Increasing the Health Program Applicant Pool

The Capstone team was asked to assist the Health Program at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in gathering information to continue its competitive edge among national Health Management programs with a focus on increasing the applicant pool. To achieve this objective the Capstone team surveyed current students regarding how and why they chose the program, what they think would add value to the program, and other relevant information. Alumni were also interviewed to ascertain graduates’ perspective on how the Wagner curriculum prepared them for their jobs as well as their experience at Wagner. The Capstone team interviewed key Wagner faculty and administrators on student experience, student recruitment and job placement. The Capstone team also gathered information on the top three competitor schools, and conducted a literature review on health administration education. All of the data collected and analyzed from these sources helped identify how value can be added to the Wagner Health Program and attract high-quality applicants. Based on this information the Capstone team made recommendations regarding how Wagner’s Health Program can increase its applicant pool.