Bottleneck Courses and their Departments, 2010-11 to 2015-16

Prepared by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, December 2016

In the fall and spring terms of 2015-16, Boise State University offered 955 lower division courses and 1,783 upper division courses at the undergraduate level as of tenth day. After eliminating courses with a low capacity, 879 lower division and 1,591 upper division courses remained. Of these, 72 lower division and 144 upper division courses were over capacity (>100% enrollment) and/or had a waitlist of 5 or more to enroll in the course (see Appendices A and B).

As shown in Figure 1, lower division bottlenecks have decreased substantially over the past six years, declining from 19% in 2010-11 to a steady level of 8% in the last three years. At the upper division, the bottleneck rate averaged 12.5% in 2010-11 through 2012-13; in the most recent three years, the rate has dropped to an average of 8.6%. In short, lower division bottlenecks have decreased and stabilized, while the upper division bottlenecks have decreased but continue to fluctuate.

Figure 1. Courses Over Capacity as of 10th Day, Fall and Spring Semesters

Each year, the Graduating Student Survey asks students whether their graduation was delayed due to course availability. Of the 2015-16 baccalaureate graduates, 19.8% reported a delay in graduation due to course availability, which is unchanged from the 2014-15 bachelor’s degree graduates (19.7%). In the two years prior to that, nearly 22% of bachelor’s graduates reported a delay with 21.9% in 2012-13 and 21.7% in 2013-14, suggesting some improvement in recent years. The results broken down by the department of students’ majors illustrate that students across many majors reported delays in their graduation (see Appendix C).

Although the issue with bottlenecks is not resolved, Boise State has shown progress in reducing bottlenecks and the impact on students’ abilities to graduate in their desired timeframe.

Appendix A

Lower division courses that were over-enrolled (capacity>100%) or waitlist of 5 or more
Note that some courses appear multiple times because they were offered in both fall and spring.

Appendix B

Upper division courses that were over-enrolled (capacity >100%) or had a waitlist of 5 or more
Note that some courses appear multiple times because they were offered in both fall and spring.

Appendix C

Percent of baccalaureate graduates who reported their graduation was delayed due to course availability

Results from the 2015-16 Graduating Student Survey

Department of Students’ Major(s)

NOTES: Departments depict the majors of students and are not necessarily the source of the perceived delays. Departments with too few respondents (<5) to the Graduating Student Survey are not shown. Surveys are summarized by year, which is defined as Summer, Fall, and Spring.

• Electrical and Computer Engineering – 56.52%
• Music – 50.00%
• Civil Engineering – 45.45%
• Kinesiology – 41.86%
• Early and Special Education – 41.67%
• International Business – 40.00%
• Biological Sciences – 38.46%
• Art – 36.67%
• Environmental Studies – 37.71%
• Anthropology – 31.58%
• English – 27.27%
• Geosciences – 25.00%
• IT and Supply Chain Management – 25.00%
• Psychology – 25.00%
• Multidisciplinary Studies – 22.58%
• Mathematics – 22.22%
• Criminal Justice – 21.88%
• Community and Environmental Health – 20.79%
• Economics – 20.00%
• Materials Science and Engineering – 20.00%
• Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering – 19.23%
• Management – 18.31%
• Sociology – 18.18%
• Computer Science – 17.24%
• Accountancy – 15.38%
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies – 13.79%
• School of Social Work – 13.04%
• Political Science – 12.90%
• Marketing and Finance – 12.86%
• Communication – 12.36%
• History – 11.54%
• Chemistry and Biochemistry – 7.69%
• Bachelor of Applied Science – 6.25%
• World Languages – 5.77%
• Respiratory Care – 3.15%
• Nursing – 0.00%
• Construction Management
• Radiologic Sciences
• Theatre Arts

Download Printable Bottleneck Report (pdf)