Program Development and Market Research
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Where Our Work Helps
Insight at every level
Our analyses help faculty and academic units understand where demand is growing, how the competitive environment is shifting, and where their programs are well-positioned. We can support conversations at three levels:
1
Program positioning
Competitor program profiles, employer demand data, and graduate outcomes trends to inform conversations about market fit and differentiation.
2
Institutional planning
Thematic patterns across programs, peer institution data, and employer and industry demand data to support strategic conversations at the college or university level.
3
Regional scanning
Labor market data, industry concentration, peer program activity in the region, and graduate destination trends to situate VT's offerings within the regional workforce and educational landscape.
All analyses are built upon secondary research: publicly available datasets, proprietary tools, and institutional records. Primary data collection, including surveys and focus groups, falls outside the scope of our work.
Tools & Data Sources: Lightcast Eduventures Steppingblocks IPEDS Federal & state databases
What You Receive
Analysis for your stage
Whether you're exploring a new program idea, assessing an existing program's market position, or planning strategically across departments and units, we can provide data for use in program and planning conversations. Our analyses typically include:
Workforce demand analysis
Examining where hiring is growing, which employers are actively recruiting, what skills and credentials they value, and advertised earning potential.
Educational landscape scan
Profiling program characteristics, modality, CIP/discipline patterns, and enrollment and completion trends across peer institutions and the national market.
Marketable skill alignment (optional)
Mapping program learning outcomes to employer skill demand, providing a picture of how program content aligns with market expectations.
Graduate outcomes insights (optional)
Tracing where graduates work, industry pathways, and geographic mobility, including trends over time.
How To Engage
Start with a note
Step 1 — Describe your project
Share whatever you have – a program idea, a question, or a general direction you’d like to explore. Goals, audience, and peer programs are helpful context if available.
Prompts: Program concept Target audience Program goals Peer programs
Step 2 — We confirm scope
Once we hear from you, we will follow up to confirm scope and timeline. From there, the process is iterative — we may check in as the analysis develops, refine the scope as new findings emerge, or work through the details together as we go.
Prompts: Scope review Timeline deliverables
Step 3 — Receive your analysis (our action)
A high-level summary or full report formatted for your audience — whether a faculty meeting or a dean's review.
Formats: High-level summary Full report