4 being the least likely). The analysis was based on past research showing which demographic characteristics are predictive of adult study. Outline maps and transparencies of census tracts and county subdivisions were colored to show areas of type 1 high demand (dark green), type 2 medium-high demand (medium green), type 3 medium-low demand (light green), and type 4 low demand (white). Those maps and transparencies, along with statistical tables and a technical explanation of the Study 1 methodology, were supplied to Rider in September, 2004. Study 2: A study of the demand for undergraduate and graduate education

among individual adult students.

Random telephone calls were made to thousands of households in Mercer and Somerset Counties, as well as portions of Bucks, Burlington, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union Counties (see map on the following page) in order to find the 125 undergraduate and 126 graduate adult students we interviewed, all of whom were 25 years of age or older when they took their most recent undergraduate or graduate course during the past five years.

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Study 2 Survey Area

3

While the 251 interviews consisted of data questions directly related to 12 Policy Questions chosen by Rider and answered in this report, each interview also included questions about the personal characteristics and circumstances of the adult students at the time they took their most recent undergraduate or graduate course. Here are thumbnail sketches of the typical adult students we interviewed:

• The typical undergraduate adult student we interviewed was a 25-29 year-old female, who had completed three or four years of college but had no bachelor’s degree when she took her last course. At that time, she was employed full time, with a family income of $50,000-$75,000.

• The typical graduate adult student we interviewed was a 25-29 year-old female, who had a bachelor’s degree when she took her last course. At that time, she was employed full time, with a family income of $50,000-$75,000.

However, we actually spoke to a wide range of undergraduate and graduate adult students for Rider, as shown in the data presented in these tables:

Sex

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Female 69% 62%

Male 31 38

Age When Last Course

Was Begun

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

25-29 36% 33%

30-34 20 21

35-39 14 15

40-44 12 16

45-49 11 10

50-54 6 3

55-59 1 2

60-64 0 0

65 or older 1 0

4

Highest Level of Education

When Last Course Was Begun

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

High school diploma 17% 0%

One or two years of college, but no associate’s degree

20 0

Associate’s degree 10 0

Three or four years of college, but no bachelor’s degree

28 0

Bachelor’s degree 18 40

Some graduate study, but no master’s degree

2 27

Master’s degree 3 25

Graduate study beyond a master’s, but no doctor’s degree

1 4

Doctor’s degree 1 4

Types of Colleges Where

Respondent Has Taken Courses

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Four-year colleges only 30% 66%

Both two-year and four-year colleges

50 33

Two-year colleges only 20 1

Employment Status When Last

Course Was Begun

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Employed full time for pay 57% 67%

Employed part time for pay 23 18

Not employed for pay and not seeking employment for pay

12 13

Not employed for pay, but seeking employment for pay

8 2

Retired 0 0

5

The tables in the answers to the 12 Policy Questions in this report present the responses of all of the undergraduate and graduate adult students we interviewed. Study 3: A study of the demand among organizations for education

and training they want for their employees and whether cooperative

arrangements with Rider might be beneficial.

Officials in 75 organizations were interviewed in order to determine their perceptions of Rider University and its competitors, the current and preferred methods for receiving information from local colleges, their current tuition reimbursement policies, and any interest they might have in contract training to be supplied by Rider. Interviews were completed by telephone with 45 private sector businesses and industries, 18 government agencies, and 12 school districts, drawing organizations/employers from a list proposed by Rider. The findings from these interviews are presented in this report. Study 4: A study of the supply of higher education from other institutions that

compete with Rider’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Over several months, the Aslanian Group examined the competing undergraduate and graduate programs offered and aimed at adult students (students over the age of 25 years of age, studying part-time after 5 p.m., on weekends and online) across nine individual institutions, as well as Rider. The nine institutions were identified by the data collected in Study 2.

Family Income When Last

Course Was Begun

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Under $25,000 15% 14%

$25,000 - $50,000 14 10

$50,000 - $75,000 26 20

$75,000 - $100,000 18 16

$100,000 - $125,000 10 16 $125,000 - $150,000 5 6 Over $150,000 5 10 Refused 8 8

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Study Timetable and Reporting Supported by technical assistance from Resolution Research and Marketing, and Applied Education Research, the Aslanian Group carried out this CAP from September, 2004, through January, 2005. That work produced this report, which contains both findings from the studies and recommendations for Rider’s future policies and practices. Two technical notes: All percents in this report have been rounded; therefore, the total

percent figure in a table may not add up to exactly 100. Further, if the total percent

figure is substantially more than 100, it is because some questions allowed the

respondents to choose more than one option.

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The Position and Image of Rider University

in the Undergraduate Adult Market

To determine the current position of Rider in the undergraduate adult market in the nominated counties, we asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone where they were currently/recently studying and where they would prefer to study in the future. These are their answers:

College

Actual

Market Share

Preferred

Market Share

Brookdale Community College 10% 2%

Bucks County Community College 8 9

Mercer County Community College

6 2

Raritan Valley Community College—all branches

6 2

Thomas Edison State College 5 0

Rutgers University—New Brunswick

4 16

Temple University 3 5

LaSalle University 3 1

Rutgers University—Camden 2 4

Burlington County Community College

2 3

Middlesex County Community College

2 3

Holy Family University 2 5

Monmouth University 2 5

Rider University 2 2

Rutgers University—Newark 2 2

University of Phoenix 2 2

Drexel University 2 1

New Jersey Institute of Technology

2 0

Princeton University 1 6

The College of New Jersey 1 5

Seton Hall University 1 2

Other College in another state* 28 11

Other College in New Jersey* 3 2

*No college was named by more than 1 percent of the respondents.

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There are many noteworthy points in the table above. Here are perhaps the most important:

• Perhaps not surprisingly, the top seven colleges with the largest shares (42 percent) of the undergraduate adult market are public institutions—four of which are community colleges (36 percent).

• These four Community colleges lose half of their “actual” market shares if adults had their choice of where to study in the future.

• Rider will need to make up the apparent financial attractiveness of public education in other ways—some of which will be discussed in the remaining chapters of this report.

• Looking at Rider more closely, we see that it is tied with other small, private institutions, namely LaSalle, Holy Family, and Monmouth. Unfortunately, looking to the future, where as Rider’s market share does not change in regard to future preferences, the market shares of Holy Family and Monmouth more than double. Obviously, Rider will need to make some new accommodations to the adult market to become competitive.

• It is more than likely that Rider should look to these other small private institutions as one source of ideas for future programming and marketing, rather than to the less costly public institutions.

• In regard to the high percentage of undergraduate adult students who report studying at “another college in another state,” upon further examination of colleges cited, close to one-half were located in nearby, commuter accessible institutions in Pennsylvania and New York. This may reflect the adults’ willingness to travel some distance to access college programs that better meet their needs.

We also asked the 125 undergraduate adult students whether they knew six colleges (nominated by Rider) well enough to rate them as places to study. The following table shows the percent who said they knew the college well enough:

College

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Rutgers University 73%

Rider University 51

Fairleigh Dickinson University 51

DeVry University 45

Holy Family University 29

Thomas Edison State College 21

Clearly, Rutgers University has the best visibility among the colleges rated. However, its high level of visibility does not reflect its small market share. On the other hand, Rider’s

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moderate level of visibility (one half of the market does not know Rider well enough to rate it) is not unlike those of Fairleigh Dickinson and DeVry (both of which received no noticeable market share) and much better than those of Holy Family and Thomas Edison. Without doubt, Rider needs to raise its level of visibility in order to increase its market share. What do adult undergraduates think of these colleges as places for they themselves to study? We asked them to rate the same six colleges on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high,

but only if they knew the college well enough to rate it. These are the results:

College

Average Rating

Given by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Rutgers University 4.1

Fairleigh Dickinson University 3.7

Holy Family University 3.6

Rider University 3.6

Thomas Edison State College 3.3

DeVry University 3.2

The best profile for a college is to be widely known and well regarded. Rutgers University achieves that. Clearly, Rider needs to work harder both in increasing its visibility as well as its rating among adults as a place for them to study.

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1. In What Fields Should Rider University Offer Undergraduate

Courses and Degrees for Adults? Promote more aggressively Rider’s bachelor’s degrees in Business. Consider new

ways in which Rider can partner with other institutions in providing degrees in the

Health Professions.

Promote bachelor’s degrees in the Social Sciences and develop and offer bachelor’s

degrees in Education.

Consider partnerships with area community colleges for providing degree

completion programs in Education.

Degree Study in the Market We asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to tell us whether they were studying for a degree. A relatively high 78 percent said they were. Of those degree-seeking undergraduate adult students, 27 percent were seeking associate’s degrees, while 71 percent were seeking bachelor’s degrees. We also asked about certificate study among the 22 percent of students not studying for a degree students and found that about one-third of them had been pursuing a credit certificate—only about seven percent of the total market.

Demand for Degrees In our market studies, we examine the most popular degrees currently/recently taken by undergraduate adult students because we believe that the degrees that they have actually worked toward in the past are a better predictor of what they will study in the future than what they simply say they will study in the future. To put it a different way, we have found, as a result of many studies, that examining actual demand is far more reliable than examining a prospective interest. Thus, we asked only those undergraduate adult students already in the degree market to name the subject field in which they were majoring. Here is what they told us:

Subject Field for Degree Study

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Business and Commerce 35% Health Professions 21 Education 10 Social Sciences 10

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Computer and Information Sciences 5 Engineering 5 Law 3 Math 3 Liberal Arts 2 Communications 2 Philosophy and Religion 1 Public Affairs 1 Biological Sciences 1 Language and Literature 1

With over one-third of all respondents studying business and commerce, it seems clear that Rider should keep offer a sufficient numbers of courses and programs in this area of study. Not far behind are majors in the health professions, followed by education and the social sciences. Together, these four fields of study make up more than 75 percent of all undergraduate adult students’ degree majors. Fortunately, Rider’s present undergraduate degree offerings aimed at adult students are concentrated in business, primarily, and to a lesser extent in the social sciences—two areas in demand. Rider should also consider expanding its offerings at the undergraduate level in education and possibly in the health professions in order to meet further market demand.

Patterns of Course Study Next, we asked all 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed how many courses they were taking the last time they were enrolled. Here are their answers:

Number of Courses

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

1 course 42%

2 courses 31

3 courses 11

4 courses 11

5 courses 2

6 courses or more 3

While 73 percent of the undergraduate adult students were taking just one or two courses at a time, 27 percent were taking three or more (with a substantial minority of about 16 percent studying full time and taking four or more courses). The large proportion of adults taking relatively few courses at a time would indicate, most likely, a latent demand among adults for accelerated schedules so they can complete their studies on a more timely basis than currently available.

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Demand for Courses

In keeping with our theory that past behavior best predicts future behavior, we asked all of the undergraduate adult students to name the courses they were currently/recently taking. This is what they told us:

Area of Course Taken

Percent of

Adult

Undergraduate

Respondents

Business and Commerce 16% Math 12 Computer and Information Sciences 11 Social Sciences 9 Language and Literature 6 Philosophy and Religion 6 Communications 5 Education 5 Personal Enrichment 5 Technical/vocational 5 Law 5 Health Professions 4 Biological Science 3 Public Affairs 3 Arts: Visual/Performing 3 Counseling 2 Physical Sciences 1 Foreign Languages 1

As with degree study, business and commerce dominates the undergraduate adult student’s coursework. Not far behind are math, computer and information science, and social sciences which, together with business and commerce, make up 48 percent of all undergraduate adult students’ coursework. Rider’s present undergraduate course offerings help sustain this market’s current practices.

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2. When Should Rider University Schedule Its Undergraduate

Courses for Adults?

Promote courses scheduled from September through May most aggressively.

Develop and promote aggressively 7- or 8-week course schedules, now being used as

an alternate course schedule by Rider.

Offer courses weekday evenings beginning at 6:00 p.m. Consider adding weekday

morning courses beginning at 9:00 a.m. to the current class schedule.

Offer courses twice-a-week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also consider offering

courses once-a-week on Saturdays.

Rider should consider three-week, intensive courses, to be offered in January and

May.

Rider should consider offering 3-credit, 3-week long courses, possibly in January

and May, that meet 3 evenings a week with independent work outside of class

required each week.

Rider should pilot test a weekend program offering high demand areas of study,

such as Business.

In order to determine the importance to Rider of operating on a schedule that is attractive to adult students, we asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential. Here are their average (mean) ratings:

College Characteristic

Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Quality of Programs 4.7

Quality of Faculty 4.6

Schedule 4.6

Location 4.4

Cost 4.3

General Reputation 4.3

Variety of Programs 4.3

Safety of the Campus 4.3

Availability of Academic Support Services 3.7

Ease of Use of College Administrative 3.7

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Services

Financial Aid 3.6

Quality of Other Students 3.5

Attractiveness of the Campus 3.1

It is understandable that undergraduate adult students rate the quality of the programs and the quality of the faculty as highly influential in their choice of a college. But perhaps it is surprising to see that undergraduate adult students are virtually as concerned about the schedule of their courses. This is important for Rider to keep in mind when trying to recruit more busy adult students—most of whom are juggling both work and family responsibilities—a convenient schedule can mean the difference between enrolling and not enrolling. What, then, are the most attractive schedules for undergraduate courses for adults? We asked those we interviewed to describe their preferred course schedule for a three-credit course lasting about 45 hours of class time. First, we asked about preferred months of study. This is what the undergraduate adult students told us:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

January 38%

February 34

March 35

April 34

May 28

June 16

July 16

August 12

September 31

October 30

November 31

December 26

The fall term and spring term months of September through April—except December, with its holiday season—are most likely to attract undergraduate students. January and May could be attractive months for offering three-week intensive courses. The summer months—June, July and August—would appear to be tougher to sell. We went on to ask how many weeks a term should last. These are the answers of the undergraduate adult students:

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Preferred

Number of Weeks

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

3 weeks or less 1%

4 weeks 6

5 weeks 6

6 weeks 14

7 weeks 3

8 weeks 18

9 weeks 2

10 weeks 12

11 weeks 1

12 weeks 22

13 weeks 2

14 weeks 1

15 weeks 7

16 weeks or more 5

The typical (median) undergraduate adult students we interviewed prefers terms of 8-9 weeks. Overall, 62 percent prefer terms of just 10 weeks or shorter. Offering 7-8 week courses would both match Rider’s current 14-week semester and meet market preferences. Given the attractiveness of 10-week or shorter terms and the winter and fall months, Rider should consider terms beginning and ending within a three-month fall schedule and a three-month winter schedule. Next, we found out whether the undergraduate adult students who had taken classroom courses had gone to classes mornings, afternoons, evenings, or weekends, and when they would prefer to go—in case of a difference. Here are the data comparing when they had actually taken their courses to when they would prefer to take their courses:

Time of Day/Week

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Who Actually Took

Courses Then

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Who Prefer

Courses Then

Weekday early mornings (finished by 9 a.m.)

3% 3%

Weekday mornings (between 9 a.m. & noon)

33 22

Weekday afternoons (between Noon & 3 p.m.)

9 5

Weekday afternoons 4 3

16

(between 3pm & 5 p.m.)

Weekday evenings (5pm or later)

43 54

Weekends 3 13

Supply of and demand for classes are somewhat out of balance at the two primary times of weekday mornings and weekday evenings—with an oversupply of weekday morning classes and an undersupply of evening classes. Rider may also want to consider offering an array of weekend classes in order to take advantage of the lack of supply but notable demand for classes at this time. But exactly when should those classes start? Here are the preferences of undergraduate adult students:

Preferred

Class Starting Time

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

8:00 a.m. 3%

8:30 a.m. 2

9:00 a.m. 18

9:30 a.m. 9

10:00 a.m. 4

10:30 a.m. 1

11:00 a.m. 2

12:30 p.m. 2

1:00 p.m. 2

2:00 p.m. 1

3:30 p.m. 1

4:00 p.m. 1

5:00 p.m. 7

5:30 p.m. 3

6:00 p.m. 26

6:30 p.m. 8

7:00 p.m. 10

8:00 p.m. 1

The best starting time for weekday morning classes is 9:00 a.m.— the choice of 18 percent of the undergraduate adult respondents. The best starting time for evening classes is 6:00 p.m.—the choice of 26 percent of the undergraduate adult respondents. We continued by asking the undergraduate adult students we interviewed how long each class session should last. This is what they told us:

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Preferred Length of

Class Session

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

1 hour 7%

1 ½ hours 14

2 hours 24

2 ½ hours 10

3 hours 36

4 hours 6

4 ½ hours 1

Longer 2

Over one-third (36 percent) of the entire undergraduate adult market prefers classes that last three-hours, signifying a large interest in intensive, and perhaps less frequent study. Coupled with class session length, we asked about the number of class sessions to be scheduled each week. Here are the undergraduate adult students’ opinions:

Preferred Frequency of

Class Session

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

1 time a week 32%

2 times a week 43

3 times a week 21

4 times a week 1

5 times a week 2

Once every two weeks 1

Indeed, a substantial majority of about 75 percent of undergraduate adult students prefers to come to class just once or twice a week. Thus, the preferred 9 week term, combined with 3 hour class sessions, meeting once or twice a week would meet both academic requirements as well as adult preferences. The following tables display the specific day preferences of those students who prefer their courses to meet one day per week, two days per week, or three days per week:

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If Rider wants to consider once-a-week classes, they should be offered on Saturday. Twice-a-week classes are best offered on a Tuesday-Thursday schedule. The best three

Preferred Days

for Classes Meeting

One Day Per Week

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Saturday 40%

Wednesday 22

Monday 15

Tuesday 10

Thursday 10

Friday 3

Sunday 0

Preferred Days

for Classes Meeting

Two Days Per Week

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Tuesday 59%

Thursday 54

Monday 41

Wednesday 33

Saturday 6

Friday 4

Sunday 4

Preferred Days

for Classes Meeting

Three Days Per Week

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Wednesday 81%

Monday 69

Tuesday 54

Thursday 54

Friday 31

Saturday 12

Sunday 0

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day schedule would be Wednesday and Monday, followed by either Tuesday or Thursday. Next, in order to probe the market’s interest in possible new course schedules Rider might offer, we asked the undergraduate adult students to rate their interest—on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high-- in the following course options:

Course Description

Average Rating

Given by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Rating of

4 or 5

A 3-credit, 3 week long course that meets 3 evenings a week with independent work outside of class required each week

3.0

45%

A course that meets every weekend for 8 weeks

2.7

35%

A course that meets every other weekend for 14 weeks

2.6

31%

A 3-credit course that meets Saturdays from 9am-4pm for 5 Saturdays with independent work outside of class required each week

2.6

36% While the four options overall were somewhat or moderately attractive to the undergraduate adult students (given moderate ratings of 3.0 or even less) upon examining the percent of adult student who gave each option a high rating of 4 or 5, there appears to be opportunities for Rider to explore one or more of these options. We would recommend a pilot test for the first options: A 3-credit, 3 week long course that meets 3

evenings a week with independent work outside of class required each week, and a course

that meets every weekend for 8 weeks.

