1. When you first open your Markets application, you will be on the 'Getting Started' page.
2. The left-hand side of the 'Getting Started' screen provides you with steps to evaluate programs within the Markets app. These steps will help you populate the data you are looking for.
3. The right-hand side of the “Getting Started” page provides one-click access to the market dashboards.
You can quickly and easily access market data you want related to Student Demand, Employment and Workforce, and Other (Athletics Benchmarking).
4. Step 1 tells us to select a scoring rubric.
5. Select the rubric that best represents the program type you are exploring. In this example, we will select the Bachelor’s scoring rubric by clicking on it.
Scoring rubrics play an important role since they are the base of how you will be evaluating programs. Selecting different scoring rubrics will shift how points are allocated in accordance with your current focus. You have access to both the industry standard rubrics that Gray provides as well as the option to adjust these in order to meet your institution's needs, values, and interests.
6. Step 2 is where you will select the geographic focus of your analysis. Click on "Select one Market."
The list of geographic markets in your system is based on a distance analysis of student address data as well as the goals and interest
7. Click on the Market you would like to select. It will be highlighted in green to indicate that you have selected it. In this guide we will use National.
8. Step 3 allows you to confirm the Award Level you are interested in.
9. In this example, we will select the Bachelors Award Level.
10. Step 4 allows you to jump to the Program Rank tab. Click on the blue Program Rank Button.
The Program Rank tab is a great place to start because it provides a high-level overview of how programs (organized by CIP code) compare to each other. The Program Rank tab can be useful to help determine CIP codes that warrant further analysis. This view can also be helpful as a first step in identifying new program opportunities. It is important to remember that the Program Rank tab provides a look at the data from a 30,000-foot view and that you will always have the option to dive into the details when we move to the Scorecard later in the process.
11. The Program Rank shows a ranking of over 1,500 CIP codes. By default, they are ranked on the Total Percentile column, but you can click on any column header to sort by Student Demand Percentile, Competitive Intensity Percentile, or Employment Percentile.
12. Now, it is time to Zoom in to a particular 2-digit CIP code.
You can do this using the 2-digit CIP and 4-digit CIP filters. This step allows you to focus on a specific program area. The greater the number of digits in the CIP code, the more focused the search on a specific category of programs.
13. Type in the 2-digit CIP code that you would like to zoom in on. In this guide, we will use 2-digit CIP code of the 11’s (Computer & Info Sciences and Support Services).
This step allows you to focus on a specific program area. The greater the number of digits in the CIP code, the more focused the search on a specific category of programs.
14. Once you have found the 2-digit CIP code you would like to filter to, click on it in the menu.
15. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection.
16. Repeat the same process using the 4-digit CIP filter.
This will zoom in to a specific grouping of similar programs. This may or may not be necessary, depending on the program area you are examining. For example, the 11’s include all programs identified in the broad category of Computer & Information Sciences, where 11.01, 11.02, 11.03, etc., break down this general category into a number of more narrowly defined subcategories.
17. In this guide, we will use the 4-digit CIP code of 11.01 as an example.
The same process can apply to any other 4-digit CIP code.
18. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection.
19. From here, you will need to zoom in on a single program code. Click on the program you would like to look at in further detail. Click on 11.0199 Computer and Information Sciences, Other
This view shows us a ranking of how each program in the 11.01 family of CIP codes is performing at the Bachelors award level and in the market of the Nation.
20. Click the checkmark to confirm your selections.
21. The next step is to move to the Scorecard, which will allow you to understand the details behind this ranking. To do this, click on “Scorecard” in the blue banner at the top of your screen.
22. The Scorecard provides an in-depth look at each major category.
The header of this section shows us the same information we saw on the Program Rank tab. In this case, it highlights that this program scores in the 99th percentile compared to all other Bachelor's programs in the currently selected market (national).
23. We will start by exploring Student Demand.
The Pctl (percentile) column helps you understand how this program compares to all others for each metric.
This quickly allows you to put the Value column into perspective, comparing your selected program to all other programs. Once again, the data is specific to the award level and market you have selected.
We can see that this program (11.0199 Computer and Information Sciences) has had 902 New Student Enrollments in the past 12 months. The Pctl column shows us that this value is in the 86th percentile compared to the new student enrollment volumes of all other Bachelors programs in the nation.
Now that we know how to read an individual metric on the Scorecard, let’s discuss the category of Student Demand more broadly. This category looks at Google search, New Student Enrollment, and Completion volumes, as well as how each of those areas has trended year over year.
This creates two distinct sub-categories:
Size
Growth
You can combine this information to see the broader story of Student Demand. In this case, the Size sub-category shows us that this is a large program. Google Search Volume is in the 54th percentile, New Student Enrollment is in the 86th Percentile, and the Sum of On-ground and Online Completions is in the 89th percentile.
In the Growth sub-category, we can see that Google search volume is down year over year by 3040 searches, which is a 5% decrease. New Student Enrollment has grown year over year seeing a decrease of 141 students or 19%. Completions year over year has also increased with 223 more completions or 16% more completions for the latest year of data.
