Date Approved

5-27-2026

Embargo Period

5-27-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D. Educational Leadership

Department

Educational Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Ane Turner Johnson, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Monica Reid Kerrigan, Ed.D.

Committee Member 2

Jessica Prach, Ed.D.

Keywords

graduate education;higher education;labor market intelligence;recruitment marketing;student choice;vocationalism

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

Graduate recruitment messaging increasingly incorporates labor market information (LMI) to communicate the value of master’s programs, yet little is known about how marketing and admissions professionals decide when and how to use this data. This qualitative single-case study examines how recruitment and marketing professionals at a public research institution leverage LMI when framing the value of master’s programs with varying career outcomes. Drawing on interviews and analysis of recruitment materials, the study explores how data related to salary, job growth, and employer demand are selectively incorporated into recruitment messaging, shaping how program value is communicated to prospective students. While research on the return on investment of higher education emphasizes quantitative economic outcomes, few studies examine the firsthand experiences of practitioners responsible for curating and communicating labor market data. Using a qualitative single-case study design, this research addresses this gap by revealing how a practice described as strategic transparency, the selective use of LMI, mediates tensions between institutional enrollment priorities and ethical considerations related to accurately portraying vocational outcomes.

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