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3. What Media Should Rider University Use to Advertise to

Undergraduate Adult Students? Use Rider’s own Web site and direct mail to students at home as the primary means

of reaching out to undergraduate adult students. Mail to prospective adult students’

homes in the summer for fall study and in December and January for winter study.

Further, use mass media (television, radio and/or newspapers) to help raise the

visibility of Rider.

Advertise on Talk Radio and Top 40 radio stations between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

Advertise in the Star Ledger, and if possible in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bucks

County Courier and the New York Times. Place ads in the Classified section, and if

possible in the Business, News and Lifestyle/Living sections on Sundays.

Provide an opportunity for prospective undergraduate students to come to campus

and sit in on a class. Arrange for them to have interviews with current adult

students, graduates of the College, and admissions officers.

We began our investigation of college advertising by asking the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to rate various advertising methods on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high, to indicate the methods they would prefer for getting information about colleges. Here are their average (mean) ratings:

Preferred Method

For Advertising

Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

The College’s Web Site 4.3

Mail to Your Home

3.6

Newspaper 3.3

Television 3.2

Magazine 3.1

Radio

3.1

Email Correspondence 2.7

Internet Ads 2.6

Mail to Your Work 2.5

Billboard 2.3

Movie Theater Screens 2.2

Bus 2.0

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According to undergraduate adult students, the best method to get useful information to a prospective student is via a college’s Web site. A college’s own Web site, of course, typically contains whatever a prospective student might want to find out. That Web site should be user-friendly—especially for adult students who might be looking at colleges that accommodate to their needs However, while a college’s own Web site might have all the information that is needed, it is not a means of advertising to those who are not already predisposed to find out something about the college. Direct mail to students at home, which is rated second highest by undergraduate adult students we interviewed, provides a means of getting information out to individuals who might not otherwise be inquiring. The mass media that come next on the list—newspapers, television, magazines, and radio—receive satisfactory ratings. They also primarily address the visibility of a college (or a division of a college) which Rider needs to address given the data presented earlier about their moderate level of visibility in the community among adult students. These media can make prospective students interested enough to go to a Web site or read unsolicited direct mail in order to find out more about a college. Rider should use mass media advertising to boost its visibility. Inasmuch as the ratings of these four are close, it would make sense for Rider to use those that are least expensive. As to the timing of direct mail, we asked undergraduate adult students to tell us the best months for receiving college advertising at home. This is what they said:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

January 11%

February 7

March 4

April 2

May 9

June 14

July 17

August 13

September 6

October 4

November 2

December 10

Since the fall months are slightly more popular for undergraduate adults to study, it stands to reason that advertising in June, July, and August would enable them to make their plans on a timely basis, get their lives in order, and prepare for attending classes in September. Respondents also expressed January and December as being preferred months for advertising, also enabling students time to prepare for the spring semester.

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Turning to media and looking first at radio advertising, we see these preferences among radio stations:

Preferred

Type of Radio

Station

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Talk 22%

Top 40 15

Rock/Hard Rock

15

Easy listening/soft rock/lite music

10

National Public Radio (NPR)

8

Oldies/rock & roll 8

News/Sports 7

Foreign Language 5

Country 4

Classical 2

Religious 2

Jazz/Blues 1

It is usually the case in our market studies that it takes advertising on several types of radio stations to reach an appreciable share of the market. For Rider, advertising should be done on talk radio first, followed by Top 40, and rock/hard radio stations—which would reach about 52 percent of the adults in the undergraduate market. This is what the undergraduates adult students told us about the right times to place those radio ads:

Preferred

Time for Radio

Advertising

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Earlier 2%

5:30 a.m. 2

6:00 a.m. 6

6:30 a.m. 3

7:00 a.m. 22

7:30 a.m. 5

8:00 a.m. 15

8:30 a.m. 2

9:00 a.m. 3

9:30 a.m. 2

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10:00 a.m. 6

11:00 a.m. 1

Noon 3

1:00 p.m. 1

1:30 p.m. 1

2:00 p.m. 2

2:30 p.m. 1

3:00 p.m. 1

4:00 p.m. 3

4:30 p.m. 2

5:00 p.m. 6

5:30 p.m. 2

6:00 p.m. 3

6:30 p.m. 1

7:00 p.m. 2

7:30 p.m. 1

8:00 p.m. 1

No Preference or Does Not Listen to Radio

3

The optimum time to place radio advertisements appears to be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.—the preferences of 42 percent of the undergraduate adult students who listen to radio. Evidently, a substantial number of adults in this market listen to radio when they are getting up, getting ready for the day, and perhaps driving to work. This same group of respondents were then asked whether, aside from New Jersey-based radio stations, they listen to Philadelphia- or New York-based radio stations: 56 percent listened to Philadelphia-based radio stations and 39 percent listened to New York-based stations. It seems that Philadelphia-based radio stations would be good places to reach undergraduate adult students. Looking next at newspaper advertising, we asked undergraduate adult students to name the best newspaper for college advertising. Star Ledger was most popular, with 20 percent, followed by Philadelphia Inquirer, with 19 percent, Bucks County Courier, with 11 percent, and The New York Times, with 9 percent. By advertising in these four newspapers, Rider can reach about 59 percent of the adult student market. When asked what newspaper sections to buy advertising space in, undergraduate adult students gave these answers:

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Preferred

Newspaper Section

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Classifieds 22%

Business 20

News 19

Living/Style

19

Arts & Entertainment 11

Sunday Magazine 5

Sports 3

Editorials 1

In order to reach a substantial share of the undergraduate adult market, Rider would have to buy space in more than one section. The data show that the classified, business, news, and living/style sections would reach a very substantial number of undergraduate adult students—about 80 percent. Undergraduate adult students chose these months as the best for newspaper advertising:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

January 11%

February 4

March 5

April 3

May 9

June 13

July 18

August 14

September 8

October 4

November 2

December 9

Just as we saw with direct mail advertising, the best time to place newspaper ads is right before most undergraduate adult students are thinking about going back to school. The months of June, July, and August make the best times for newspaper advertising. However it is interesting to note that the month of January garnered some popularity with about 11 percent. Here are the undergraduate adult students’ choices for the best days of the week for newspaper advertising:

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Sunday is the best choice. Advertising on Monday and Wednesdays as well as Sundays would reach 72 percent of the undergraduate adult student market. Lastly regarding newspaper advertising, we asked these respondents whether a metropolitan daily newspaper or a local weekly newspaper would be best for college advertising. The daily newspaper received the most votes, with about 50 percent, followed by the weekly newspaper, with about 46 percent. There is no clear pattern here—both appear acceptable. Changing the subject from advertising designed for a mass audience, we asked the undergraduate adult students about other approaches about informing them about colleges. We asked them to rate various ways to learn about a college using a 5-point scale, with 5 being high. The following table displays the average (mean) rating given to each:

Preferred Day

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Sunday 47%

Wednesday 14

Monday 11

Friday 8

Saturday 8

Thursday 7

No preference 5

Tuesday 2

Ways of Learning

About a College

Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Sitting in on Class 3.8

Interview with a Current Adult Student

3.7

Interview with a Graduate of the College

3.6

Interview with an Admissions Officer

3.6

Interview with a Faculty Member

3.5

Open House/Information Session

3.5

Online Chats with College Staff

2.7

Online Chats with Students 2.5

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It would not be a mistake to offer any of these options to prospective undergraduate adult students, although it seems evident that online chats with college staff or with students would have the least influence on the prospects’ choice. Sitting in on a class is an excellent choice, perhaps because it offers a sample of what the professors and other students would be like and because it is a taste of reality that is not staged for prospective students. But, interviews with a variety of Rider representatives are also quite appealing: current adult students, graduates, admissions officers, and faculty members. All received above-average ratings, including open house/information sessions, each should be offered to prospects to the degree possible. Sitting in on a class might simultaneously provide prospects with a chance to talk with a current adult student and, after class, even the professor. We believe these on-campus events and interviews are not especially difficult to arrange and that they could make a difference for Rider if its competitors are relying solely on mass media and direct mail to reach this market.

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4. At Which Off-Campus Locations Should Rider University Offer

Undergraduate Courses for Adults? Increase course offerings at Rider’s Princeton-based campus to take advantage of

the high undergraduate adult student demand in this area.

Consider an off-campus site near the Oxford Valley Mall or the Bridgewater Mall.

Operate in a building owned or leased by Rider, if at all possible. If not, use a high

school building or an office building.

As we reported in the answer to an earlier Policy Question, we asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential. We repeat here their average (mean) ratings:


Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students



Schedule 4.6

Location 4.4

Cost 4.3




Availability of Academic Support Services

3.7

Ease of Use of College Administrative Services

3.7

Financial Aid 3.6



Clearly, the location of courses is a very influential factor in an undergraduate adult student’s decision about where to study—or, indeed, about whether to study at all. In studying potential off-campus locations, we first asked the undergraduate adult students we interviewed whether they prefer their classes to be close to home or to work. The majority (73 percent) preferred their classes to be close to home, with about 16 percent choosing close to work. Another 11 percent had no preference. Thus, choosing

28

locations convenient to residential areas that are likely to produce adult learners could accommodate as much as 84 percent of this market. We continued by asking undergraduate adult students about the maximum number of minutes they would be willing to travel one way to take a course. Here are their answers:

Maximum Number

of Minutes

Willing to Travel

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Fewer than 10 Minutes 2%

10-19 Minutes 11

20-29 Minutes 28

30-39 Minutes 30

40-49 Minutes 22

50-59 Minutes 2

60 Minutes or More 4

The typical undergraduate adult student is willing to travel as much as 35 minutes to class. Thus, Rider should expect to recruit most of its undergraduate adult prospects from within about 35 minutes of its current campuses or within 35 minutes of whatever other location Rider might choose. Rider representatives chose seven locations (including its Princeton and Lawrenceville locations) to be investigated. We asked each of the undergraduate adult students two questions: (1) whether they would be willing to take courses in each location; and (2) which location would be their first choice for taking courses. Here is what they said:

Percent of Undergraduate Adult Students

Location

Willing to Study

There

1st Choice

Location

Princeton 54% 27%

Lawrenceville 32 7

Oxford Valley Mall 30 18

Peddlers Village 25 10

Bridgewater Mall 24 19

Burlington County Community College, Willingboro Campus

23 14

Foresgate Country Club 19 4

The top first-choice location on the list is Princeton. Students are both willing to study there and prefer most of all to study there. Rider should increase its course offerings in

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their Princeton-based campus to take advantage of this market. It’s also noteworthy that undergraduate adult students second to least preferred location to study is in Lawrenceville, where Rider’s main campus is located. Despite that, a substantially larger percentage (32 percent) are still willing to study there. In addition, the table above shows that undergraduate adult students seem to prefer locations close to commercial shopping areas, with about 47 percent choosing Oxford Valley Mall, Bridgewater Mall, or Peddlers Village as first-choice locations. Turning to the best facilities in which to offer courses, we read a list to the undergraduate adult students we interviewed and asked, first, if they would be willing to go to each one to take a course, and second, which facility would be their first choice. Here are their responses:

Percent of Undergraduate Adult Students

Facility

Willing to Study

There

1st Choice

Facility

Building Owned or Leased by a College for the Purpose of Offering Off- Campus Courses

88% 51%

High School Building 74 22

Office Building 71 10

Hotel or Convention Center

60 6

Community Center 66 7

Church or Synagogue 47 2

Industrial Park 41 0

Shopping Mall 40 2

Without a doubt, a building owned or leased by a college for the purpose of offering off-campus courses is by far the best facility to use—preferred about 51 percent and acceptable to about 88 percent. That would be Rider’s best choice. If such a facility is not available, high school buildings are a reasonable second choice—acceptable to nearly as many individuals, though preferred by just 22 percent of the market.

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5. What Should Rider University Charge Adults for Undergraduate

Courses? Keep Rider’s undergraduate tuition price at its current level.

Promote and offer more merit-based scholarships, frozen tuition rates and/or

discounts for taking more than one course.

Recruit adults through employers with tuition reimbursement plans and encourage

more employers to offer and expand such plans.

As we now have reported in the answer to two earlier Policy Questions, we asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential. Here once again are their average (mean) ratings:


Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students



Schedule 4.6

Location 4.4

Cost 4.3





3.7


3.7

Financial Aid 3.6



We note that cost receives a relatively high rating of 4.3—as high, in fact, as the general reputation of the college. If Rider can make its schedule, location, and cost attractive, it should win a handsome share of this undergraduate adult market. It is probable that, of the three, it will be easier for Rider to gain market share on its accommodation to adults’ preferences in regard to course schedules and location than on cost.

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Specifically, the undergraduate adult students we interviewed were asked whether the higher cost of tuition at a private college would prevent them from enrolling in a course or a degree program there. About 76 percent said, “Yes.” Indeed, cost must help explain why the three colleges with the largest shares of the undergraduate adult market are public. In order to determine just how sensitive the undergraduate adult market is to cost, we quoted those students we interviewed a series of proposed prices for undergraduate courses at Rider. Using the results in the following table, Rider can find out the relative total revenue that it would collect at each of the different prices we quoted. This can be done by assuming an imaginary market of 100 undergraduate adult students. Based on such a market, an index of total revenue can be determined at each price by multiplying that price by the number of people out of 100 who would be willing to pay it. For example, during the interviews, 55 percent of the undergraduate adult students said they would be willing to pay $730 for a course at Rider (its current price). Multiplying a price of $730 by 55 (55 percent of an imaginary 100-person market) creates an index of total revenue of $40,150. Doing the same with each of the other prices quoted produces these results:

Proposed Price of an

Undergraduate Course

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Willing to Pay

That Price

Index of

Total

Revenue

$ 730 55% $40,150

$1,050 28 $29,400

$1,450 11 $15,950

$1,600 9 $14,400

As the table shows, each price increase from $730 to $1,600 drives down prospective enrollment and simultaneously drives down revenue. The optimum revenue-producing price is $730 per course. Note that almost half of the respondents (45 percent) would choose not to enroll at Rider because they consider its current cost too high. In the next proposed price increment, $1,050, almost half (27 percent of the 55 percent) are no longer willing to pay that price. By the time we hit Rider’s highest proposed price, $1,600, all but about 9 percent of the market has been lost. Interestingly, there is a very small market niche that seems to care relatively little about price. (Remember that about 10 percent of the undergraduate adults we interviewed reported family incomes between $100,000-$125,000, about 5 percent reported family incomes between $125,000-$150,000, and another approximate 5 percent reported family incomes exceeding $150,000.) To find out more about the opinions of the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone, we asked them how attractive certain financial arrangements

32

were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely

influential. Here are their average (mean) ratings:

Financial Arrangement

Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Merit-based Scholarships 4.4

Tuition Frozen at the Rate Paid When First Enrolled

4.4

Discounts for Taking More Than One Course at a Time

4.3

Discounts for Registering Early 4.2

Discounts for Registering for More Than One Course at a Time

4.2

Discounts for Enrolling in Consecutive Terms

4.1

College Loans to Students for the Employer’s Share of the Tuition

4.1

Family Discounts 3.8

Discounts for Alumni 3.8

Low-interest Loans 3.6

Deferred Payment Schedules 3.5

Payment by Credit Card 2.9

The data show that the undergraduate adult students are most attracted to merit-based scholarships and frozen tuition rates based on the cost when initially enrolled. Also noteworthy is respondents’ high interest in receiving discounts for taking more than one class at a time, for registering more than one class at a time, and for registering early. We also asked the undergraduate adult students whether they would be interested in taking a third course if they received a 30 percent tuition reduction; about 58 percent of all respondents said, “Yes.” Because previous data show that almost half of the undergraduate adult students found Rider’s current price of $730 too high, Rider may be able to expand its share of the adult student market by offering these discounts to adult students while also offering incentives for students to taking more than one course at a time at Rider. There is one other possibility to consider. Can undergraduate adult students get the financial help many would probably need by accessing tuition reimbursement programs at their jobs? First, only about 49 percent of the undergraduate adult students we interviewed worked for an employer that offered tuition reimbursement when they took their last credit course. Second, only about 76 percent of those who had it available—or about 30 percent of the entire undergraduate adult market—actually received any reimbursement for the last course they took.

