Completing the Program Mapping Template

Further guidance on the steps to gather program mapping information.

**NOTE: This functionality is not part of every licensing agreement. This is a paid feature so if you do not see anything related to Program Mapping in your signed proposal this is not part of your package. If you would like to add it, please get in touch with your sales contact. You can also inquire at [e-mail] and someone will get back to you soon.

To configure the custom program mapping feature for your school, you'll first need to compile and consolidate information about  programs you offer in the collection template provided.Below, we've compiled helpful tips to assist you while completing your template.

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1. Acquiring CIP codes for Active Programs

To gather the CIP codes designated for your programs, you may need to contact the:

• Office of the Registrar

• Center for Institutional Research / Office of Research and Planning

• Admissions Office

These offices have access to the your programs and associated CIP codes reported to IPEDS/NCES for institutional reporting. "Keyholders" are individuals who are responsible for such reporting and likely have access to your list of programs and associated CIP codes. We need the 6-digit CIP codes for your programs.

*** You may also be able to download them directly from this site:

https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/wizard/default.aspx?y=56

Just search for your school and review the codes presented to ensure they are accurate based on what your current programs are being offered.

TIP: Ask for the information in spreadsheet format

(Otherwise, you may receive information in a PDF or Word format that is not easily manipulable. You will need to alter and improve the information provided to you to complete the template, and a spreadsheet allows you to do this quickly.)

TIP: You only need CIP codes for currently active majors/programs

(Your school likely retains codes for previous degree granting pathways that have since been eliminated. When gathering CIP codes for your programs, specify that you only need information about currently available programs that students can pursue.)

FAQ: Should we gather all data on undergraduate programs, graduate programs, minors, certificates, and graduate certificates?

Answer: We encourage you to focus on identifying your primary degree granting majors/programs, but if CIP codes for minors and certificates are readily available, and you can point students to unique web resources for each pathway, you can include them. Recall that the purpose of the mapping functionality it to introduce students to your available educational programs, and focusing on your main degree-granting pathways will best accomplish this.

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The spreadsheet you receive may have hundreds of rows of information. Most of this information is extraneous and can be eliminated or consolidated. Typically, depending on the size of your school and number of degree-granting pathways offered, the list of provided pathways can be reduced to about 60-120 rows of information.

The remaining sections of this article highlight strategies for distilling this list to the primary programs offered at your school.

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2. Quick Clean-Up before the Deeper Dive

The spreadsheet you receive from the Registrar's Office may provide information about pathways that include undeclared or "pre" majors that describe a student's intended pathway, but not true degree-granting programs. Scan through your spreadsheet of all programs, looking for references to:

• Undeclared Options
• Pre-Majors
• Program No Longer Available
• Other Campus Locations

PathwayU will not connect careers to "undecided" or "undeclared" options, so these are rows of data that can easily be eliminated. While this might reflect a student's current path before they declare a major, it is not reflective of an academic program  we would guide a student to from a career-to-program match. Please see an example below.

You can delete "pre-majors" as long as there is a main, degree granting pathway in which students would eventually enroll. In the example below, there are four types of Pre-Educational Technology degrees.  In the same spreadsheet, we have record of the four main Educational Technology degree-granting pathways, so we can remove all references to the pre-majors for that group of programs.

 

Recall that the purpose of program mapping within PathwayU is not for a student to declare a pre-major within our platform, but rather to understand the relationship between educational programs and available career paths - which is accomplished by showing only the degree-granting program.

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3. Consolidating and Combining Program Information

One of the quickest ways to reduce rows of information about academic paths in the same content area is to consolidate those programs on a single line and indicate the multiple degree types in the degree-type column.

TIP: Consolidate programs with the same CIP code in the same content area on a single line, while noting the different degree-granting pathways available.

Sorting by CIP codes helps to see these clearly. See two examples below for a school with multiple programs related to Biology and Mathematics.

Your school likely offers many unique and specific sub-paths consisting of dual-majors, areas of emphasis within a larger degree-granting program, or combinations of majors and minors students can pursue. PathwayU focuses on showing students the connections between careers and main degree-granting programs that you offer - not every sub-pathway that is possible to declare.

TIP: Focus on identifying your main degree-granting programs, nesting similar sub-paths (minors/emphasis/options) within the overarching program.

TIP: If two programs have the same designated CIP code, they can likely be combined.

To do this...

• Sort your list of programs alphabetically to see similar programs above one another, or by CIP code to see those mapped to the same content areas.
• Note any highly similar, but subtly-different paths
• Delete extraneous programs, and amend the title of the main program to indicate that there are sub-paths available.

See two examples below, consolidating information about Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior degree options, as well as Special Education degree options. Recall that the "School Specific Program Title" column is exactly what students will read in the PathwayU platform, along with the degree type - so, you can use this to your advantage to indicate online options, or degrees with multiple possible areas of focus.

Generating Major/Program Descriptions and Links

After receiving the CIP codes and consolidating your programs, you will need to spend time generating program descriptions and links for these programs. We ask that you provide a brief, 2-sentence description that provides users with enough information to generate interest and choose to learn more via the link provided. 

Example Descriptions

• Biochemistry is the study of chemistry involving living organisms. The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed for students whose career interests require a strong background in Chemistry or Biochemistry, but are also interested in acquiring expertise in other disciplines.
• The online Bachelor of Science in general business from Acme University teaches students the fundamentals of business. The degree is perfect for students who wish to further their careers in the business industry in areas such as human resources, finance, retail, banking, accounting and more.
• Understand the basic physics and chemistry of the atmosphere and the fundamental nature of atmospheric circulations over a broad range of scales. The atmospheric science major prepares students for a range of career options in weather forecasting, air pollution and environmental meteorology, climate studies, TV weather forecasting, or graduate research.
• The major in film and media provides an integrated liberal arts foundation emphasizing the intersections between faith, culture, and film and media. Coursework for this major provides both introductory and advanced study in communication, particularly as it plays out in film, television, radio, the Internet, and new media platforms (social networks), multiple forms of digital communication, advertising, and/or other media arts.

Program Links

• The weblink is intended to guide students to the most direct source of school-specific information about that program. Here is an example of a Biology (BA/BS) program, and the most appropriate webpage for students to learn more.

TIP: You may use links more than once if you have a broad, department specific page that clearly outlines sources of information about more than one program.

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Other Helpful Tips for Template Completion

• Many clients have interns or student workers assist in gathering the required information to complete the template.  PathwayU's program mapping configuration often provides a well-structured project for student interns to work on, and offloads the work from directors, counselors, or coaches to keep them focused on critical tasks.
• Clean up program titles to read exactly as you would like them to appear. For instance, the program below listed "Urban Studies & Community Dev" should really be "Urban Studies & Community Development.

Ultimately, you know your programs best. And while we are happy to share tips and strategies for narrowing your programs to the most critical paths, you are better able to make decisions about when pathways are unique or similar enough to be represented by a single program. We are always here to provide guidance or insight while completing the template. Please reach out to your onboarding team if you need assistance!