Five Essential Questions That Academic Program Pages Must Answer

What’s the state of your academic program pages?

• Do you have two sets of pages — one at the top level of your site that marketing owns, and one within each academic department that departmental assistants maintain?
• Do links for individual majors and minors point directly (gulp!) to the registrar’s online catalog?
• Are your pages replete with impenetrable blocks of texts written in third-person, passive-aggressive voice?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you likely need a spring cleaning of your program pages, and we’d like to offer some advice.

These pages should be focused on prospective students, written in second-person (you) and active voice, consistent from program to program, and optimized for mobile display. Most importantly, they should answer the following:

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1. Why Study This?

Give your prospective students an overview of this program. Tell them what they’ll study and what they’ll learn. Finally, tell them how this program will prepare them for a fulfilling career and a rich life. See how UNSCA does it.

2. Why Study Here?

Give prospective students details about the curriculum of the program, but don’t just shunt them off to the academic catalog or program bulletin — that copy is normally written from a legal standpoint, and the tone is typically punitive. You might decide, instead, to list interesting sample courses that intrigue and inspire.

In addition, prospective students want to know about the faculty they’ll be studying with. I find Columbia College’s approach to faculty highlights to be streamlined and personal.

Do you offer special scholarships or financial aid opportunities for specific programs? Cool internships or opportunities for experiential learning? Special accreditations? State-of-the-art facilities? Highlight these program distinctions through infographics, personal narratives, and great visuals.

3. Where Will This Degree Take Me?

Illustrate outcomes by showing where alumni work and what they do, and highlight the education institutions at which your graduates pursue advanced degrees. See how Northwestern University Qatar builds this narrative.

Prospective students are particularly interested in the careers of young alumni — focus on profiles of graduates within the last decade to give prospectives a sense of what their potential trajectory will be as soon as they complete the program.

4. What Kind of Commitment Am I Making?

You should present information about the length and cost of the program clearly and up front. If students have the option to complete courses online, make that apparent as well. Finally, please clearly indicate any special admissions requirements and application dates and deadlines. See, for instance, UNCSA’s instructions for applying to its dance program.

5. What’s Next?

Every academic program page should have calls-to-action. Every page. Without exception. Those calls-to-action should include scheduling a visit, contacting someone for more information, or applying. Bonus points for featuring related programs that prospective students should consider or explore. Check out Messiah College’s calls-to-action.

By answering the five essential questions that prospective students have, you’ll help to build a positive experience in the admissions journey. Wondering how others have dealt with thorny issues of governance? Read about Messiah College’s approach.

Would you like to talk with one of our strategists about your program pages? Sign up for a consultation.