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Given those facts, Rider might target employers with tuition reimbursement plans and promote Rider’s willingness to work with employees in those companies as one way to help students afford what seems, to most, to be very high prices.

34

6. What Distance Learning Instructional Methods Should Rider

University Use to Provide Undergraduate Courses for Adult

Students? Expand considerably hybrid courses and degree programs if Rider wishes to enter

the distance learning market.

We asked the 125 undergraduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to tell us whether any of their current or most recent courses had been delivered entirely online. Here are the results:

Number of

Courses Delivered

Entirely Online

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

None of them 79%

Some of them 12

All of them 9

According to these data, 21 percent of the undergraduate adult students have had some recent experience with online courses. When we asked those undergraduate adult students who had studied in classrooms whether any part of their classroom courses had been delivered partly online and partly in the classroom, an additional approximately 14 percent said, “Yes.” Thus, a total of about 35 percent of undergraduate adult students have had some experience with online instruction, albeit not always entire courses. Turning to the potential for online study among undergraduate adult students, we asked all 125 students we interviewed whether they would prefer to take a course entirely online, partly online and partly in a classroom with a professor present, or entirely in a classroom with a professor present. This is what they said:

Preferred

Delivery Methodology

Percent of

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Entirely in a classroom 50%

Partly online/partly in a classroom 29

Entirely online 22

While about 50 percent of undergraduate adult students preferred courses offered entirely in a classroom, almost equally as many—about 50 percent—preferred some form of online instruction.

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To continue to explore undergraduate adult students preferences, we asked the respondents who prefer to take courses entirely in a classroom or a course combining classroom and online instructions, to rate their willingness to take a course to some extent online if a classroom wasn’t available—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely

willing—about 50 percent gave a high acceptable rating of about 4 or 5. We continued our inquiry about online instruction with only those undergraduate adult students who preferred courses offered entirely online or who rated their willingness as a 4 or a 5 to take courses entirely or partly online if a classroom and professor were not available—that is, we continued with the 46 percent of students most inclined toward online study. First, we asked these most interested students whether they would prefer to take an online course with “the classes on a regular, fixed schedule where you are online with other students and the professor” or whether they would prefer “to be online by yourself at a time of your choice.” The substantial majority—about 79 percent—preferred being online by themselves at a time of their own choice. Next, we asked these same most interested students to rate their interest—on the 5-point scale—in taking a regular college course with some online features, such as submitting homework assignments or communicating with the professor online. Most students found this idea to be quite acceptable—with an average (mean) rating of 3.9 and with about 70 percent giving a high rating of 4 or 5. Finally, we asked these same most interested students to rate—on the 5-point scale—two types of hybrid situations: (1) “Hybrid courses where some of the instruction is delivered in a classroom at a regular time and place, but the remainder is provided online”; and (2) “a hybrid degree program where some of the courses required for the degree are classroom-based and others are delivered online.” Here are the average (mean) ratings:

Type of

Hybrid Study

Average Rating by

Undergraduate

Adult Students

Hybrid Courses 3.8

Hybrid Degree Program 3.7

In each case, about 65 percent of those responding gave a high rating of 4 or 5 as well. Thus, the market for both hybrid courses and hybrid degree programs looks promising—not quite as strong as the market for regular courses with some online features, but stronger than the market for courses offered entirely online.

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The Position and Image of Rider University

in the Graduate Adult Market

To begin, we believe that the graduate adult student market in the eight-county region in which graduate adult students were interviewed has strong market opportunities for Rider University—perhaps slightly more than that for undergraduate adult student study. We base this assertion on the fact that interviewers were able to achieve the graduate quota of respondents before reaching the required quota for undergraduate respondents. This pattern has surfaced only once or twice in similar market studies conducted in recent years, and similar to the demographic characteristics of the eight counties in this study, these other studies were also located in high socio-economic regions of the country. Just as we had done with the undergraduate adult students, we asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone where they were currently or recently studying and where they would prefer to study in the future. These are their answers:

College

Actual

Market Share

Preferred

Market Share

Rutgers University—New Brunswick

12% 22%

Rider University 7 11

The College of New Jersey 5 6

New Jersey Institute of Technology

3 2

Rutgers University—Newark 3 1

Princeton University 2 8

LaSalle University 2 4

Georgian Court College 2 2

Kean University 2 2

Monmouth University 2 2

Rutgers University—Camden 2 2

Seton University 2 2

University of Phoenix 2 1

Fairleigh Dickinson University 2 0

Saint Joseph’s University 2 1

Stephens Institute of Technology 2 0

Temple University 1 4

Holy Family University 1 3

Other College in another state* 40 11

Other College in New Jersey* 2 2

*No college was named by more than 1 percent of the respondents.

37

There are some noteworthy points in the table above. Here are perhaps the most important:

• While Rutgers University in New Brunswick has the largest market share, which would nearly double if adults had their preference, Rider University places second in market share and it, too, would enhance its share if adults had their preference. To do that, Rider will need to increase its attractiveness in ways discussed in remaining chapters of this report.

• Among the top five institutions, commanding a total market share of 30 percent, four of the five are public institutions. Their apparent financial advantages will need to be addressed by Rider if it is to compete effectively with these institutions.

• However, it may be more advantages for Rider to edge out other competitors of similar size and authority, such as Georgian Court, Monmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Holy Family. It is also to Rider’s advantage that these other private institutions are not particularly attractive to the adult students in that their preferred market share does not differ much from their actual market share.

• In regard to the high percentage of undergraduate adult students who report studying at “another college in another state,” upon further examination of colleges cited, close to one-half were located in nearby, commuter accessible institutions in Pennsylvania (primarily) and New York. This may reflect the adults’ willingness to travel some distance to access college programs that better meet their needs.

We also asked the 126 graduate adult students whether they knew six colleges (nominated by Rider) well enough to rate them as places to study. The following table shows the percent who said they knew the college well enough:

College

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Rutgers University 82%

Rider University 60

The College of New Jersey 50

La Salle University 40

Monmouth University 34

Holy Family University 26

As among undergraduate adult students, Rutgers University has the best visibility among the colleges rated. However, Rider’s visibility is higher among graduate adult students than undergraduate adult students, placing it second on the list, and noticeably higher than the other private institutions rated. What do adult graduates think of these colleges as places for they themselves to study? We asked them to rate the same six colleges on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high, but only if they knew the college well enough to rate it. These are the results:

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College

Average Rating

Given by

Graduate

Adult Students

Rutgers University 4.2

The College of New Jersey 3.7

Rider University 3.5

La Salle University 3.2

Holy Family University 3.2

Monmouth University 3.1

As we said earlier, the best profile for a college is to be widely known and well regarded. Once again, Rider University achieves that. Rider’s average rating needs to be improved if it is to compete successfully in this marketplace. The fact that La Salle, Holy Family, and Monmouth are rated lower than Rider, is to the University’s advantage and is a positive factor in enhancing Rider’s ability to take market share away from these institutions, as recommended earlier.

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7. In What Fields Should Rider University Offer Graduate Courses

and Degrees for Adults? Promote aggressively Rider’s master’s degrees in Education and in Business..

Degree Study in the Market We asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to tell us whether they were studying for a degree— 86 percent said they were. Of those degree-seeking graduate adult students, 82 percent were seeking master’s degrees, while 18 percent were seeking doctorate degrees (a higher than usual percent as compared to previous studies). Among the 14 percent of students not studying for a degree, we found that one-fourth of them had been pursuing a credit certificate—a very small percent of the total market.

Demand for Degrees In our market studies, we examine the most popular degrees currently/recently taken by graduate adult students because we believe that the degrees that they have actually worked toward in the past are a better predictor of what they will study in the future than what they simply say they will study in the future. To put it a different way, we have found, as a result of many studies, that examining actual demand is far more reliable than examining a prospective interest. Thus, we asked only those graduate adult students already in the degree market to name the subject field in which they were majoring. Here is what they told us:

Area of Degree

Percent of

Graduate Adult

Students

Education 25% Business and Commerce 20 Public Affairs 8 Health Professions 7 Communications 5 Computer and Information Sciences 5 Counseling 5 Language and Literature 5 Law 4 Biological Science 4 Engineering 3 Philosophy and Religion 2

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Social Sciences 2 Liberal Arts 1 Math 1 Foreign Languages 1 Physical Sciences 1 Agriculture 1

Almost half of all graduate adult students in degree programs — 45 percent— major in education or business and commerce. This is good news for Rider, with its established— and growing—Graduate School of Business Administration and Graduate School of Education & Human Services.

Patterns of Course Study Next, we asked all 126 graduate adult students we interviewed how many courses they were taking the last time they were enrolled. Here are their answers:

Number of

Courses

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

1 course 37%

2 courses 40

3 courses 10

4 courses 8

5 courses 5

6 courses or more 1

While 77 percent of the graduate adult students were taking just one or two courses at a time, 24 percent were taking three or more (with a substantial minority of 14 percent studying full time and taking four or more courses). The large proportion of adults taking relatively few courses at a time would indicated, most likely, a latent demand for accelerated schedules in order to complete their studies on a more timely basis than currently available.

Demand for Courses

In keeping with our theory that past behavior best predicts future behavior, we asked all 126 of the graduate adult students to name the courses they were currently/recently taking. This is what they told us:

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Area of Course Taken

Percent of

Graduate Adult

Students

Business and Commerce 23% Education 21 Computer and Information Sciences 9 Health Professions 8 Law 8 Math 7 Social Sciences 6 Biological Science 4 Language and Literature 3 Public Affairs 3 Physical Sciences 2 Philosophy and Religion 2 Arts: Visual/Performing 1 Foreign Languages 1 Liberal Arts 1 Personal Enrichment 1

As we saw with graduate degree study, education and business and commerce dominate graduate adult student coursework— 44 percent of study in these two areas. Again, Rider seems right on track with this study trend with its strong programs in Graduate School of Business Administration and Graduate School Education & Human Services.

42

8. When Should Rider University Schedule Its Graduate Courses for

Adults? For education courses:

Offer short-term, weekday morning and afternoon summer courses primarily in

June and July and to some extent in August.

Also offer 6-8 week, weekday evening (5 p.m. or later) courses during spring

semester months of January through May, preferably once a week on Wednesday or

Tuesday.

For other graduate courses:

Promote courses scheduled September through November most aggressively; also

promote courses scheduled February through May.

Develop and promote 7-8 week course schedules.

Offer courses weekday evenings beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Consider offering weekday morning courses beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Consider offering all graduate students courses that meet once every other week for

13 weeks, for three hours in the evening with independent work outside of class

required each week.

Consider a weekend program (particularly on Saturdays) offering high demand

areas of study, such as education and business.

We asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential. Here are their average (mean) ratings:


Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students



General Reputation

4.3

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Schedule 4.2


Location 4.0

Cost

3.9




3.4


3.4

Financial Aid 3.3


It is understandable that graduate adult students rate the quality of the programs and the quality of the faculty as highly influential in their choice of a college. But perhaps it is surprising to see that graduate adult students are also highly concerned about the schedule of their courses. This is important for Rider to keep in mind when trying to recruit more busy adult students—most of whom are juggling both work and family responsibilities. What then are the most attractive schedules for graduate courses for adults? We asked those we interviewed to describe their preferred course schedule for a three-credit course lasting about 45 hours of class time. First, we asked about preferred months of study. This is what the graduate adult students told us:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

January 13% 28%

February 13 31

March 22 31

April 17 30

May 22 34

June 52 24

July 57 23

August 35 21

September 9 43

October 4 39

November 0 34

December 0 23

As we expected, the summer months of June and July, and to a lesser extent, August are by far the most popular months for study among education graduate adult students,

44

preferred by about 35 to 57 percent of them. June and July are better than August, when these educators probably want to take a break before returning to their own classrooms and offices. In contrast to the education graduate adult students and just like the undergraduate adult students we interviewed, other graduate adult students found the fall months of September through November to be the most popular, with those months being chosen by about 34 to 43 percent of those interviewed. Interestingly, the spring term months of February through May are the next most popular for each group of adult students. However, it is noteworthy that these graduate students are remarkably amendable to courses scheduled throughout most months of the t\year. This pattern may be a reflection of their willingness to study steadily in order to complete their studies on a timely basis. We went on to ask how many weeks a term should last. These are the answers of the graduate adult students:

Preferred

Number of Weeks

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

1 week 4% 2%

2 weeks 4 3

3 weeks 0 2

4 weeks 17 3

5 weeks 0 5

6 weeks 22 11

7 weeks 4 2

8 weeks 13 14

9 weeks 4 1

10 weeks 9 11

11 weeks 0 3

12 weeks 9 21

13 weeks 0 6

14 weeks 0 1

15 weeks 0 12

16 weeks 13 4

18 weeks 0 1

Looking first at the answers of the education graduate students, we see that close to 40 percent prefer terms lasting 4 to 6 weeks. This is a good match for traditional summer study. On the other hand, the other graduate adult students we interviewed typically prefer terms of about 10 weeks—57 percent in total prefer terms of just 10 weeks or shorter. It is

45

noteworthy that only 16 percent prefer the traditional 15-16 week semester. Rider could offer 7-week courses both to match its current 14-week semester and meet market preferences. Given the attractiveness of 10-week or shorter terms and the amenability to studying throughout many months of the year, Rider should consider offering intensive terms year round. Next, we found out whether the graduate adult students who had taken classroom courses had gone to classes mornings, afternoons, evenings, or weekends, and when they would prefer to go—in case of a difference. Here are the data comparing when they had actually taken their courses to when they would prefer to take their courses:

Time of Day/Week

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Who Actually Took

Courses Then


1%


18


9

Weekday afternoons (between 3pm & 5 p.m.)

7


55

Weekends 9

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Time of Day/Week

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Who Prefer

Courses Then

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

Who Prefer

Courses Then


4% 8%


4 17


4 4

Weekday afternoons (between 3pm & 5 p.m.)

13 4


52 50

Weekends 22 18

Education graduate adult students are mixed in their preferences in regard to course meeting times: between the 52 percent who prefer weekday evening classes, the 22 percent who prefer weekend classes, and the approximately 25 percent who prefer weekday morning or afternoon classes—in the summer, we presume. Other graduate adult students also prefer weekday evening classes (50 percent of them) and put weekday morning classes in a distant second place (17 percent of them). Weekend classes appear again to be relatively attractive at 18 percent. Rider needs to offer an array of weekday evenings, weekends, and weekday morning classes in order to appeal to the majority of the market—year round. But exactly when should those classes start? Here are the preferences of graduate adult students:

Preferred

Class Starting Time

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

6:30 a.m. 0% 2%

7:00 a.m. 0 2

7:30 a.m. 0 2

8:00 a.m. 0 9

8:30 a.m. 4 1

9:00 a.m. 9 15

9:30 a.m. 0 5

10:00 a.m. 4 4

10:30 a.m. 4 1

12:30 p.m. 0 3

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1:00 p.m. 0 1

4:00 p.m. 13 4

4:30 p.m. 4 2

5:00 p.m. 13 9

5:30 p.m. 9 7

6:00 p.m. 26 17

6:30 p.m. 4 7

7:00 p.m. 4 9

7:30 p.m. 0 1

8:00 p.m. 0 1

10:00 p.m. 4 0

Weekday morning classes should definitely begin at 9:00 a.m. The best starting time for evening classes is clearly 6:00 p.m. Among education graduate adult students, last afternoon classes beginning at 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. are also attractive. We continued by asking the graduate adult students we interviewed how long each class session should last. This is what they told us:

Preferred Length

of Class Session

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

1 hour 0% 9%

1 ½ hours 9 12

2 hours 17 29

2 ½ hours 22 13

3 hours 35 28

3 ½ hours 0 2

4 hours 13 0

4 ½ hours 0 3

Longer 4 5

Turning first to the preferences of education graduate adult students, three-hour courses are preferred, presumably for those students who want to study during the summer months. For other graduate adult students, 2 to 3 hour class sessions appear to be best to match their preferences for weekday evening or day classes. Coupled with class session length, we asked about the number of class sessions to be scheduled each week. Here are the graduate adult students’ opinions:

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Preferred

Frequency of

Class Session

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

1 time a week 65% 52%

2 times a week 22 33

3 times a week 4 14

4 times a week 4 1

5 times a week 4 0

Rider should offer classes for education graduate adult students once a week, whereas for other graduate adult students once or twice a week would be appropriate. The following tables display the specific day preferences of those students who prefer their courses to meet one day per week or two days per week: Once-a-week courses should be offered on Wednesday or Tuesday for education graduate

Preferred Days

for Classes Meeting

One Day Per Week

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

Tuesday 27% 26%

Wednesday 33 19

Monday 13 24

Saturday 13 19

Friday 7 6

Thursday 7 4

Sunday 0 4

Preferred Days

for Classes Meeting

Two Days Per

Week

Percent of

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Percent of

Other Graduate

Adult Students

Tuesday 60% 56%

Thursday 60 47

Saturday 20 29

Monday 20 21

Wednesday 20 15

Friday 20 15

Sunday 0 15

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adult students, and on either Tuesday or Monday for other graduate adult students. Saturday classes should also be given some consideration for both types of graduate students. Twice-a-week courses should be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays for all types of graduate adult students. Next, we asked the graduate adult students how attracted they would be to certain course schedules given a 5-point rating scale, with 1 being not at all attractive and 5 being highly attractive. These are the results:

Course Description

Average Rating

Given by

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Rating of 4 or 5

A course that meets once every other week for 13 weeks, for 3 hours in the evening with independent work outside of class required each week

3.4

48%

A course that meets for 15 hours per weekend, once a month for a total of 3 weekends, with independent work outside of class each week

2.7

35

50

Course Description

Average Rating

Given by

Other Graduate

Adult Students

Rating of 4 or 5

A course that meets once every other week for 13 weeks, for 3 hours in the evening with independent work outside of class required each week

3.0

42%

A course that meets for 15 hours per weekend, once a month for a total of 3 weekends, with independent work outside of class each week

2.4

30 The data show that all types of graduate adult students are more interested in a course that meets once every other week for 13 weeks, for 3 hours in the evening with independent work outside of class required each week than a course that meets for 15 hours per weekend, once a month for a total of 3 weekends, with independent work outside of class each week. Is that because graduate adult students are less willing to study on weekends? We asked these respondents that question, and 56 percent of them had actually studied on weekends in the past. It is interesting to note, however, that while the majority of students had studied on the weekend, their interest in weekend study gets a moderate average rating of 2.7. Nevertheless, one-third of the graduate adult students give weekend study a high rating of 4 or 5, confirming some of the preferences cited earlier. Here is a breakdown of the data:

Average Rating

Given by

Education Graduate

Adult Students

Rating of 4 or 5

Interest in Studying on the Weekend

2.5

31%

51

Average Rating

Given by

Other Graduate

Adult Students

Rating of 4 or 5

Interest in Studying on the Weekend

2.7

34%

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9. What Media Should Rider University Use to Advertise to Graduate

Adult Students? Use Rider’s own Web site and direct mail to students at home as the primary means

of reaching out to graduate adult students. Send direct mail pieces in May, June

and July, as well as in January.

