University of St. Thomas uses AHP to grow operations management major

Our study describes how one business school department used the

analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to identify and rank factors most influencing

students’ choice of business school concentrations. Using a series of pairwise

comparison matrices as the survey instrument, we identified characteristics

associated with a student’s personal abilities and goals as the most important

factor influencing a student’s choice in majors. The factors were then mapped

with student touch points (e.g., campus events, information sessions, etc.) in an

effort to directly influence those factors most affecting students’ decision

making and increase departmental enrolment numbers. The result was a near

120% increase in operations management enrolment upon the completion of the

project.