HEFCE blog, Why are universities increasingly taking a more market-led approach to their core business?
The Innovation in the Market Assurance of New Programmes (i-MAP) published a follow-up study in September this year to explore the sustainability of new university programmes. The results point to new programmes needing to be assessed early on using both financial and market data. The study also explores responses to the previous i-MAP Project and Guidance document, first published in 2012. The underlying suggestion is that new programmes are launched as HEIs engage within an increasingly competitive HE environment. Yet, new programmes are not always successful – the 2015 study suggests that only 30% of new programmes have recruited a viable first cohort of students. The Study already hints that programmes likely to close are the social sciences and the arts – which may ultimately impact the landscape, funding and rankings of HEIs as more choose to specialise in particular programmes. The project is funded by HEFCE.