Further, use mass media (radio and/or newspapers) to help raise Rider’s visibility.

Place radio ads between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on NPR, talk, easy listening and top

40 stations.

Place newspaper ads in the New York Times, Star Ledger and Philadelphia

Inquirer. Place ads in the news, business and living/style sections. Advertise in

June, July and August, and if possible, January.

Provide an opportunity for prospective graduate adult students to come to campus

to sit in on a class. Arrange for them to have interviews with a variety of Rider

representatives, including faculty, graduate, current students, and admissions staff.

We began our investigation of college advertising by asking the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to rate various advertising methods on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high, to indicate the methods they would prefer for getting information about colleges. Here are their average (mean) ratings:

Preferred Method

For Advertising

Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students

The College’s Web Site 4.0

Mail to Your Home

3.1

Newspaper 3.0

Magazine 2.8

Television 2.8

Radio

2.6

Mail to Your Work 2.4

Email Correspondence 2.4

Internet Ads 2.2

Billboard

2.0

Bus 1.8

Movie Theater Screens 1.8

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According to graduate adult students, the best method to get useful information to a prospective students is via a college’s Web site. A college’s own Web site, of course, typically contains whatever prospective students might want to find out. That Web site should be user-friendly and efficient so that graduate adult students can locate information easily. However, while a college’s own Web site might have all the information that is needed, it is not a means of advertising to those who are not already predisposed to find out something about the college. Direct mail to students at home, which is rated second highest by graduate adult students we interviewed, provides a means of getting information out to individuals who might not otherwise be inquiring. The mass media that come next on the list—newspapers, magazines, television, and radio—receive satisfactory ratings as a source for gaining information about colleges. They can also enhance the visibility of a college (or a division of a college). These media can make prospective students interested enough to go to a Web site or read unsolicited direct mail in order to find out more about a college. Rider should use some mass media advertising to boost its presence in the graduate marketplace. Inasmuch as the ratings of these four are relatively close, it would make sense for Rider to use the least expensive one. As to the timing of direct mail, we asked graduate adult students to tell us the best months for receiving college advertising at home. This is what they said:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

January 16%

February 2

March 10

April 8

May 13

June 12

July 17

August 10

September 4

October 3

November 2

December 2

Since the fall months are slightly more popular for graduate adults to study, it stands to reason that advertising in May, June, and July would enable them to make their plans calmly, get their lives in order, and prepare for attending classes in September.

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Turning to media and looking first at radio advertising, we see these preferences regarding the type of radio station:

Preferred

Type of Radio

Station

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

National Public Radio (NPR)

22%

Talk 14

Easy listening/soft rock/lite music

13

Top 40

12

Rock/Hard Rock 10

News/Sports 10

Oldies/rock & roll 6

Country 2

Classical 3

Religious 3

Jazz/Blues 3

It is usually the case in our market studies that it takes advertising on several types of radio stations to reach an appreciable share of the market. For Rider, advertising should definitely be done on National Public Radio (NPR), but also on talk radio, easy listening/soft rock/lite music, and top 40 stations—which would reach 61 percent of the adults in the graduate market. This is what the graduates adult students told us about the right times to place those radio ads:

Preferred

Time for Radio

Advertising

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Earlier 2%

6:00 a.m. 5

6:30 a.m. 2

7:00 a.m. 24

7:30 a.m. 5

8:00 a.m. 19

8:30 a.m. 6

9:00 a.m. 5

9:30 a.m. 1

10:00 a.m. 2

Noon 2

12:30 p.m. 1

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1:00 p.m. 1

2:00 p.m. 2

3:00 p.m. 2

4:00 p.m. 4

4:30 p.m. 1

5:00 p.m. 9

5:30 p.m. 2

6:00 p.m. 1

6:30 p.m. 2

7:00 p.m. 2

No Preference or Does Not Listen to Radio

4

The optimum time to place radio advertising appears to be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.—the preferences of 48 percent of the graduate adult students who listen to radio. Evidently, a substantial number of adults in this market listen to radio when they are getting up, getting ready for the day, and perhaps driving to work. This same group of respondents were then asked whether, aside from New Jersey-based radio stations, they listen to Philadelphia- or New York- based radio stations: 45 percent listened to Philadelphia-based radio stations and 41 percent listened to New York-based stations. It seems that either Philadelphia- or New York- based radio stations would be good places to reach graduate adult students. Looking next at newspaper advertising, we asked graduate adult students to name the best newspaper for college advertising. The New York Times was most popular, with 26 percent, followed by Star Ledger, with 20 percent, and Philadelphia Inquirer, with 16 percent. By advertising in these three newspapers, Rider can reach 62 percent of the adult student market. When asked what newspaper sections to buy advertising space in, graduate adult students gave these answers:

Preferred

Newspaper Section

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

News 23%

Business 22

Living/Style

15

Classifieds 12

Arts & Entertainment 10

Sunday Magazine 9

Editorials 5

Sports 4

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In order to reach a substantial share of the graduate adult market, Rider would have to buy space in more than one section. The data show that news, business, and living/style sections would reach the most substantial number of graduate adult students—60 percent. Graduate adult students chose these months as the best newspaper advertising:

Preferred

Month

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

January 16%

February 6

March 7

April 8

May 9

June 10

July 18

August 13

September 6

October 3

November 3

December 2

Just as we saw with direct mail advertising, the best time to place newspaper ads is right before most graduate adult students are thinking about going back to school. The months of June, July, and August make the best times for newspaper advertising. However it is interesting to note that the month of January garnered quite a bit of popularity with 16 percent. Perhaps this is when graduate adult students are looking at the year ahead (or Summer study among educators). Finally, here are the graduate adult students’ choices for the best days of the week for newspaper advertising:

Preferred Day

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Sunday 46%

Monday 12

Friday 11

Wednesday 9

Saturday 9

Thursday 7

No preference 4

Tuesday 2

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Sunday is the best, and most likely most effective, choice for Rider. Lastly regarding newspaper advertising, we asked these respondents whether a metropolitan daily newspaper or a local weekly newspaper would be best for college advertising. The daily newspaper received most votes, with 56 percent, followed by the weekly newspaper, with 37 percent. Changing the subject from advertising designed for a mass audience, we asked the graduate adult students about another approach to informing them about college by asking them to rate various ways to learn about a college. As in the past, this rating system is on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high. The following table displays the average (mean) rating given to each: It would not be a mistake to offer the top six options to prospective graduate adult students. It seems evident that online chats with the college or with students would have the least power to influence the prospects’ choice. Sitting in on a class is an excellent choice, perhaps because it offers a sample of what the professors and other students would be like and because it is a taste of reality that is not staged for prospective students. But interviews with a variety of Rider representatives are also quite appealing: faculty members, graduates, current adult students, and admissions officers. All received above-average ratings, and all should be offered to prospects to the extent possible. Sitting in on a class might simultaneously provide prospects with a chance to talk with a current adult student and, after class, even the professor.

Ways of Learning

About a College

Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students

Sitting in on Class 3.8

Interview with a Faculty Member

3.8

Interview with a Graduate of the College

3.7

Interview with a Current Adult Student

3.7

Interview with an Admissions Officer

3.6

Open House/Information Session

3.5

Online Chats with College Staff

2.7

Online Chats with Students 2.6

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We believe these on-campus events and interviews are not especially difficult to arrange and that they could make a difference for Rider if its competitors are relying solely on mass media and direct mail to reach this market.

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10. At Which Off-Campus Locations Should Rider University Offer

Graduate Courses for Adults? Increase course offerings at Rider’s Princeton and Lawrenceville campuses to take

advantage of the high graduate adult student demand in these areas.

As we reported in the answer to an earlier Policy Question, we asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely

influential. We repeat here their average (mean) ratings:


Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students


Quality of Faculty

4.6


Schedule 4.2

Location 4.0

Safety of the Campus

4.0

Cost 3.9




3.4


3.4

Financial Aid 3.3


Clearly, the quality of programs and quality of faculty are most important to graduate adult students when deciding where to study. However, the college’s general reputation, schedule offerings, location, and campus safety are also very influential in choosing a college. In studying potential off-campus locations, we first asked the graduate adult students we interviewed whether they prefer their classes to be close to home or to work. The majority (68 percent) preferred their classes to be close to home, with 23 percent choosing close to work. Another 9 percent had no preference. Thus, choosing locations convenient to residential areas that are likely to produce adult learners could accommodate as much as 77 percent of this market.

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We continued by asking the graduate adult student about the maximum number of minutes they would be willing to travel one way to take a course. Here are their answers:

Maximum Number

of Minutes

Willing to Travel

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Fewer than 10 Minutes 2%

10-19 Minutes 5

20-29 Minutes 15

30-39 Minutes 34

40-49 Minutes 31

50-59 Minutes 4

60 Minutes or More 10

The typical graduate adult student is willing to travel about 35 minutes to class. Thus, Rider should expect to recruit most of its graduate adult prospects from within about 35 minutes of its current campuses or within about 35 minutes of whatever other location Rider might choose. Rider representatives chose seven locations (including its Princeton and Lawrenceville locations) to be investigated. We asked each of the graduate adult students two questions: (1) whether they would be willing to take courses in each location; and (2) which location would be their first choice for taking courses. Here is what they said:

Percent of Graduate Adult Students

Location

Willing to Study

There

1st Choice

Location

Princeton 67% 24%

Lawrenceville 52 22

Oxford Valley Mall 34 16

Bridgewater Mall 34 10

Foresgate Country Club 23 7

Peddlers Village 21 14

Burlington County Community College, Willingboro Campus

19 7

As it was among undergraduate adult students, the top first-choice location on the list is Princeton. Students are both willing to study there and prefer most of all to study there. Rider should increase its course offerings in their Princeton-based campus to take advantage of this market. It’s also noteworthy that graduate adult students second most preferred location to study is in Lawrenceville, where Rider’s main campus is located. In

61

addition, the table above shows that graduate adult students seem to prefer locations close to commercial shopping spaces, with about 40 percent choosing Oxford Valley Mall, Bridgewater Mall, or Peddlers Village as first-choice locations. Turning to the best facilities in which to offer courses, we read a list to the graduate adult students we interviewed and asked, first, if they would be willing to go to each one to take a course, and second, which facility would be their first choice. Here are their responses:

Percent of Graduate Adult Students

Facility

Willing to Study

There

1st Choice

Facility

Building Owned or Leased by a College for the Purpose of Offering Off- Campus Courses

90% 56%

High School Building 73 17

Hotel or Convention Center

72 7

Office Building 71 15

Community Center 60 1

Church or Synagogue 53 2

Industrial Park 53 1

Shopping Mall 33 2

Without a doubt, a building owned or leased by a college for the purpose of offering off-campus courses is by far the best facility to use—preferred by 56 percent and acceptable to 90 percent. That would be Rider’s best choice. If such a facility is not available, high school buildings are a reasonable second choice—acceptable 73 percent of the individuals, though preferred by just 17 percent of the market.

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11. What Should Rider University Charge Adults for Graduate

Courses? Keep Rider’s graduate tuition prices at their current levels.

Promote and offer more merit-based scholarships, frozen tuition rates, discounts for

taking more than one course, and/or registering early in order to expand Rider’s

adult graduate market share. These and other incentives, such as accelerated

schedules, are particularly important if Rider intends to raise tuition prices in the

future.

Target employers with tuition reimbursement plans and promote Rider’s

willingness to work with employees in those organizations as a way to help students

afford what seems, to many, to be high prices.

As we now have reported in the answer to two earlier Policy Questions, we asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone how influential certain characteristics were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential. Here once again are their average (mean) ratings:


Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students


Quality of Faculty

4.6


Schedule 4.2

Location 4.0

Safety of the Campus

4.0

Cost 3.9




3.4


3.4

Financial Aid 3.3


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We note that cost receives a relatively moderate rating of 3.9, in comparison to other characteristics. Cost is a concern of the graduate adult students we interviewed, but not perhaps their major concern. When asked whether the higher cost of tuition at a private college would prevent them from enrolling in a course or a degree program there, 52 percent —or, only one-half of the respondents— said, “Yes.” In order to determine just how sensitive the graduate adult market is to cost, we quoted those students we interviewed a series of proposed prices for graduate courses at Rider. Using the results in the following table, Rider can find out the relative total revenue that it would collect at each of the different prices we quoted. This can be done by assuming an imaginary market of 100 graduate adult students. Based on such a market, an index of total revenue can be determined at each price by multiplying that price by the number of people out of 100 who would be willing to pay it. For example, during the interviews, 66 percent of the graduate adult students said they would be willing to pay $1,000 for a graduate course at Rider. Multiplying a price of $1,000 by 66 (66 percent of an imaginary 100-person market) creates an index of total revenue of $66,000. Doing the same with each of the other prices quoted produces these results:

Proposed Price of a

Graduate Course

Percent of Graduate

Adult Students

Willing to Pay

That Price

Index of

Total

Revenue

$1,000 66% $66,000

$1,300 50 $65,000

$1,500 35 $52,500

$1,800 19 $34,200

$2,000 13 $26,000

The first thing to learn is that graduate adult students will pay considerably more for courses than undergraduate adult students will. As the table shows, each price increase from $1,000 to $2,000 drives down prospective enrollment and simultaneously drives down revenue—with the exception that courses priced at either $1,000 or $1,300 (Rider’s price for non-business graduate courses) bring in relatively the same total revenue. We also note that total revenue decreases most dramatically when the cost of a course is priced at $1,800 (Rider’s price for business graduate courses), which 81 percent of the graduate adult students we interviewed considered too expensive. Interestingly, there is a very small market niche—13 percent or so—that seems to care relatively little about price. (Remember that 16 percent of the graduate adults we interviewed reported family incomes between $100,000-$125,000, 6 percent reported family incomes between $125,000-$150,000, and another 10 percent reported family incomes exceeding $150,000.)

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To find out more about the opinions of the graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone, we asked them how attractive certain financial arrangements were in their choice of a college to attend—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely influential.

Here are their average (mean) ratings:

Financial Arrangement

Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students

Merit-based Scholarships 4.3

Tuition Frozen at the Rate Paid When First Enrolled

4.1

Discounts for Taking More Than One Course at a Time

4.0

Discounts for Registering Early 4.0

Discounts for Registering for More Than One Course at a Time

4.0

Discounts for Enrolling in Consecutive Terms

4.0

College Loans to Students for the Employer’s Share of the Tuition

3.8

Discounts for Alumni 3.8

Family Discounts 3.4

Low-interest Loans 3.2

Deferred Payment Schedules 3.1

Payment by Credit Card 2.8

The data show that the graduate adult students are most attracted to merit-based scholarships and frozen tuition rates based on the cost when initially enrolled. Also noteworthy is respondents’ high interest in receiving discounts for taking more than one class at a time, for registering more than one class at a time, for registering early, and for enrolling in consecutive terms. We also asked the graduate adult students whether they would be interested in taking a second course if they received a 20 percent tuition reduction; a striking number of graduate adult students—76 percent—said, “Yes.” Rider may be able to expand its share of the adult student market by offering these discounts to adult students while also offering incentives for students to take more than one course at Rider. There is one other possibility to consider. Can graduate adult students get the financial help many would probably need by accessing tuition reimbursement programs at their jobs? First, 60 percent of the graduate adult students we interviewed worked for an employer that offered tuition reimbursement when they took their last credit course. Second, about 80 percent of those who had it available—or about 40 percent of the entire graduate adult market—actually received any reimbursement for the last course they took.

