0. Tracking Students’ Progress of Three Impacted Programs
Matthew Basinger, Research Analyst
Nancy Hardy, Academic Planning Database Coordinator
Jing Wang-Dahlback, Director
Office of Institutional Research
Sacramento State

1. California State University, Sacramento
Founded 1947
Designated a Tree Campus USA
300 acres with 3,500 trees
Seven academic colleges
58 undergraduate majors
More than 30,500 students enrolled for the fall semester

2. What is Impaction?
According to the university policy, major impaction means that the number of applications from fully eligible students to a designated major during the initial filing period far exceeds the number of spaces available in that major.
Students can still be admitted in an alternate major, or they may eventually be admitted to the oversubscribed major if they meet the supplementary admission criteria.
Generated in 2013, Expressed Interest is a category for undergraduate student’s intent on pursuing an impacted major.

3. Major-Specific vs. Campus-Specific
Major-Specific Impaction
Applications exceed spaces available
Supplementary criteria
Still be admitted to an alternate major
Campus-Wide Impaction
Campus receives more eligible applicants that exceed the spaces available
Exhausts instructional resources and physical capacity
Must restrict enrollment to campus

4. What causes Impaction?
Demand
Resources

5. Policies for Impaction
Initiated at department level
Review that addresses the effect of impaction as it relates to demand on the program, resource capacity, effects on other programs and maintaining diversity
Program impaction lasts for one year
Continuing impaction entails yearly review and approval (campus and CSU system approval)
Must re-apply after four years

6. Why Study Impaction?
Impaction is found not only on our CSU campuses, but many campuses throughout California
Profound influence on the students we serve
Need to know what happens to students in impacted programs

7. Objectives & Samples Expressed Interest: Criminal Justice (N=657)
Psychology (N=569)
Health Science (N=173)
Starting with students in fall 2013, we tracked students in three high demand impacted programs
Criminal Justice, Psychology, Health Science
Major:
Criminal Justice (N=887)
Psychology (N=972)
Health Science (N=318)

8. Methodology Policy Analysis
Compared those in Expressed Interest (tracking group) to those who were already accepted in Criminal Justice, Psychology or Health Science (comparison group)
Disaggregated by class level to make two groups comparable
Followed their progress and retention from fall to fall 2015
Set up tracking databases and flow charts (major status and retention) for each program
Two types of attrition tracked
Left university after two years
Left program after two years
Utilized T-Test and Chi-Square to examine the two groups for statistically significant differences

9. Criminal Justice
Our Criminal Justice program here at Sac State is the second largest on the West Coast.  Our program also boast as being one of the few colleges that actually houses its own crime scene lab on campus.
Criminal Justice has become increasingly popular due to the increase in the fields of police, law, CSI, forensics all working together. It’s also popular because students who graduate from this program can work from the Federal, state and local levels. Criminal Justice is also a gateway major for Psychology, Social Work, Fire Science, Chemistry and Biology to name a few.  

10. CRJ Sample: Background
Comparison of Background (Fall 2013)
CRJ Major
Expressed Interest
Gap
Statistical Significance
Count %
Ethnicity
URM
348
39.2%
307
46.7%
-7.5%
Yes
Non-URM
539
60.8%
350
53.3%
7.5%
Gender
Female
437
49.3%
321
48.9%
0.4% No
Male
450
50.7%
336
51.1%
-0.4%
Low Income
400
45.1%
162
24.7%
20.4%
487
54.9%
495
75.3%
-20.4%
First Generation of College Student
341
38.4%
282
42.9%
-4.5%
546
61.6%
375
57.1%
4.5%
* Chi-Square Test, p<.001, higher value is highlighted in yellow: p<.01, higher value is highlighted in green.

11. CRJ: The Tracking Groups
Class level differences reflect a small number of CRJ Majors that were either Freshmen or Sophomores.
Sophomores and Juniors more comparable

12. CRJ: Compare Students’ Progress

13. CRJ: Attrition Rate (Sophomores)
Attrition rate significantly higher for those in the Expressed Interest group

14. CRJ: Attrition Rate (Juniors)
Similar to Sophomore Attrition Rates
Attrition rate significantly higher for those in the Expressed Interest group

15. CRJ Expressed Interest: Majors after 2 Years

16. Health Science
Many professionals acquire a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science to obtain a management or administration position in the fast-growing healthcare sector. Graduates have employment opportunities in hospitals, public health agencies, insurance companies, community organizations, research laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry, and more. Impaction was influenced by a general increase in student enrollment in the three HLSC concentrations based on student interest in the fields of Community Health, Healthcare Administration, and Occupational Health & Safety. Additionally, the University implemented a policy of placing an enrollment hold on undeclared students, resulting in large numbers of expressed interest nursing students declaring a Health Science Major.