Overall, this seems to be large with mixed signals around the growth of this program. When you wrap up all of the data in the Student Demand category, this program scores in the 95th percentile.
24. Now, let's dive into the Employment category of the Scorecard.
The header of this section shows us the same information we saw on the Program rank tab. In this case, it highlights that this program scores in the 99th percentile compared to all other Bachelors programs in the currently selected market (national).
This quickly allows you to put the Value column into perspective, comparing your selected program to all other programs. Once again, the data is specific to the award level and market you have selected.
Let’s use the first line, “Job Postings Total (12 Months),” as an example.
We can see that for this program (11.0199 Computer & Information Sciences), there were 3,407 Job Postings in the past 12 months, and the Pctl column shows us that this value is in the 92nd percentile compared to all other programs. As a quick reminder, these job postings are specific to our selected market (in this case, the nation).
Now that we know how to read an individual metric on the Scorecard, let’s discuss the category of Employment more broadly. This category looks at three main data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, American Community Survey (ACS) data, as well as alumni profile data that tracks real outcomes for graduates of specific programs.
There are several sub-categories of Employment:
Size: Entry Jobs
Underemployed
Growth: Entry Jobs
Saturation: Entry Jobs
Weighted Avg BLS Wages
National American Community Survey Bachelor's Degree Outcomes
We can see that wages for graduates of this program are strong with Post Entry w/Bachelors Medial wage of $103,317 which is in the 96th percentile compared to all other programs. Furthermore, for those who go on to earn a Masters degree (in any field), the Median wages go up to $129,685.
Lastly, the ACS data shows us that about 23% of these graduates go back to pursure a higher-level degree.
25. Next, let's review the Competitive Intensity category.
This category looks at measures of competition: How many competitors are there? How large are these programs? How competitive/ expensive is it to capture Google search volume? These are some of the questions that this category addresses.
There are a few sub-categories of Competitive Intensity:
Volume of In-Market Competition
In-Market Program Sizes
In-Market Saturation
National Online Competition
We can see that for this program (11.0199 Computer & Information Sciences), there are 48 Campuses with Graduates at the Bachelors award level in the currently selected market (national). Compared to all other programs, this is a 15th percentile value, potentially indicating that there is a high volume of competition. Year over year, this has increased by 10 campuses reporting completions for this program.
You may notice the two ** next some metrics. This means that percentiles are displayed in reverse (100% minus the percentile)
The In-Market Program Sizes sub-category shows us that despite a large volume of competitors, the average program has 34 completions, which is in the 91st percentile. The median program completion size of 7 falls into the 51st percentile. We do see that year over year, the median completion size for these programs has increased by 14% compared to the previous year.
We can see from the In-Market Saturation sub-category that Google keywords around this program have an average cost per click of $14, which is in the 17th percentile compared to all other programs.
Finally, we see that this program does not have a very strong online presence, with 1% of completions nationally happening online.
26. The Cost Benchmarking National table does not impact the scoring.
The Cost Benchmarking data included here shows the Average and Median cost index per Student Credit Hour (SCH). This data comes from Gray DI's database of participating institutions that work with our PES Economics and Outcomes system.
Values are indexed to the average so that the average program has a value of 1.0. A value less than one would indicate that the Cost per SCH is less than the average program.
27. This table is what % of completions for this program are reported at each award level. For this program, we can see that 64% of completions happen at the Bachelors award level.
Note: This table will not change based on your award level filters, it will always show you data across all award levels for your selected CIP code.
28. At this point, we have gained a better understanding of the competitive landscape for this program. The next step is to identify who the competitors actually are for this program. In order to do that, we need to move to the Competitors tab.
29. The first chart shows you the Total Completions by In-Market Students
This will include online completions by In-Market Students to institutions located anywhere in the country.
30. The second chart shows you the Total Completions by In-Market Institutions.
As you filter these charts will change based on your current selections. For example, if you filter down to a single campus, then this will show you the completion trend that campus has seen over the past several years.
31. To populate the Competitors tab, start by selecting at least 1 dimension.
31. In this guide, we will walk through a common example. Select Campus and State.
32. Next, you need to select at least 1 metric.
33. We will continue our common example, start by selecting the On-Ground, Online, and Total Completions for the year you are interested in.
34. Next, select Completion Trends.
35. For this example, we will select 1 Year % Change and 1 Year Unit Change
36. Now, you can sort your table High to Low by selecting the table column header you wish to sort by. In this example, we will sort by 2024 Completions (High to Low)
37. Now, you have a table that identifies who the competitors for this program are in a particular market.
38. To save data you have two options. First, to export right-click anywhere in the table you would like to export.
39. You are also able to Create a Bookmark. Select the bookmark button at the top of your screen.
This will allow you to return to a particular view or table as data is updated over time.
40. Create a title for your bookmark.
You can also add a description if you would like to.
41. Lastly, select the Create Bookmark button to save your bookmark.
42. You can now return to this page by opening the bookmark tab and selecting the name of your saved bookmark. This will return you to the page that you have saved.
Additional Questions? Please contact support at support@graydi.us or register for a Daily Office Hour Session!
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