Giving Compass' Take:

• Jon Marcus explains that as students enrollment falls, colleges are expanding their course offerings in attempts to attract students. 

• What are the advantages of this diversification of offerings? how can funders help schools develop programs that will make a lasting impact on communities? 

• Learn how to help adult college students graduate. 

At Portland State University, you can get a certificate in the business of craft brewing. At Emerson College in Boston, you can enroll in a sports communication program, which includes studies in eSports – more commonly known as video games. Soon, you’ll be able to get a master’s degree in World War II history at Arizona State University.

Higher education is in an increasingly tight spot. Undergraduate enrollment has fallen by 2.9 million students since 2011 according to the National Student Clearinghouse, and state funding still hasn’t recovered from the 2008 recession. Yet the number of majors and degree programs offered by colleges and universities has been going up.

Jon Marcus is the higher education editor at The Hechinger Report. He analyzed data from the National Center for Education Statistics and found a 21-percent increase in the number of degrees or certificates available to students since 2012.

“While they have less money and fewer students,” Marcus says, “they’re offering more programs.”

He likens it to a carmaker responding to falling sales by making more cars.

Read the full article about college course offerings at The Hechinger Report