OPM Market May Be Growing, But It’s Not Without Chaos

There has been growing interest in the Online Program Management (OPM) market, as more schools try to develop a strategy and revenue model for online programs (particularly for master’s level), and as 2U continues its rapid rise in the stock market (with a nearly $4.8 billion market cap). Typically the description of this market is that the total annual revenue is somewhere between $1.5 – $2.5 billion and that it is growing. The implications are that we have a land grab as companies get rich off the new programs.

The reality, however, is more complicated. The OPM market may be growing, but it is chaotic and messy. Consider the following problems within the market: