Marketing Online Degree Programs: How Do Traditional-Residential Programs Compete?

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ABSTRACT A total of 150 university Web sites were segregated into one of three groups: accredited residential, regionally accredited online, and nonaccredited online institutions. The promotional imagery, marketing messages and marketing themes found on the landing pages of each university program Web sites were analyzed for similarities and differences. A check sheet containing keywords was developed and as each Web page was analyzed, the results were recorded individually by two researchers. Intercoder reliability was confirmed with a Holsti correlation coefficient of 88%. At-test was used to assess variations of keywords across each category and a Chi-square was used to assess within group differences. The results show that accredited residential institutions are not leveraging clear advantages in order to differentiate themselves from online accredited and nonaccredited institutions. Benefits and themes featured on Web sites were remarkably similar, focusing on easily copied claims rather than building competitive advantages with emphasis on accreditation, faculty, resources, and quality of education.