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Given those facts, Rider might target employers with tuition reimbursement plans and promote Rider’s willingness to work with employees in those companies as one way to help students afford what seems, to some, to be high prices.

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12. What Distance Learning Instructional Methods Should Rider

University Use to Provide Graduate Courses for Adult Students? Rider should consider hybrid courses and hybrid degree programs as a means for

expanding its graduate offerings to adult students.

We asked the 126 graduate adult students we interviewed by telephone to tell us whether any of their current or most recent courses had been delivered entirely online. Here are the results:

Number of

Courses Delivered

Entirely Online

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

None of them 87%

Some of them 6

All of them 7

According to these data, only 13 percent of the graduate adult students have had some recent experience with online courses. When we asked those graduate adult students who had studied in classrooms whether any part of their classroom courses had been delivered partly online and partly in the classroom, an additional 13 percent said, “Yes.” Thus, a total of 26 percent of graduate adult students have had some experience with online instruction, albeit not always entire courses. Turning to the potential for online study among graduate adult students, we asked all 126 students we interviewed whether they would prefer to take a course entirely online, partly online and partly in a classroom with a professor present, or entirely in a classroom with a professor present. This is what they said:

Preferred

Delivery Methodology

Percent of

Graduate

Adult Students

Entirely in a classroom 52%

Partly online/partly in a classroom 35

Entirely online 13

While 52 percent of graduate adult students preferred courses offered entirely in a classroom, an impressive 48 percent preferred some form of online instruction.

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To continue to explore graduate adult students preferences, we asked the respondents who prefer to take courses entirely in a classroom or a course combining classroom and online instruction to rate their willingness to take a course to some extent online if a classroom was not available—using a 5-point scale, with 5 being extremely willing. About 45 percent gave a high acceptable rating of 4 or 5. We continued our inquiry about online instruction with only those graduate adult students who preferred courses offered entirely online or who rated their willingness as a 4 or a 5 to take courses entirely or partly online if a classroom and professor were not available—that is, we continued with the students most inclined toward online study (about 45 percent). First, we asked these most interested students whether they would prefer to take an online course with “the classes on a regular, fixed schedule where you are online with other students and the professor” or whether they would prefer “to be online by yourself at a time of your choice.” The majority—66 percent—preferred being online by themselves at a time of their own choosing. Next, we asked these same most interested students to rate their interest—on the 5-point scale—in taking a regular college course with some online features, such as submitting homework assignments or communicating with the professor online. Most students found this idea to be quite comfortable—with an average (mean) rating of 4.2 and with 82 percent giving a high rating of 4 or 5. Finally, we asked these same most interested students to rate—on the 5-point scale—two types of hybrid situations: (1) “Hybrid courses where some of the instruction is delivered in a classroom at a regular time and place, but the remainder is provided online”; and (2) “Hybrid degree programs where some of the courses required for the degree are classroom-based and others are delivered online.” Here are the average (mean) ratings:

Type of

Hybrid Study

Average Rating by

Graduate

Adult Students

Hybrid Courses 3.9

Hybrid Degree Program 3.8

In each case, about 70 percent of those responding gave a high 4 or 5 rating as well to both options. Thus, the market for both hybrid courses and hybrid degree programs looks promising—not quite as strong as the market for regular courses with some online features, but stronger than the market for courses offered entirely online.

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Study of Organizations

Promote aggressively what Rider has to offer in undergraduate and graduate

programs. Start with printed publications mailed to all organizations of a

reasonable size in the surrounding areas. Send publications in bulk so that they can

be placed in human resources offices (and for school districts, in the schools

themselves).

Make sure that the Rider Web site is current and up-to-date. Make sure it is easy to

navigate and user friendly with all the pertinent information necessary, easily

accessible.

Expand outreach and compete more strongly with other area institutions purveying

Rider’s programs and services to area employers.

Explore ways to join organizations in promoting reimbursable study and emphasize

the availability and underutilization of tuition reimbursement when advertising to

individual adult students

Establish a system to regularly contact employers regarding their unmet education

and training needs.

Given the strong career orientation of both undergraduate and graduate adult students in this market—shown by their choice of degrees and courses, as explicated in earlier chapters of this report—and given the fact that close to 85 percents of them are employed, the views and practices of area employers should be of great interest to Rider University in both creating programs for adults and in arranging contractual relationships with employers directly for education and training services. As planned with Rider University representatives, we interviewed by telephone 75 organizations chosen from a list of several hundred organizations that had been carefully compiled by Rider University staff. Interviews were completed with 45 businesses, 18 government agencies, and 12 school districts. Most officials we interviewed were directors and/or managers in human resources departments, although we also spoke to personnel directors and presidents. The interviews were designed to investigate organization officials’ perceptions of Rider University and its competitors, their current and preferred methods for receiving information from local colleges, their current tuition reimbursement policies, and any interest they might have in contract training to be supplied by Rider University. Given interviews with 75 organizations, we have used percentages in most of the tables in this chapter, believing that it is easier for the reader to think in this manner rather than with raw numbers when considering our findings. The percentages shown are always of those organizations that could answer the question.

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Businesses

AAA Mid Atlantic Insurance Abbot Point of Care American Business Financial American Water Works, Inc. AON Consulting Binswanger/CBB Brawn Research, Inc. Brisar-Delvo Inc. Burlington County Times Cannon USA Inc. Calkins Media Colgate Palmolive Cooper Health Systems Commerce Bancorp Inc. Courier Post Deborah Heart and Lung Center Deloitte Elsiver (formerly Harcourt Health Sciences) Ferro Corp (formerly Dequssau Metal Div) Fiserv Securities (formerly BHC Securities) Germantown Community Health Graduate Hospital Grainger Inc. Hewitt Associates Hunterdon Medical Center International Flavors and Fragrances JJ Healthcare Journal Register Co. Kepner-Tregoe Lenox Inc. Lourdes Medical Center MCI Merck and Co. New Jersey Hospital Association New Jersey Manufacturers Inc. Opinion Research Corp. Pearson Education RCG Information Technology RCN Corp. Robert Wood Hospital Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Siemans Corporate Research, Inc. Univ. Medical Center

Vertis Direct Marketing Xerox

Government Agencies

Army National Guard Big Brothers and Big Sisters Boys and Girls Club of Burlington Bucks County Department of Human

Resources Burlington County Superior Court Camden County Social Services

Board Department of Community Affairs

(Codes & Standards) Division of Law Evesham Municipal Offices Garden State Youth Correctional

Facility Governor’s Office Hagedoon Psychiatric Hospital Horizon House New Jersey Medical Assistance &

Health Services New Jersey State Legislative

Services State of New Jersey Banking &

Insurance Department Superior Court of Camden YMCA School Districts

Burlington Township Cinnaminson Township Edison Township East Windsor Regional Hamilton Township Lawrence Township Lenape Regional Moorestown Township Mercer County Special Services South Brunswick Township South Plainfield Woodbridge Township

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Number of Employees and Locations

This table displays the sizes of the 75 organizations, with size defined as the approximate number of employees in the nearby area:

Number of

Employees

Percent of

Organizations

100 or fewer 8% 101–200 14 201–300 13 301–500 16 501–750 14 751–1,000 8 1,001–2,000 16 2,001 or more 11

As it turned out, we spoke with officials in quite a range of organizations—from those that employ fewer than 100 people (with a number of the nonprofits having particularly small staffs) to those that employ over 2,000 people. However, 35 percent of the organizations we surveyed employed 300 or fewer individuals, while another 38 percent of the organizations we surveyed employed between 500 and 2,000 individuals. We followed up this question by asking officials whether they had other locations in the same region of New Jersey. Of the 60 percent or so of organizations that answered, “Yes,” the majority had between 1-5 other locations in the region and employed between 501-1,000 people. In short, there appears to be a substantive number of employers and employees in Rider’s service area for further development and contact.

Familiarity with Rider University We asked the 75 organization officials how familiar they were with Rider University in general—on a 5-point scale, with 1 being not at all familiar and 5 being extremely

familiar. The average (mean) rating given by the officials was a moderately low 2.7. When asked how familiar they were with the courses and degree programs offered at Rider, again using this same scale, the average (mean) rating given by the officials was even lower—1.8. These mediocre ratings tell us that there is room for Rider to expand its current outreach to the organizations in the neighboring areas. We then asked the organization officials who said they knew about Rider University (that is, those who gave a rating of 3 or higher) to tell us their current sources of information about it. By far, their most common source of information was word-of-mouth from the organization’s employees who had attended Rider University. Only a handful of officials also cited these other sources: Rider University’s Web site, relatives and friends who had attended Rider University, student teachers, newspaper advertisements, Rider

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University’s own publications (catalogs and the like), and the proximity of Rider’s locations to their homes. Although we did not ask, we suspect that the individuals we interviewed came across some of these sources during the normal course of their lives and not while acting as organization officials. For example, we know that some said that they received Rider University publications at home, attended Rider University sports events on campus, talked to their children who were Rider University graduates, or met professors and administrators in their social lives. In other words, a number of these contacts were not corporate contacts purposefully initiated with organizations by Rider University.

Image of Area Colleges In order to determine their opinions about Rider University and its competitors, we asked the 75 organization officials to rate Rider University and eight other colleges (selected by Rider University representatives) as potential providers of undergraduate and/or graduate education for their employees. The officials were asked to rate—on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high— only those institutions they felt they knew well enough. Here are the results:

Institution

Percent Who

Knew it Well

Enough to

Rate

Average

Rating by

Organizations

Rutgers University 97% 4.0 The College of New Jersey

87 3.7

La Salle University 78 3.5 Rider University 87 3.5 Holy Family University

53 2.9

Fairleigh Dickinson University

81 2.9

Thomas Edison State College

64 2.9

Monmouth University

80 2.8

DeVry University 72 2.4 Rider University does fairly well among its competitors. It ranks comfortably with La Salle University in its rating and surpasses La Salle in its visibility. But both Rutgers University and The College of New Jersey get higher ratings than Rider and, as compared to Rutgers University, Rider is less well known. Thus, although Rider University is well

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positioned to purvey its programs and services to the organization market, there is still room to expand its outreach and compete more directly with other area institutions. Delving a bit deeper, we asked the organization officials whether they would recommend Rider University to their employees. The majority of the officials—about 60 percent—were uncertain whether they would recommend Rider University to their employees. The business officials voiced a lack of familiarity with programs or that they let employees make up their own minds about a place to study, and the government agency officials stated that they have part-time employees who do not receive reimbursement. Only one-third said that they would recommend both undergraduate and graduate study at Rider. School district officials would recommend study in education; government agency officials said they would recommend whatever was needed; and business officials would recommend finance, business, the MBA program, nursing, education, health, engineering/IT, accounting, management, business with an emphasis in human resources, and flexible night/weekend courses. The seven percent who would not recommend Rider University expressed various reasons: school district officials either don’t recommend schools or tend to recommend Kean and Rutgers, and government agency and business officials say they don’t recommend any schools or don’t know Rider well enough to recommend it. Rider’s lack of presence in this market reveals the great opportunity that exists here. Simply by establishing effective means of informing the officials at businesses, schools, and government agencies of Rider’s programs for adult students could result in a substantial jump in individual enrollments as well as in contractual arrangements. We also asked organization officials to rate—on a 5-point scale, with 5 being high— how influential certain characteristics would be in deciding which college to use to provide education and training for their employees. Here’s what we found:


Rating by

Organizations

Convenience of the location of the training

4.7

Flexibility in scheduling the training 4.7 Quality of programs at the college 4.6 Quality of faculty providing the training 4.4 Cost of the training 4.3 Ease in working with the college on administrative matters

4.2

General reputation of the college 4.1 Experience of the college in providing similar training

4.1

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Although many of the characteristics garnered high ratings, convenience of location and flexibility in scheduling rank highest, echoing what we learned early in the report from the adult students themselves. Close behind in the ratings is, understandably, quality of programs and faculty.

Preferred Methods for Informing Organizations About Rider

University We know Rider needs to expand its outreach to organizations, but what are the best ways for organization officials to learn about what Rider University has to offer their employees? Here are the average (mean) ratings of those we interviewed as to their preferred methods of being informed about Rider University ’s programs—on a 5-point scale, with 1 being not at all a good way and 5 being an extremely good way:

Method of Being Informed

Average

Rating of

Organization

Officials

Printed Rider publications mailed to you 4.1 Rider’s Web site 3.5 Periodic emails to you from Rider staff 3.3 Advertisements in trade magazines and newsletters

2.7

Meetings held at Rider for representatives from many organizations

2.6

Advertisements in newspapers 2.6 Visits by Rider staff to meet with you 2.6 A visit by you to the University to meet with staff

2.5

Periodic telephone calls to you by Rider staff 2.3 Advertisements on the radio 2.3 Advertisements on billboards 2.1

Clearly, receiving printed publications by mail is the officials’ preferred method for hear-ing about Rider University’s offerings. We would hypothesize that printed publications are preferred, in part, because they put less pressure on the recipient to engage in a relationship with Rider University. The recipient can simply read the publications whenever it is convenient—or never. On the other hand, printed publications do provide the recipient with actual material to hand out to employees who might inquire about Rider University, and that is a plus, especially for human resources personnel trying to meet the needs of their employees. It would be most advisable in pursuing this method for Rider to create separate sets of publications for employees themselves as well as for employers who require specific information about education and training opportunities for delivery on site.

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Note the high rating that Rider’s Web site received among officials. This being the case, it becomes increasingly more important to make sure Rider’s Web site design allows for intuitive, easy navigation—again, differentially for employees themselves and for organization officials searching for programs the organization needs. Not far behind Rider’s Web site is interest in receiving information via periodic e-mails, a method that would not be very intrusive from the organization’s point of view. We also suggest that Rider try advertising in trade magazines and newsletters where it could project its accommodations to adult students through flexible schedules and quality education. Since we learned earlier that many organization officials prefer to let employees themselves choose their place of study, we then asked how Rider University should publicize its offerings in order to reach employees. We asked each official what ways are the best for their employees to learn about Rider’s offerings. Here are their reactions:

Ways for Employees

to Learn About

Rider Offerings

Percent of

Organizations

Leave publications in your human resources office

78%

Provide information on CD–ROM in your human resources office

41

Place posters in visible locations at your organization

39

Send e-mail announcements to employees through your office

35

Set up a table with a University advisor in a central location in your organization

32

Mail announcements to your employees at work

30

Provide a link to the University on your organization’s Internet site

27

Come to a college fair at your organization where other colleges are also displaying their programs for adults

24

Place articles in your employee newsletter

20

Send e-mail announcements to employees directly

18

Make announcements at employee meetings

12

Again, the organization officials generally chose non-invasive methods for Rider University to use to publicize its programs. Looking at the methods near the top of this

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list, Rider University could rest assured that the vast majority of organizations would permit Rider University to leave publications and CD-ROMs in the human resources office. Furthermore, many organizations would permit Rider University to place posters in visible locations in the organization and would agree to forward e-mail announcements to their employees through the human resources office.

Tuition Reimbursement Programs As we recommended in earlier chapters of this report, recruiting undergraduate and graduate adult students from organizations with tuition reimbursement programs is one important way to put Rider University’s prices within the reach of many more adult students than might otherwise be able to attend Rider University. Thus, we investigated the tuition reimbursement programs of the 75 organizations. A majority of the organizations we interviewed—about 80 percent of them—have tuition reimbursement programs. About 20 percent of these organizations’ reimbursement programs had changed in the last year or two, citing revisions in methods of obtaining reimbursement and in amounts of reimbursement—typically increasing those amounts. Most organizations, however, did not anticipate changes in their program in the coming years. All of the organizations reimburse for credit courses and virtually always for both undergraduate and graduate courses. More than 75 percent of the organizations reimburse only for job-related credit courses, and another 75 percent or so will only do so for courses that lead to a degree or certificate program. Nearly all of the organizations that have tuition reimbursement programs place restrictions on reimbursement. Most of those restrictions are based on the grades the employees receive, with acceptable grades starting at “C.” It would be impossible to summarize the actual tuition reimbursement amounts that these organizations make available to their employees. There is a wide range in their practices. Although about 85 percent of the organizations with programs do have a limit on the reimbursement amount, those limits vary. Some set a dollar limit (from $599 per year to over $10,000 per year), some set a limit on the number of course credits (from 3 to 18 credits a year), and some set limits on the tuition awarded, often based on the grade earned in the course (from 75 percent to 100 percent for an A or sometimes lower percentages for lower grades). Some organizations, of course, set a complicated combination of these limits. Finally, we found that some organizations reimburse undergraduate and graduate study differently (with graduate study receiving higher reimbursement), and some reimburse full-time vs. part-time employees differently (with full-time employees receiving higher reimbursement). Turning to noncredit courses, about 65 percent of those organizations with programs reimburse employees for noncredit courses—virtually all of them only for job-related

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noncredit courses. About 35 percent of these organizations have a cap on their tuition reimbursement program, and, as with credit courses, their responses are difficult to summarize since there is a wide range in practices. Most schools have a professional development account that is used for awarding tuition reimbursement, where courses are reviewed for reimbursement on a case-by case basis. Most government agencies also review tuition reimbursement on a case-by-case basis. The practices of businesses seem to vary most of all in that some have designated budgets for tuition reimbursement, some judge on a case-by-case basis, and others have a set amount (varying from $1,500 to $6,000). Are employees using these tuition reimbursement benefits? In the majority of the organizations, less than about 5 percent received tuition reimbursement in the past year or so:

Percent of

Employees

Who Received

Reimbursement

in the Past Year

Percent of

Organizations

Less than 5% 46% 5 – 10 20 11 – 20 30 21 – 40 4

Among those organizations that had reimbursed employees in the last year or so, about 40 percent had reimbursed for a mix of both undergraduate and graduate courses, about 30 percent for largely undergraduate courses, and another about 30 percent for largely graduate. Tuition reimbursement is a significantly underutilized fringe benefit. In our national research and in our experience with CAP studies for other colleges, we have found similarly low utilization rates. Certainly, given its relatively high prices, Rider University should have considerable interest in promoting the greater use of tuition reimbursement benefits by employees in local organizations and should reasonably expect that it could increase the number of students enrolling at Rider University as a result. In regard to Rider’s costs, we asked organization officials if Rider’s price of about $1,050 for undergraduate courses and about $1,500 for graduate courses would be a problem for most of their employees. About 40 percent said Rider’s prices would not be a problem for most, while about 30 percent said Rider’s prices would be a problem for most. Another 30 percent said they were uncertain. Despite the fact that Rider competes with state institutions that can offer much lower tuition, it seems Rider’s prices are not entirely out of the community’s reach.

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Unmet Needs of Organizations Near the end of the interview, we asked officials whether their organizations currently had any unmet needs urgent enough that it would contract with Rider University to provide courses or customized training for employees: six of the 75 organizations said “Yes.” At any given time, to achieve a “return rate” of this level is promising. This outcome also indicates that contact with organizations needs to be done on a regular basis to that demands that surface periodically among organizations are addressed.

Future Contact Desired We asked those six organization officials who have unmet needs whether they would be interested in having someone from Rider University contact them to discuss how Rider might provide further information to them: all six accepted our offer. Among the remaining 69 organizations who said that they have no current unmet needs, seven would like Rider representatives to call them, and 50 would like to receive information by regular mail or email. The organizations that agreed to further contact include some good places to start—some places for Rider University to try to make relationships with organizations in order to see how fruitful they might be. (A separate list of all 63 organizations that want some type of contact from Rider University has been supplied to Rider separately.)

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Analysis of Competing Colleges and Universities

Rider University officials commissioned the Aslanian Group to conduct a competitor analysis among other postsecondary institutions for both undergraduate and graduate programs. This is a report of that study, conducted in December, 2004, and January, 2005.

Competitor College Analysis Procedures Over several months, the Aslanian Group studied the undergraduate and graduate programs aimed at adult students (students over 25 years of age, studying part-time after 5 p.m., on weekends, and online) across 9 individual institutions. These institutions were selected based on the responses of adults in Study 2 about where they had studied. The undergraduate program analysis was conducted for the following institutions:

Brookdale Community College LaSalle University Rutgers University—New Brunswick Temple University Thomas Edison State College

The graduate program analysis was conducted for the following institutions:

Georgian Court College Kean University New Jersey Institute of Technology Rutgers University—New Brunswick Rutgers University—Newark

In conducting the analysis, program offerings for Spring, 2005, were reviewed. For each institution in the study, a range of data sources was used to gather information about what, where, when, and how undergraduate and graduate programs were offered. The data sources included a review of printed publications (e.g., bulletins, schedules, brochures), the institution’s Web site, and telephone or email contact. Given that Rider University’s College of Continuing Studies and Graduate Schools offer credit courses in the evenings and weekends for adult students, we used as far as possible, this definition for the programs analyzed across the 9 individual institutions. Specifically, we emphasized in the review the following features for each institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs:

• Courses offered in the evenings (after 5 p.m.)

• Courses offered on weekends

• Courses offered online and/or hybrid

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• Courses accelerated in format

• Course fees

• Courses schedules

• Course locations

• Maximum number of transfer credits accepted

• Required entrance testing

• Enrollment (where possible)

• Special programs designed for adult students

• Notes and observations (noteworthy information collected by the Aslanian Group while communicating with the institutions)

Major Patterns Undergraduate

Most institutions offer degree programs and credit-bearing certificate programs in a wide variety of areas of study. Costs vary dramatically, from $87.75 per credit (at Brookdale Community College, in-county tuition) to $562 per credit (at Temple University, out-of-state tuition). The majority, however, hover around $300 per credit. All institutions offer study using a traditional semester format—approximately 15 weeks in Fall and Spring—and an accelerated format during Summer semesters. Only Brookdale Community College and Thomas Edison State College offer accelerated study during Fall and Spring semesters, as well as during Summer semesters. In addition, only Brookdale Community College and La Salle University offer intercession study (between Fall and Spring semesters), allowing students to make use of breaks in the traditional semester by studying in accelerated format. Thomas Edison State College surpasses all other institutions in regard to flexible scheduling in that it offers a unique, rolling semester format with 12- and 16-week semesters year-round. All of Rider’s competitors offered daytime, evening, and weekend study. Only two of Rider’s competing institutions we analyzed—La Salle University and Rutgers University—New Brunswick did not offer online classes, leaving students who want the flexibility of online study to turn to Brookdale Community College, Thomas Edison State College, and Temple University. Both Thomas Edison State College and Brookdale Community College give students the option of studying for their degree solely through online course work. However, at Brookdale Community College students may only earn an Associate of Arts in Business Administration, whereas at Thomas Edison State College, students can select from a number of associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. In all cases, online courses cost the same as onsite courses. Besides online offerings, Thomas Edison State College outdoes its competitors in another area of schedule flexibility as well: with a program called Guided Study, students may enroll in courses in which they work on their own using texts, study guides, and other course materials along with the help of a mentor (via telephone, mail, or email) who answers course-related questions, and grades assignments and exams. For the adult

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student, who typically does not lack in self-motivation, this option could help facilitate earning a degree greatly. Over half of the institutions we analyzed have no general policy regarding transfer credits, instead choosing to leave it up to specific departments. All institutions encourage outside credit transfer by allowing adult students to demonstrate their knowledge through test scores (such as CLEP), but only Thomas Edison State College extends the opportunity by allowing students to submit Prior Learning Assessment portfolios and workplace/union/professional association coursework for credit transfer. In this area, Rider can compete, as they too offer several alternative means to transferring credit, such as through military credits and CLEP, Advanced Placement, and DANTES test scores. Most institutions do not require testing prior to admission, although the majority requires that non-native English language speakers take the TOEFL. Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, follows many of the practices of the institutions we analyzed. However, its tuition is high in comparison to the in-state tuition of the state schools with which it competes (and all of them are state schools except La Salle University). Also, since three of its five competitors offer online study, Rider might want to consider giving students yet another option for schedule flexibility Graduate

Most institutions offer degree programs and credit-bearing certificate programs in a wide variety of areas of study, but no institution can compete with Rutgers University—New Brunswick, which offers at least three-times more degrees than its competitors. Costs vary somewhat, from $328 per credit (at Kean University, in-state tuition) to $657 per credit (at New Jersey Institute of Technology, out-of-state tuition). The average price is about $400 per credit. All institutions offer study using a traditional semester format—approximately 15 weeks in Fall and Spring—and an accelerated format during Summer semesters. Only Kean University offers accelerated study during Spring and Fall semesters, as well as during Summer semesters, with intensive 7-week semesters within the traditional semesters. In addition, only Rutgers University—Newark and Rutgers University–New Brunswick offer intercession study (between Fall and Spring semesters), allowing students to make use of breaks in the traditional semester by studying in accelerated format. All of Rider’s competitors offer daytime, evening, and weekend study. Only two of Rider’s competing institutions we analyzed—Georgian Court College and New Jersey Institute of Technology—give students the flexibility of studying online. But only New Jersey Institute of Technology offers students the option of studying for their degree or certificate solely through online course work. In all cases, online courses cost the same as onsite courses.

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Besides online offerings, New Jersey Institute of Technology outdoes its competitors in another area as well: with a program called Collaborative Doctorate Opportunity, students pursue a PhD while continuing full-time employment by integrating independent study and alternative educational deliveries with conventional sessions that meet the needs of both the employee and employer. Most of the institutions we analyzed will accept between 6 and 9 transfer credits, while Rutgers University’s policy is that at least 60 percent of all coursework has to be done at their institution. All of the institutions may require testing prior to admission; depending on the program of study, test include: GRE, GMAT, MAT, NTE/Praxis, LSAT, and TOEFL for non-native English language speakers. Both Rider University Business Administration and Education & Human Services Graduate Schools follow many of the practices of the institutions we analyzed, thereby providing few distinguishing or particularly market-sensitive practices that adult students want today. However, in order to compete with its competitors, Rider may want to continue to build its array of graduate programs, as it offers the least of any of the institutions we analyzed. Also, since two of its competitors offer online study, Rider might want to consider giving students yet another option for schedule flexibility.

What Follows In the following section, we begin with a summary profile for the 9 individual institutions that highlights key characteristics. This is done separately for institutions offering undergraduate programs and institutions offering graduate programs. Following the summary profiles, each institution is profiled separately for undergraduate and graduate course offerings. In these individual profiles, a description of what, where, when, and how undergraduate programs and graduate courses targeted to adults is presented. In conducting this portion of the study, however, we want to point out the difficulty we encountered in acquiring comprehensive, thorough, and clear information from each institution. Information gathered online or via telephone contact often contradicted information found in the course books. Furthermore, while most institutions prefer to direct you to their Web sites rather than converse and forward printed materials, some of these Web sites were not particularly easy to navigate in order to get the information we sought. We predict that adult students would react similarly.

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Summary Profile: Undergraduate Programs MC = Main Campus PTE = Fall Semester 2003 Part-time Enrollment Headcount of Undergraduate Adult

Students over 25 Years of Age All programs and course offerings appear in the individual college and university profiles

College/University Format Tuition Distance

Education

Maximum No. of

Transfer Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

Brookdale Community

College

http://www.brookdale.cc.nj.us/ MC: Lincroft, NJ

PTE: 3,626

� Traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters

� 10-week Fall and Spring semesters

� 2-week January term � 6- and 9-week Summer

sessions

Day, evening, and weekend courses

Onsite and Online: in-county $87.75/credit out-of-county $175.50/credit out-of-state $225/credit

Yes See

individual

college

profile for

courses

offered

online

No limit None

La Salle University

http://www.lasalle.edu/ MC: Philadelphia, PA PTE: 590


� 4-week intercession � 6-week Summer

sessions Evening and weekend courses (daytime courses are available through the Undergraduate Department)

$370/credit None 70 credits See individual

profile for

additional

requirements

Possibly verbal and mathematical placement examinations

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Education

Maximum No. of

Transfer Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

Rider University

http://www.rider.edu/index.htm MC: Lawrenceville, NJ PTE: 586


� 8-week courses within the Fall and Spring semesters

� 3- and 6-week Summer sessions


$350/credit None From an accredited 2-year degree program: 60 credits From an accredited 4-year degree program: 90 credits

International students must take the TOEFL

Rutgers—New Brunswick

http://ucnb.rutgers.edu MC: New Brunswick, NJ

PTE: 1,610


� 4-week Summer sessions

� 2-week Winter session


in-state $219/credit out-of-state $448.20/credit

None From an accredited 2-year degree program: 60 credits From an accredited 4-year degree program: 90 credits

International students must take the TOEFL

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Education

Maximum No. of

Transfer Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

Temple University

http://www.temple.edu/ MC: Philadelphia, PA PTE: 2,169




Onsite and Online: in-state $334/credit out-of-state $562/credit

Yes See

individual

college

profile for

courses

offered

online

No limit

Thomas Edison State College

http://www.tesc.edu/ MC: Trenton, N.J

PTE: 8,491

� 12- and 16-week semesters year-round



Yes See

individual

college

profile for

courses

offered

online

No limit None

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Summary Profile: Graduate Programs MC = Main Campus PTE = Fall Semester 2003 Part-time Enrollment Headcount of Graduate Adult Students

over 25 Years of Age All programs and course offerings appear in the individual college and university profiles


Education

Maximum

No. of

Transfer

Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

Georgian Court College

http://www.georgian.edu/ MC: Lakewood, New Jersey

PTE: 847

� Traditional 15-week Fall, Spring semesters

� 4-, 6-, and 8-week Summer sessions


Onsite and Online: $530/credit

Yes See

individual

college

profile for

courses

offered

online

6 credits Possibly: � NTE/Praxis � MAT � GRE � GMAT � CPA license � TOEFL

Kean University

http://www.kean.edu/ MC: Union, NJ PTE: 2,083


� Intensive, 7-week semesters within Fall and Spring semesters


Day, evening, and Saturday courses

in-state $328/credit out-of-state $416/credit

None 6 credits

Possibly: � NTE/Praxis � MAT � GRE � GMAT � TOEFL

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Education

Maximum

No. of

Transfer

Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

New Jersey Institute of

Technology

http://www.njit.edu/ MC: Newark, NJ PTE: 1,554





Yes See

individual

college

profile for

courses

offered

online

9 credits

Possibly: � GMAT � GRE � TOEFL

Rider University

http://www.rider.edu/index.htm MC: Lawrenceville, New Jersey PTE: 828




$600/credit or $440/credit

None Graduate Education School: 12 credits Graduate Business School: 6 credits

Possibly: � GMAT � GRE or MAT � Praxis/NTE � TOEFL

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Education

Maximum

No. of

Transfer

Credits

Accepted

Entrance

Testing

Required

Rutgers University—New

Brunswick

http://nbp.rutgers.edu/ MC: New Brunswick, N.J

PTE: 3,609


� 2-week Winter session � 4-week Summer

sessions


in-state $402.85/credit out-of-state $598.80/credit

None

40 percent of the minimum requirement for the degree

Possibly: � GMAT � GRE � Praxis/NTE � TOEFL

Rutgers University—Newark

http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/ MC: New Brunswick, N.J PTE: 1,871


� 2-week Winter session � 4-week Summer

sessions


in-state $402.85/credit out-of-state $598.80/credit

None

40 percent of the minimum requirement for the degree

Possibly: � GMAT � GRE � LSAT � TOEFL

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UNDERGRADUATE

Brookdale Community College SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Brookdale Community College Winterim and Spring 2005 Master Schedule of Classes, Brookdale Community College Course Catalog, Brookdale Community College Web site, and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Brookdale Community College OFFERINGS: Brookdale Community College offers associate’s degrees in their “transfer program”—for students who wish to continue their education at a 4-year institution—and in their “career program”—for students who want to enter employment. Brookdale also offers credit-bearing certificates. Degrees

Associate’s: Transfer Program Architecture Business Administration Business Accounting Computer Science Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Corrections Education Engineering: Chemical Engineering: Civil Engineering: Industrial Engineering: Mechanical Fine Arts: Studio Humanities: Art Humanities: Broadcasting Humanities: Communication Design Humanities: English Humanities: Journalism Humanities: Liberal Education Humanities: Media Studies Humanities: Modern Languages Humanities: Music Humanities: Photography Humanities: Public Relations Humanities: Speech/Theater Humanities: Women’s Studies Math/Science: Biology Math/Science: Chemistry Math/Science: Math

Math/Science: Physics Math/Science: Science Social Sciences Social Sciences: International Studies Social Sciences: Political Science Social Sciences: Psychology Social Sciences: Public Administration

Associate’s: Career Program

Accounting Automotive Technology Automotive Technology: Engineering Technology Automotive Technology: GM Service Automotive Technology: Toyota Business: Business Management Business: Food Service Management Business: Small Business Management Business Technology Systems Communication Design Communication Media: Audio Production Communication Media: Audio Production Communication Media: TV Production Computer Aided Drafting &

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Design Computer Science: General Programming Computer Science: Network Administration Culinary Arts Dental Hygiene Early Childhood Education Electronics Technology: Electronic Computer Technology Electronics Technology: Electronics Engineering Fashion Merchandising General Education Human Services Human Services: Addiction Studies Human Services: Creative Arts Therapy Interior Design Marketing Nursing Paralegal Studies Radiologic Technology Respiratory Therapy

Certificates

Accounting Advanced Automotive Technician Automotive Brakes, Steering, Suspension and Alignment Specialist Automotive Electrical/Power Systems Specialist Automotive Engine Automotive Engine Performance Specialist Automotive Transmission Systems Specialist A+ Computer Repair Technician Basic Automotive Technician CCNA and MCSE Networking Administration CISCO CCNA Computer Aided Drafting & Design Computer LAN/WAN Technician Culinary Arts Dental Assisting Digital Arts Early Childhood Education Office Assistant Ornamental Horticulture Remanufacturing Specialist

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: Currently the in-county tuition is $87.75 per credit to a maximum of $1,316.25 per term, the out-of-county tuition is $175.50 per credit to a maximum of $2,632.50 per term, and the out-of-state residents tuition is $225 per credit to a maximum of $3,375.00.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Brookdale Community College are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as 10-week Fall and Spring semesters, a 2-week January term, and intensive 6- and 9-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Most courses take place on Brookdale Community College’s campus in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County. Additional courses take place at Brookdale higher education centers in Asbury Park, the Bayshore (West Keansburg), Long Branch, the Western Monmouth

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Center in Freehold, and the Brookdale Campus at Wall. Classes and training are also available in places of business or in local high schools, or via a variety of distance education options.

