After a few weeks break, we are back with this week’s edition of the Insight for Education blog. In my previous blog on distance enrollment, we cited that distance enrollment exclusive growth was up nearly 15% and more and more schools were offering distance education. In this analysis we wanted to dive more deeply into the programs being offered in distance education.
This data has been collected by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the past two years and so we have limited, but telling data on the growth in distance education programs. Overall the number of distance education programs have increased 18% from 2013 to 2014. We found that all but 3 of the 38 major program categories (by two digit CIP) increased in the number of offerings. Of the major categories of programs (more than 100 offerings), Computer and Information Sciences grew the most at 27%. A relatively new category Homeland Security Law Enforcement grew 20% perhaps signaling a sign of the times we live in.
Business Management, Health, and Education continue to dominate the broad program areas in distance education with over 50% of the distance education programs from these three categories. However, only health is growing at a rate faster than the composite growth of all of the program areas.
Next week, we will dive a little more deeply underneath the hood to specific programs and levels that continue to grow.
