I started by researching the development of graduate programs in the early 2020s. Where was the market five years ago and where is it now? I read Calvin promotional materials and internal announcements regarding the graduate school expansion. After looking at data regarding enrollment and demand, I reached out to faculty in the graduate school for firsthand accounts of the various program developments and conducted interviews. 

I then wrote and recorded a podcast episode which provided context from the research I had done and pulled the various sources into a coherent narrative for a wide audience. Using the materials from the interviews, I told the story of Calvin’s growth in graduate school interest during COVID followed by the cooling off of interest. My research suggested this pattern correlates with end of COVID, birth rate declines for the cohort that typically enrolls in the programs, and increased unemployment for new graduates which undermined the programs’ perceived value.

Finally, I edited all of the soundbites and narration together with intro, outro, and transition music to create a finished piece of audio journalism.