ONLINE PROGRAMS: Brookdale Community College offers courses via the Internet, cable television, video/audio tapes or interactive television classes at the Brookdale Learning Center locations. Alternatively, students may enroll in distance education to take courses at their convenience. In addition, Brookdale Community College allows students who wish to transfer to a four-year college the opportunity to earn and Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration online. The following courses are offered online:

Accounting Art History Information Technology Business Chemistry Communication Computer Programming Economics

English History Math Marketing Music Psychology Speech

TRANSFER CREDITS: Brookdale Community College does not limit the number of transfer credits they will accept from other colleges. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Brookdale Community College requires no entrance testing. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Weekend College

Through Weekend College, students may pursue an associate’s degree by taking courses on Friday evenings, and/or all day Saturdays. The Weekend College degree programs are:

Accounting (A.A.S.) Business (A.A.S.) Business Administration Education English and Liberal Education options in the Humanities program Math option of the Math/Science program Social Science program

All the above are designed for transfer to four-year colleges. Counseling, testing, and library services are all provided in the Weekend College program, and students have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Brookdale students.

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Credit by Alternative Means

You may earn college credits by examination through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). With the CLEP system, a student who can demonstrate mastery in a particular area may be eligible to attain compatible Brookdale credits by proving such mastery to a designated evaluator.

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UNDERGRADUATE

La Salle University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: La Salle University 2004/2005 Undergraduate Catalog, La Salle University Spring 2005 Graduate and Continuing Studies Programs, La Salle University Web site, and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: La Salle University, Continuing Studies Department/Evening and Weekend Program

OFFERINGS: La Salle University, Continuing Studies Department/Evening and Weekend Program, offers the following degrees: Degrees

Associate’s

Liberal Arts Liberal Arts: Business Liberal Arts: Computer Science

Bachelor’s

Accounting Business Administration Computer Science Criminal Justice English General Studies History Information Technology Nursing Organizational Dynamics Psychology Public Administration Religion Social Work Sociology

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: La Salle University charges students in the Continuing Studies Department/Evening and Weekend Program $370 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses in La Salle University’s Continuing Studies Department/Evening and Weekend Program are offered evenings and weekends (however students may enroll in courses scheduled during the daytime through the Undergraduate Department as well) during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as a 4-week intercession, and two 6-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: La Salle’s main campus is located in Philadelphia, PA. The University's Bucks County Center is located in Newtown, Pa.

ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time.

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TRANSFER CREDITS: La Salle University accepts a maximum of 70 credits from other institutions. However, at least half of the courses required by the major department must be completed at La Salle. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: La Salle University may require students who do not already hold a bachelor’s degree from another institution to take verbal and mathematical placement examinations. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:


The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers over 25 examinations that adults can take to demonstrate their knowledge of undergraduate college level subjects learned outside the classroom. Successful examination results can earn students credit toward their degree. Accelerated Degree-Completion Programs

Accelerated Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Dynamics is a degree-completion program designed for motivated adults who would like to earn their degree in two years. Classes are held evenings and weekends only.

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UNDERGRADUATE

Rider University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Rider University Undergraduate & Continuing Studies 2004/2005 Academic Catalog, Rider University Spring 2005 Course Roster, Rider University College of Continuing Studies Spring 2005 Evening/Weekend Course Roster, Rider University Web site, and email contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Rider University, College of Continuing Studies

OFFERINGS: Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates:

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Applied Social Science Business Studies Global Studies Humanities Law & Justice Natural Science Social Science

Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration Accounting Advertising Business Administration Computer Information Systems Finance Human Resource Management Management and Leadership Marketing

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Associate in Arts

Business Administration General Studies

Certificates

Occupational Safety and Industrial Hygiene Paralegal Studies Public Relations

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: Rider University charges students in the College of Continuing Studies $350 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters,

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as well as alternate 8-week, evening-only course schedules within Fall and Spring semesters, and 3- and 6-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Most courses at Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, take place on Rider’s Lawrenceville, New Jersey campus. Additional courses are offered at Rider’s Westminster Choir College campus located in Princeton, New Jersey. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time. TRANSFER CREDITS: Students transferring from an accredited two-year institution to Rider University may receive up to 60 credits, provided these credits are compatible with Rider degree requirements. Students transferring from a four-year institution to Rider University may transfer up to 90 credits (maximum 75 in business). ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: International students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Weekend College

Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, gives adult students the option of studying during weekends only. Courses are held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. The class meeting format and instructional methodology differ from the traditional weekday and evening classes. Evening-only Study

Rider University, College of Continuing Studies, gives adult students the option of studying during evenings only. Courses are held on alternate weeks, for a total of 8-weeks of study. Alternate eight-week, evening-only courses are offered to adult students during 15-week Fall and Spring semesters. The class meeting format and instructional methodology differ from the traditional weekday and evening classes.


Along with transfer credits from other institutions, Rider University also allows students to receive transfer credits through the following methods: • College Level Examination (CLEP) credits • Advanced Placement credits (up to 9 credits accepted) • Formal military credits that meet Rider standards and procedures • DANTES Subject Standardized Test that meet credit recommendations established by the American Council on Education

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UNDERGRADUATE

Rutgers University—New Brunswick SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College

OFFERINGS: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, offers the following degrees (a larger array of undergraduate majors are available to University College students, but require daytime coursework): Degrees

Bachelor of Science Accounting Administration of Justice Biological Sciences Chemistry Computer Science Evolutionary Anthropology Exercise Science and Sport Studies Finance Food Science Geological Sciences Management Management Science and Information Systems Marine Sciences Marketing Medical Technology Nutritional Sciences Physics Public Health

Bachelor of Arts Communication Computer Science Economics English French German History History/French History/Political Science Journalism & Media Studies Labor Studies & Employment Relations Mathematics Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Sociology Spanish Statistics Statistics - Mathematics

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, charges in-state students $219.00 per credit and out-of-state students $448.20 per credit. University College, School of Business, charges in-state students $224.85 per credit and out-of-state students $456.85 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as a 2-week, intensive Winter session, and three 4-week Summer sessions.

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LOCATION: Courses at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, take place on the New Brunswick, New Jersey campus. It is five campuses located on both sides of the Raritan River in New Brunswick and Piscataway. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time. TRANSFER CREDITS: Students transferring from an accredited two-year institution to Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, may receive up to 60 credits. (Students who hold an associate degree in an approved transfer program—Associate in Arts, sometimes Associate in Science—with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, may transfer up to a maximum of 64 credits.) Students transferring from a four-year institution to Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, may transfer up to 90 credits. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: International students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Weekend Studies Program

The Weekend Program offers courses that can lead to undergraduate degrees. Courses may be completed in 2-, 3-, or 6- weekends. Joint Degree Programs

University College offers degree programs that enable a student to obtain a combined bachelor's degree and a graduate degree (MBA, MD, or DMD) in an accelerated period of time. Typically, these programs reduce the amount of time needed to complete the two degrees by one year for full-time students or an equivalent time span for part-time students. The following joint undergraduate/graduate degree programs are offered:

BA/MBA - Bachelor's /master's program in business administration, offered in cooperation with the Rutgers Business School.

BA/MA - Bachelor's /master's program in labor relation and industrial relations, offered in cooperation with the School of Management and Labor Relations.

BA/MA - Bachelor's /master's program in public policy, offered in cooperation with the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

BA/MA - Bachelor's /master's program in criminal justice, offered in cooperation with the School of Criminal Justice.

BA/MA - Bachelor's /master's program in communication and information studies, offered in cooperation with the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies.

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BA/M.Ed - Bachelor's /master's programs in education, offered by the Graduate School of Education provide for certification through five-year combined B.A. and M.Ed. programs in the following areas:

1. Elementary Education (K-8) 2. English Education (K-12) 3. Foreign Languages Education (K-12) 4. Mathematics Education (K-12) 5. Physical or Biological Sciences Education (K-12) 6. Social Studies Education (K-12) 7. Special Education/Elementary (teacher of the handicapped K-12 and

elementary K-8)

BA/MD - Bachelor's /M.D. program in medicine, offered in cooperation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

BA/MD - Bachelor's /M.D. program in medicine, offered in cooperation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School.

BA/DMD - Bachelor's /D.M.D. program in dentistry, offered in cooperation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School.

Elena Buchanan Transition Program

The University College Transition Program is a "pre-college" course that meets twice a week for thirteen weeks during the fall and spring semesters, and three times a week for seven weeks during the Summer session. The EBTP is intended to help adult students prepare for the rigors of study at University College—New Brunswick. Transition Program classes are taught by Rutgers University faculty from several departments. Specific subjects vary each semester but students can expect exposure to coursework in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, as well as a unit on expository writing. University College Math Review Program

Rutgers University—New Brunswick, University College, offers math review courses, designed for students who have some prior knowledge of college-level math. The program sessions are held on Saturday mornings. Sessions are offered in three areas: basic algebra, advanced algebra, and precalculus. University College Honors Program

The University College Honors Program offers intellectually talented adult and part-time students an opportunity to enrich their education and broaden their experience. Through an array of honors seminar courses taught by experienced faculty, and through opportunities for independent study, research, and extra curricular activities, the University College Honors Program provides an intellectual home for curious and

99

enthusiastic students who enjoy learning through dialogue and debate, and who wish to explore new concepts and ideas. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

Rutgers University—New Brunswick’s undergraduate course catalog is only available online or for purchase in school bookstore, because it is costly to produce and mail. Only information packet will be mailed to prospective students. Rutgers University Web site contains misspellings and faulty links.

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UNDERGRADUATE

Temple University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Temple University Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Temple University, Undergraduate Department OFFERINGS: Temple University, Undergraduate Department, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates:

Degrees

Associate in Science

Bachelor of Architecture

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Business

Administration

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts with

Teaching Certification

Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

Architecture Civil Engineering Education Electrical Engineering Engineering Technology Mechanical Engineering Nursing

Bachelor of Social Work

Certificates

Asian Business and Society Child and Family Services Chinese E-Tourism French Geography of Sports, Recreation, and Tourism Planning Geography of Tourism German Gerontology Italian Japanese Landscape Plants Latin American Studies Management Career Multilingual Business and Government Studies People First Political Economy Russian Spanish Spanish and Latin American Studies for Business Spanish and Latino Studies for Health and Human Services Professions Travel and Tourism Women’s Studies Writing

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: Temple University charges in-state students $334 per credit and out-of-state students $562 per credit.

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SCHEDULING: Courses at Temple University, Undergraduate Department, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters and two 6-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Temple University are offered at their main campus in Phildelphia, PA. ONLINE PROGRAMS: Online courses are offered through Temple University’s OnLine Learning (OLL) Program. Some classes are taught via computer-based delivery, using electronic mail, Listservs, and the World Wide Web. Others are taught via videoconference, linking students and instructors in two or more locations. Some classes use a combination of technologies. The following courses are offered through OLL:

Architecture Broadcast Telecom Media Business Administration Crafts Economics Journalism Kinesiology Management Science/Operations Management Marketing

Mathematics Music Education Music Studies Nursing Physical Therapy Physics Public Health Special Education Therapeutic Recreation

TRANSFER CREDITS: There is no limit to the number of credits that may be accepted provided they all meet Temple University degree requirements. The number of credits that students can transfer from another institution (two- and four-year) depends on their declared Temple major. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Temple University, Undergraduate Department, requires no entrance testing of applicants who are 22 years or older. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:


Temple University will allow adult students to submit College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) results for transfer credit. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

Temple University’s undergraduate course catalog is only available online, because it is costly to produce and mail. Only general information about the school programs will be mailed to prospective students.

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UNDERGRADUATE

Thomas Edison State College SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Thomas Edison State College Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING UNDERGRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Thomas Edison State College, Undergraduate Department OFFERINGS: Thomas Edison State College, Undergraduate Department, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees

Associate in Applied Science

Administrative Studies Applied Computer Studies Applied Electronic Studies Applied Health Studies Mechanics and Maintenance Occupational Studies

Associate in Arts Associate in Science in Applied

Science and Technology

Air Traffic Control Architectural Design Aviation Flight Technology Aviation Maintenance Technology Biomedical Electronics Civil and Construction Engineering Technology Clinical Laboratory Science Computer Science Technology Dental Hygiene Electrical Technology Electronics Engineering Technology Engineering Graphics Environmental Sciences Fire Protection Science Forestry Horticulture Laboratory Animal Science Manufacturing Engineering

Technology Marine Engineering Technology Mechanical Engineering Technology Nondestructive Testing Technology Nuclear Engineering Technology Nuclear Medicine Technology Radiation Protection Radiation Therapy Respiratory Care Surveying

Associate in Science in Management

Accounting Administrative Office Management Banking Computer Information Systems Finance General Management Hospital Health Care Administration Hotel/Motel/Restaurant Management Human Resources Management Insurance International Business Marketing Operations Management Procurement Public Administration Purchasing and Materials Management Real Estate

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Retailing Management Small Business Management/ Entrepreneurship Transportation/Distribution Management

Associate in Science in Natural

Sciences and Mathematics

Biology Computer Science Mathematics

Associate in Science in Public and

Social Services

Administration of Justice Child Development Services Community Services Emergency Disaster Management Fitness & Wellness Services Gerontology Legal Services Recreation Services Social Services Social Services for Special Populations

Bachelor of Arts

Anthropology Art Biology Communications Computer Science Economics English Environmental Studies Foreign Language Journalism History Humanities Labor Studies Liberal Studies Mathematics Music Natural Sciences/Mathematics Philosophy Photography

Political Science Psychology Religion Social Sciences/History Sociology Theater Arts

Bachelor of Science in Applied Science

and Technology

Air Traffic Control Architectural Design Aviation Flight Technology Aviation Maintenance Technology Biomedical Electronics Civil and Construction Engineering Technology Clinical Laboratory Science Computer Science Technology Dental Hygiene Electrical Technology Electronics Engineering Technology Engineering Graphics Environmental Sciences Fire Protection Science Forestry Horticulture Laboratory Animal Science Manufacturing Engineering Technology Marine Engineering Technology Mechanical Engineering Technology Nondestructive Testing Technology Nuclear Engineering Technology Nuclear Medicine Technology Radiation Protection Radiation Therapy Respiratory Care Surveying

Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration Accounting

Administrative Office Management

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Advertising Management Banking Computer Information Systems Finance General Management Hospital Health Care Administration Hotel/Motel/Restaurant Management Human Resources Management Insurance International Business Logistics Marketing Operations Management Organizational Management Procurement Public Administration Purchasing and Materials Management Real Estate Retailing Management Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship Transportation/Distribution Management

Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Allied Dental Education Dietetic Sciences Imaging Sciences Health Services Management

Bachelor of Science in Human

Services

Administration of Justice Child Development Services

Community Services Emergency Disaster Management Gerontology Health and Nutrition Counseling Health Services Health Services Administration Health Services Education Legal Services Mental Health and Rehabilitative Services Recreation Services Social Services Social Services Administration Social Services for Special Populations

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Certificates

Accounting Administrative Office Management Computer Aided Design Computer Science Computer Information Systems Electronics Finance Fitness and Wellness Services Human Resources Management Labor Studies Marketing Operations Management Public Administration

PER CREDIT COURSE FEE: Thomas Edison State College charges in-state students $104 per credit and out-of-state students $134 per credit. SCHEDULING: Courses at Thomas Edison State College are offered days, evenings, and weekends during 12- and 16-week semesters that are offered year-round.

LOCATION: Courses at Thomas Edison State College take place on their Trenton, N.J. campus.

