The Online University: Exploring the Rise of Online Certificates and Its Relationship With State Appropriations

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Division J Poster Session: Policy, Finance, and Economics

Abstract

The study examines how public universities respond to the changes in state appropriations by adopting online graduate certificate programs. Constructing a panel data of those programs and employing an event-history and fixed-effect modeling, the study explains how retrenchment shapes programming and delivery of education at public institutions, monetizing graduate education. Neoliberal theories provide the conceptual foundation to explain the landscape of online graduate certificate programs, looking at issues of industry-alignment and signaling. The study adds a new large-scale data set to existing literature on online programs and allows for analysis on academic restructuring due to neoliberal pressures.

Authors

• Jeongeun Kim, Arizona State University

• Neelakshi Rajeev Tewari, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Arizona State University