Understanding the Acquisition of New Degree Programs

This study examined: first, the impetuses college faculty respond to as they propose new degree programs; and, second, whether these impetuses can be correlated with the components of either resource dependence or institutional theory. It also examined implications of "vertical extension " (whereby institutions extend their academic programs upwardly) and "academic drift " (the tendency of institutions to copy the role and mission of prestige institutions) as related to new degree programs. Institutional theory suggests that three type of isomorphic forces influence organizations: mimetic forces, normative forces, and coercive forces. Resource dependence theory proposes that the key to an organization's success is its ability to acquire and maintain resources within an interdependent model of causes or agents. Interviews were conducted with the 39 faculty at 13 research or comprehensive universities who had been active in the proposal and implementation of new degree programs. Faculty cited three major impetuses for adding new degree programs: (1) intra-university competition for stature; (2) competition for new faculty members; and (3) community need and student demand. Results support both resource-dependence theory and institutional theory. (Contains 29 references.) (DB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document