17. HLSC Sample: Background
Comparison of Background (Fall 2013)
CRJ Major
Expressed Interest
Gap
Statistical Significance
Count %
Ethnicity
URM 93
29.2% 48
27.7%
1.5% No
Non-URM
225
70.8%
125
72.3%
-1.5%
Gender
Female
249
78.3%
117
67.6%
10.7%
Yes
Male 69
21.7% 56
32.4%
-10.7%
Low Income
179
56.3% 30
17.3%
38.9%
139
43.7%
143
82.7%
-38.9%
First Generation of College Student
131
41.2% 76
43.9%
-2.7%
187
58.8% 97
56.1%
2.7%
*Chi-Square Test, p<.001, higher value is highlighted in yellow: p<.05, higher value is highlighted in blue.

18. HLSC: The Tracking Groups

19. HLSC: Compare Students’ Progress

20. HLSC : Compare Attrition Rate (Sophomores)
Attrition rate higher for the Expressed Interest group
Spring 2015 to Fall 2015 reveals significant differences compared to the other semesters

21. HLSC: Compare Attrition Rate (Juniors)
Attrition rate still higher for Expressed Interest
Expressed Interest fluctuations by semester not as great compared to sophomores
More stable

22. HLSC Expressed Interest: Majors after 2 Years

23. Psychology
Psychology is one of our impacted program here at Sac State, demand for the major is believed to stem from the popularity as a gateway field within the major and outside the major.
Getting your BA in Psychology can get you employed in many areas. Student can branch into Law, Business, Training and Development, Social or Community Service Management, Human Resources, Counseling, Corrections Treatment and family and marriage.

24. PSYC Sample: Background

25. PSYC: The Tracking Groups

26. PSYC: Compare Students’ Progress

27. PSYC : Compare Attrition Rate (Sophomores)

28. PSYC: Compare Attrition Rate (Juniors)

29. PSYC Expressed Interest: Majors after 2 Years

30. The Top Choices of New Majors (Fall 2015)
Exp. of 3 Programs (312)
Sociology (46)
Child Development (19)
Communication (12)
Biology (6)
Social Work (28)

31. Overview of Significant Findings (I)
Equity: The following differences were statistically significant between the group of Majors and of Expressed Interest:
Both CRJ and PSYC Expressed Interest consisted of higher proportions of URM students than their peers within the two majors. Additionally, both majors consisted of higher proportions of low income students than their peers with Expressed Interest.
HLSC majors consisted of higher percentages of female and low income students compared to their peers with Expressed Interest.
From Expressed Interest to Major: Approximately 25% of students were accepted by one of the Major programs after two years:
Criminal Justice: 26%
Health Science: 13%
Psychology: 27%  

32. Overview of Significant Findings (II)
Change Majors: Students within Expressed Interest were more likely to change majors than those already accepted to one of the three impacted majors. The differences were statistically significant:
CRJ and CRJ Exp: 0.3% vs. 19% changed majors
HLSC and HLSC Exp: 2% vs. 27% changed majors
PSYC and PSYC Exp: 4% vs. 25% changed majors

33. Overview of Significant Findings (III)
Attrition: The attrition rates doubled or tripled if students were placed in Expressed Interest compared to their peers who had been accepted in majors (All class levels). The gap widened between the two groups when comparing the attrition rate within each program.
CRJ and CRJ Expressed Interest: 8% vs. 25% (withdrew from the university); 9% vs. 46% (withdrew from the program)
HLSC and HLSC Expressed Interest: 12% vs. 25% (withdrew from the university); 15% vs. 55% (withdrew from the program)
PSYC and PSYC Expressed Interest: 12% vs. 21% (withdrew from the university); 18% vs. 49% (withdrew from the program)

34. Overview of Findings (IV)
The key point to take away from this research is that we found program impaction to have a negative impact on retention both within these programs and university-wide.
Currently, all three of these programs (Criminal Justice, Psychology, Health Science) are still under impaction

35. Questions? Matthew Basinger, Research Analyst
Nancy Hardy, Academic Planning Database Coordinator
Jing Wang-Dahlback, Director