Launching a New Architecture Program With Immediate Enrollment Momentum

+56%

Above the original enrollment target

+34

First year net deposits attributed to Carnegie campaigns

A bold brand concept and a full-funnel strategy propelled Florida Southern’s brand-new architecture program to exceed its inaugural enrollment goal by more than 50%.

When a new program launches with the right story and strategy, students respond, and momentum builds fast.

Florida Southern College set out to introduce a new five-year Architecture program in a highly competitive national landscape, starting from zero awareness, no existing prospect pool, and an ambitious inaugural enrollment goal of 25 students. To succeed, the program needed a differentiated story, a compelling value proposition, and a digital strategy capable of creating visibility and interest almost instantly.

Carnegie partnered with FSC to create an identity for the new program, develop a creative concept rooted in purpose-driven architectural education, and launch a full-funnel marketing strategy that built awareness, generated leads, and drove conversions fast enough to exceed enrollment goals in year one.

The Challenge

Florida Southern College—one of Florida’s oldest private institutions and the only college campus designed by Frank Lloyd Wright—was preparing to launch a brand-new five-year Architecture program. With no existing awareness, no prospect pipeline, and an ambitious enrollment target of 25 students for the inaugural cohort, the college needed to quickly build visibility and distinguish itself in a competitive national landscape.

The challenge extended beyond marketing. As a five-year professional program entering a crowded field, FSC needed a compelling value proposition that would resonate with students seeking a meaningful, high-impact pathway into the field of architecture.

Our Approach

Carnegie partnered with Florida Southern to build the Architecture program’s identity from the ground up. Our work began by understanding the competitive landscape of architectural schools to help define what made FSC different, and shaping a campaign concept rooted in the college’s holistic, impact-driven approach to architectural education.

What Worked

Competitor messaging analysis to uncover gaps in the national architecture-program landscape and identify opportunities for FSC to differentiate with a more holistic, purpose-driven message.
Creative concept development to articulate how FSC prepares architects not just to earn degrees but to make meaningful, lasting impact, ensuring the new program would immediately stand apart.
Multi-channel awareness campaigns to generate large-scale visibility for a program with zero existing awareness, using PPC, display, SEO, and social media to reach students throughout the funnel.
Lead generation strategy to build a prospective student pipeline from scratch, pairing top-of-funnel tactics with middle and bottom funnel messaging designed to convert.
Leveraging historical connections to highlight FSC’s unique position as the only campus designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, rooting the brand story in architectural legacy.

Smiling woman with backpack holding rolled paper, surrounded by words: competitor, lead gen, concept.

The Results

Florida Southern’s new Architecture program not only met its enrollment target, it surpassed it by more than 50%. With a fully built creative concept, a competitive messaging position, and a multi-channel digital strategy, the college generated huge awareness and interest, bringing in over 11,000 new users to FSC’s Architecture landing pages. These pages also converted at a pace rarely seen in a brand-new academic offering. With a strong foundation for sustainable growth now in place, the program is positioned to continue scaling its marketing and enrollment efforts with confidence and momentum.

+39

First-year students enrolled in inaugural cohort

+56%

Above the original enrollment target

+34

First year net deposits attributed to Carnegie campaigns

+11K

New users driven to FSC Architecture landing pages

+990%

Increase in organic search traffic to FSC Architecture landing pages

No one expected us to enroll as many students as we did in the first year of our architecture program. Carnegie was the perfect partner to help us launch. They did the work to understand how we could set ourselves apart in the market, and then helped us target students with the right message and timing across channels. It was an ideal blend of strategy and execution.

John P. Grundig, MBA Vice President of Enrollment Management Florida Southern University