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ONLINE PROGRAMS: At Thomas Edison State College, online courses are delivered via the World Wide Web using MyEdison, the College's Online course management system. Most of Thomas Edison State College's online courses can be completed in 12 weeks with one comprehensive (final) examination. Many of these courses are media-rich. Some do not require textbooks, but rather present all course materials online. Online courses are designed and delivered as independent study courses. Students in these courses communicate with faculty mentors and fellow students using e-mail and submit assignments to mentors through the Web. Examinations are not offered online. The following degrees may be earned through online course work:

Associate in Arts

Associate in Science in Applied

Science and Technology

Computer Science Technology

Associate in Science in

Management

General Management

Associate in Science in Natural

Sciences and Mathematics

Computer Science

Bachelor of Arts

History Humanities Liberal Studies Psychology Social Sciences

In addition to online courses, Thomas Edison State College also offers e-Pack® courses as a way to earn credit. e-Pack® courses are suitable for independent distance learners who want the structure of a semester-based course, but do not wish to complete written assignments and do not require mentor guidance. Each course is designed around a single textbook and a series of short online chapter quizzes delivered via the Web. After studying a textbook chapter, students take an online quiz and receive an immediate score as well as feedback on their weak areas. They may take each quiz as many times as necessary until they have learned the material. e-Pack® courses allow students to study and take the quizzes at their own pace, within the semester framework. The quiz scores do not count toward students’ grade; they are only used to help them prepare for the final exam. Students’ course grade is based on the results of a comprehensive final exam, which must be taken by the end of the semester. In order to earn credit, students must earn a passing grade on the exam. It is a proctored, paper-and-pencil exam, which tests the subject material covered in the textbook. Students may schedule the exam before the end of the semester, if they are ready, allowing students to work more rapidly and earn credits in less time. e-Pack® courses are offered in:

Biology Computer Science Geology Law Management

Marketing Psychology Sociology Statistics

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TRANSFER CREDITS: Thomas Edison State College does not limit the number of transfer credits they will accept from other colleges. However, the College will accept a maximum of 30 credits of graduate work to apply to an undergraduate program. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Thomas Edison State College requires no entrance testing. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Guided Study Courses

Guided Study courses are designed for independent, distance learning and is structured around weekly readings, video, and/or audio tapes and written assignments. Most courses run on a 16-week semester, while other selected courses run on a 24-week semester. Guided Study students work on their own using texts, study guides, and other course materials. Specific lessons and assignments must be completed, and the learning is evaluated by proctored mid-term and final exams. When enrolled in a Guided Study course, students will be assigned a mentor who will answer course-related questions and grade assignments and exams. Interaction between students and faculty is via telephone, mail, or e-mail. Credit by Alternative Means

TECEP® tests

Thomas Edison State College offers more than 50 examinations that allow students to earn college credit without taking formal courses. These examinations, known as TECEP® tests, are specifically designed to permit students to demonstrate the college-level knowledge they have gained through work, personal interests, or independent study by taking a single examination. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is designed to help adult students earn credit for college-level knowledge they have gained through work experience, independent reading, hobbies, training programs, volunteer work, service to the community, travel, religious activities, artistic pursuits and such. For those adults who are able to demonstrate their college-level knowledge to an expert in the field, college credits may be earned toward a degree.

Workplace/Union/Professional Association Coursework

Students may be able to earn credit for courses taken at their workplace or through union or professional associations if the courses have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) through the College Credit Recommendation Service (formerly PONSI). Students can use ACE credit recommendations toward their degrees at Thomas Edison State College.

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Military Service

Thomas Edison State College will grant credit for those military service schools that have been evaluated by the Office on Educational Credit and Credentials of the American Council on Education.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

Although a representative of Thomas Edison State College did mail an undergraduate course catalog to us, it did not arrive in time for this analysis.

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GRADUATE

Georgian Court University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Georgian Court University Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Georgian Court University, Graduate Department OFFERINGS: Georgian Court University, Graduate Department, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates:

Degrees

Master of Arts

Administration, Supervision, and Curriculum Planning Counseling Psychology Education Holistic Health Studies

Instructional Technology Mathematics Special Education Theology

Master of Business Administration

Master of Science

Biology Master of Arts

Certificates

Education Early Intervention Studies Instructional Technology Learning Disabilities Reading Specialist School Business Administrator School Psychologist Student Personnel Services Supervisor Substance Awareness Coordinator Teacher-Consultant Teacher of Reading Teacher of the Handicapped Theology

COST: Georgian Court University, Graduate Department, charges students in $530 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Georgian Court University, Graduate Department, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as 4-, 6-, and 8-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Georgian Court University take place on its Lakewood, New Jersey campus. ONLINE PROGRAMS: Georgian Court University, Graduate Department, offers online courses delivered via the Internet. Each course is delivered completely over the Internet, usually in conjunction with texts. These online courses incorporate various combinations of Internet elements, such as search engines, discussion groups, ListServs, PowerPoint on the Web, telnet, web publishing, chat rooms, email and/or video email. Students do not need to come to the campus unless evaluations such as a mid-term or final examination are part of the course requirements. The following graduate courses are offered online:

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Computer Information Systems Management Theory

TRANSFER CREDITS: Georgian Court University may accept up to 6 credits from another regionally accredited institution. (A maximum of 8 credits is acceptable in the M.S. Biology Program.) ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Georgian Court University may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

NTE/Praxis MAT GRE GMAT CPA license

In addition, international students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

The Georgian Court University’s graduate course catalog is only available online, because it is costly to produce and mail. Only general information about the school programs will be mailed to prospective students.

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GRADUATE

Kean University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Kean University Spring 2005 Registration Bulletin, Kean University Web site, and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Kean University, Nathan Weiss Graduate College OFFERINGS: Kean University, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees

Master of Arts

Communication Studies Counselor Education Early Childhood Education Educational Administration Educational Media Specialization Exercise Science Instruction and Curriculum Liberal Studies Political Science Psychology Reading Specialization Special Education Speech-Language Pathology

Mathematics Education Master of Business Administration

Global Management Master of Fine Arts

Education Master of Public Administration

Master of Science

Accounting Biotechnology

Computing, Statistics, and Mathematics Graphic Communications

and Technology Management Management Information Systems

Nursing Nursing and Clinical

Management Nursing and Master Public Administration Occupational Therapy

Master of Social Work

Professional Diploma

Marriage and Family Therapy School Psychology

Certificates

Bilingual/Bicultural Education Conflict Resolution and Communication E-Business Management Information Systems Reading Specialist School Business Administrator Substance Awareness Coordinator Teacher of Reading Teaching English as a Second Language

COST: Kean University, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, charges students in-state students $328 per credit and out-of-state students $416 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Kean University, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters,

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as well as during two, more intensive 7-week semesters within each Fall and Spring semester, and two 5-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Kean University take place on its Union, New Jersey campus. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time. TRANSFER CREDITS: Kean University may accept up to 6 credits from another accredited institution. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Kean University may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

NTE/Praxis MAT GRE GMAT

In addition, international students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Weekend College

Kean University, Nathan Weiss Graduate College, gives graduate students the option of studying during weekends only. Courses are held on Fridays and Saturdays. Through the Weekend College, educators can complete the graduate-level Substance Abuse Counselor certificate, while other programs may be advanced by attending weekend courses.

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GRADUATE

New Jersey Institute of Technology SOURCE OF INFORMATION: New Jersey Institute of Technology Graduate 2004/2005 Information for Applicants and Application Materials and New Jersey Institute of Technology Web site UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Graduate Department OFFERINGS: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Graduate Department, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy

Applied Physics Biology Chemical Engineering Chemistry Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Environmental Science Industrial Engineering Information Systems Material Science and Engineering Mathematical Sciences Mechanical Engineering Transportation Urban Studies

Master of Architecture

Master of Architecture and Doctor of

Philosophy in Urban Systems

Master of Architecture and Master of

Infrastructure Planning


Science in Civil Engineering


Science in Management

Master of Infrastructural Planning

Master of Infrastructure Planning and

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban

Systems

Master of Science

Applied Chemistry Applied Mathematics Applied Physics Applied Statistics Architectural Studies Biology Biomedical Engineering Business Administration Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computational Biology Computer Engineering Computing Science Information Systems Electrical Engineering Engineering Management Environmental Engineering Environmental Policy Studies Environmental Science Executive Business Administration History Industrial Engineering Internet Engineering Management Manufacturing Engineering Materials Science and Engineering Mechanical Engineering Occupational Safety and Health Engineering

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Occupational Safety and Industrial Hygiene Pharmaceutical Engineering Professional and Technical Communications Public Health Telecommunications Transportation

Certificates

Bioinformatics Construction Management Health Communication Information Assurance and Network Security Information Systems Design Information Systems Implementation Management Essentials Management of Technology Pharmaceutical Management Pharmaceutical Technology Practice of Technical Communications Project Management Sustainable Architecture Telecommunication Networking

COST: New Jersey Institute of Technology charges in-state students $479 per credit and out-of-state students $657 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Graduate Department, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as a 10-week Summer session.

LOCATION: Courses in New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Graduate Department take place in Newark, New Jersey.

ONLINE PROGRAMS: New Jersey Institute of Technology Graduate Department offers students the option of “eLearning.” Such courses, called “ACCESS/NJIT” consist of two components: (1) a tele-lecture conducted by one of NJIT's faculty or academic leaders or a distinguished expert affiliated with another educational institution; and (2) an electronic discussion through which students conduct dialogue with a mentor and other classmates at any time of the day or night. Depending on the particular class, the electronic discussion may take place via NJIT e-mail; NJIT Virtual Classroom® (VC) a computer conferencing system; fax machines; voice mail systems; and the telephone. The following degrees and credit-bearing certificates may be earned though ACCESS/NJIT:

Degrees

Master of Science Engineering Management Information Systems Professional and Technical Communication

Certificates

Health Communication Information Systems Design Information Systems Implementation Management Essentials Practice of Technical Communications Project Management Telecommunication Networking

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TRANSFER CREDITS: The equivalent instructional minutes of a maximum of 9 credits of graduate work, taken within seven years, from accredited U.S. educational institutions may be transferred and applied to degree requirements at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: New Jersey Institute of Technology may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

GMAT GRE

In addition, international students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL. SPECIAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR ADULT STUDENTS:

Collaborative Doctorate Opportunity

The Collaborative Doctorate Opportunity is designed for mid-career engineers, executives, scientists, military personnel and educators who want to pursue a PhD while continuing full-time employment. Collaborative Doctorate study integrates independent study and an array of alternate educational deliveries with conventional classroom sessions to meet the specific needs of both employee and employer. The Collaborative Doctorate is available in the following disciplines:

Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Industrial Engineering Information Systems Materials Science and Engineering Mechanical Engineering Transportation

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GRADUATE

Rider University SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Rider University Graduate 2004/2005 Academic Catalog, Rider University Web site, and email contact UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Rider University, Graduate Department OFFERINGS: Rider University, Graduate Department, offers the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees

Master of Accountancy

Master of Arts

Counseling Services Curriculum, Instruction and Supervision Education Administration Human Services Administration Reading/Language Arts Special Education

Master of Business Administration

Education Specialist

Counseling Services School Psychology

Certificates

Business Teacher Curriculum Supervisor Director of School Counseling Services/School Counselor Education Administration Elementary Teacher Foreign Language Teacher English Teacher Mathematics Teacher Principal Reading Specialist Reading Teacher School Business Administrator School Psychologist Science Teacher Social Studies Teacher Teacher of Students with Disabilities Teacher-Coordinator of Cooperative Vocational/Technical Education

COST: Rider University charges students in Business Administration $600 per credit and in Education & Human Services $440 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Rider University, Graduate Department, are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as two 6-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Rider University, Graduate Department, take place on Rider’s Lawrenceville, New Jersey campus and at Rider’s Westminster Choir College campus located in Princeton, New Jersey. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time.

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TRANSFER CREDITS: Rider University’s Graduate Education School will accept a maximum of 12 credits. The Graduate Business School will accept a maximum of 6 credits, but only after a student has been admitted to candidacy for the MBA. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Rider University may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

GMAT GRE MAT Praxis/NTE

In addition, international students for whom English is not their native language must take the TOEFL.

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GRADUATE

Rutgers University—New Brunswick SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Rutgers University—New Brunswick Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, Graduate Schools

OFFERINGS: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, Graduate Schools, offer the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees

Artist Diploma in Music

Doctor of Education

Educational Administration and Supervision

Elementary/Early Childhood Education

Mathematics Education Science Education Social Studies Education Special Education

Doctor of Musical Arts

Doctor of Pharmacology


Animal Sciences Anthropology Art History Biochemistry BioMaPS

Biomedical Engineering Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Cell and Developmental Biology Ceramic and Materials Science and Engineering Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Chemistry and Chemical Biology Civil and Environmental Engineering Classics Clinical Psychology Cognitive Psychology Communication, Information and

Library Studies Comparative Literature Computer Science Ecology and Evolution Economics Education Electrical and Computer Engineering Entomology Environmental Sciences Food Science French Geography Geological Sciences German History Industrial and Systems Engineering Industrial Relations and Human Resources Italian Linguistics Literacy Education Literatures in English Mathematics Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Mechanics Medicinal Chemistry Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Music Neuroscience Nutritional Sciences

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Oceanography Operations Research Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmacology, Cellular and Molecular Philosophy Physics and Astronomy Physiology and Biology Plant Biology Political Science Public Health Social Psychology Social Work Sociology Spanish Statistics Toxicology Urban Planning and Policy Development Women’s Gender Studies

Doctor of Psychology

Clinical Psychology Organizational Psychology School Psychology Doctor of Public Health

Master of Arts

Anthropology Art History Classics Economics French

Geography German Italian Music Political Science Spanish Women’s Gender Studies

Master of Arts in Teaching

Classics French Spanish Master of Business Administration

Master of City and Regional Planning

Urban Planning and Policy Development

Master of City and Regional Studies

Urban Planning and Policy Development

Master of Communication and

Information Studies

Master of Education

Adult Continuing Education Counseling Psychology Educational Administration and

Supervision Educational Statistics,

Measurement, and Evaluation Elementary/Early Childhood

Education English Education Italian Language Education Learning, Cognition, and Development Literacy Education Mathematics Education Reading School Business Administration Science Education Social Studies Education Special Education

Master of Fine Arts

Theater Arts Visual Arts Master of Human Resources

Management

Master of Labor and Employment

Relations

Master of Library and Information

Science

Master of Music

Master of Public Administration

Master of Public Health

Master of Public Policy

Master of Quantitative Finance

Master of Science

Animal Sciences Biomedical Engineering Bioresource Engineering Cell and Developmental Biology Ceramic and Materials Science

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and Engineering Chemical and Biochemical

Engineering Chemistry and Chemical Biology Civil and Environmental

Engineering Computer Science Ecology and Evolution Electrical and Computer

Engineering Entomology Environmental Sciences Food and Business Economics Food Science Geography Geological Sciences Industrial and Systems Engineering Mathematics Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Mechanics

Medicinal Chemistry Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Nutritional Sciences Oceanography Pharmaceutical Sciences Physics and Astronomy Plant Biology Statistics Toxicology

Master of Science and Technology

Chemistry and Chemical Biology Physics and Astronomy Master of Social Work

Certificates

Educational Specialist Literacy Education Mathematics Education Science Education Social and Philosophical

Foundations of Education

COST: Rutgers University—New Brunswick, Graduate Schools charge in-state students $402.85 per credit and out-of-state students $598.80 per credit.

SCHEDULING: Courses at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, Graduate Schools are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as a 2-week, intensive winter cession, and two 4-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Rutgers University—New Brunswick take place on its New Brunswick/Piscataway, New Jersey campus. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time. TRANSFER CREDITS: Rutgers University—New Brunswick Graduate Schools may accept a maximum of 40 percent of the minimum requirement for the degree sought. For a PhD, a maximum of 40 percent of the required courses is allowable, but in no case can the number of credits exceed 30. The faculty of a graduate program also may recommend transfer of credit earned in graduate professional school toward a student’s PhD at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Rutgers University—New Brunswick may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

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GRE GMAT Praxis/NTE


Rutgers University—New Brunswick’s graduate course catalog is only available online because it is costly to produce and mail. All information must be taken from the Web. The Web site is not very user-friendly; it’s got faulty links and confusing information.

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GRADUATE

Rutgers University—Newark SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Rutgers University—Newark Web site and telephone contact UNITS ADMINISTERING GRADUATE PART-TIME STUDY: Rutgers University—Newark, Graduate Schools OFFERINGS: Rutgers University—Newark, Graduate Schools, offer the following degrees and credit-bearing certificates: Degrees


American Studies Applied Physics

Biology Chemistry

Criminal Justice Environmental Sciences Global Affairs Integrative Neuroscience

Management Mathematical Sciences

Nursing Psychology Public Administration Urban Systems

Juris Doctor

Master of Accountancy

Master of Arts

American Studies Economics English Criminal Justice History Jazz History and Research Nursing Political Science

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Master of Public Administration

Master of Arts in Teaching History Master of Business Administration

Accounting Master of Public Health

Master of Quantitative Finance

Master of Science Applied Physics Biology Chemistry Computational Biology Environmental Geology Environmental Sciences Global Affairs

Master of Social Work

Certificates

Conflict Management Electronic Commerce Environmental Geology Management Development Non-profit Management Post Master’s Nursing Education Post-MBA Post-Master’s Nursing Practitioner Program

COST: Rutgers University—Newark, Graduate Schools charge in-state students $402.85 per credit and out-of-state students $598.80 per credit.

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SCHEDULING: Courses at Rutgers University—Newark’s Graduate Schools are offered days, evenings, and weekends during the traditional 15-week Fall and Spring semesters, as well as a 2-week, intensive winter cession, and two 4-week Summer sessions.

LOCATION: Courses at Rutgers University—Newark take place on its Newark, New Jersey campus. ONLINE PROGRAMS: No online courses are offered at this time. TRANSFER CREDITS: Rutgers University—Newark Graduate Schools may accept a maximum of 40 percent of the minimum requirement for the degree sought. For a PhD, a maximum of 40 percent of the required courses is allowable, but in no case can the number of credits exceed 30. The faculty of a graduate program also may recommend transfer of credit earned in graduate professional school toward a student’s PhD in the at Rutgers University—Newark. ENTRANCE TESTING REQUIRED: Rutgers University—Newark may require students to take one, more than one, or none of the following entrance exams:

GRE GMAT LSAT


Rutgers University—Newark’s graduate course catalog is only available online because it is costly to produce and mail. All information must be taken from the Web. The Web site is not very user-friendly; it’s got faulty links and confusing information.

Documents

Adult Student Market Analysis - Rider University Student Market Analysis Rider University January, 2005 Aslanian Group, Inc. ... mass media is also important to help raise the visibility