Improving Enrollment in the Master of Construction Management Program at Bowling Green State University

Abstract

The Master of Industrial Technology in Construction Management program at Bowling Green State University has been experiencing undesirably low enrollment recently, which has led to an examination of the need for the continuation of the program. The program administrators researched their target students regarding their educational backgrounds, knowledge needs, preferred promotion channels, favored means of course delivery, financial restrictions, and time constraints to gain insight in order to enhance the existing curriculum and enrollment. The needs of the employers of the program’s graduates were also considered. The research tools were a questionnaire and reviews of the websites and literature of 42 master’s programs in construction management. This paper presents the findings of a questionnaire that was designed to identify the reasons for and solutions to this problem. Data analysis of the questionnaire identified issues of promotion, curriculum content, and course delivery. The respondents indicated that the master of construction management is a valuable degree that can prepare construction professionals to become senior managers. The research proposes the following corrective actions: Development and implantation of promotion plan, restructuring the curriculum content, and employment of more suitable course delivery means.