Optimising your institution’s programme portfolio is the ultimate way to ensure that your institution is responsive to what students are asking for, as well as what the employment market will require in the near future. Diversifying the range of courses and degrees offered can be a unique value proposition of your institution, and enable it to expand its student audience, based on existing preferences and interests. Launching new programmes also plays a key role in future-proofing the portfolio of the institution by introducing new programmes that match the institution’s brand and respond to changing market needs.
Ask the right questions to optimise your programme portfolio: Are you risking cannibalising the audiences of any of your existing programmes? Are you targeting the right students with the right programmes? Are there small tweaks you can make to match market needs? Are there courses that should be launched or retired? Are your course names optimised to capture the attention of the right students?
We spoke to Ralph Buiser, International Market Insight Manager at the University of Bristol:
“Bristol is usually oversubscribed in terms of applications. New programme development has more to do with diversifying the university’s student cohort, and tapping into new markets, and new kinds of students.”
“New programme development is mostly a bottom-up approach where academic leads develop the business academic cases for scrutiny of both management and academic board before the programme us launched for recruitment and marketing. The process includes key stakeholders in the university to understand holistically how the university will be able to support and run the programme.”
“In the last few years our programme development work have moved with current global interests to keep our portfolio innovative. In this time we saw the launch of programmes like the MA in Black Humanities, MSc in Climate Change Science and Policy, MSc Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis, MSc Medical Statistics and Health Data Science, MSc Global Development and Environment, MSc Society, Politics and Climate Change, MSc International Business and Strategy: Global Challenges. And so on..”
Dear Student, before sending us a message, please have a look at our frequently asked questions. Maybe these answer your question right away!
What is the status of my application?
Studyportals can unfortunately not tell you the status of your application, as you apply for courses directly through the university. Most universities will list information on the length of time it takes for them to respond to an application on their website. It often takes several weeks for an application to be processed, so you will need to be patient.
How can I contact a university?
You can contact a university either directly through the "Request information" form on the right hand side of a programme page or by visiting the programme website and looking for the right contact person. Read more»
You cannot apply for courses through the Studyportals website; you apply for a course directly through your chosen university. Usually, you can find the application forms on the programme website. If you have questions regarding this, get directly in contact with the respective university.
Is my English good enough to study abroad?
Most universities that teach in English require a certain level of English language proficiency for you to be admitted to the programme. This is to make sure that you will be able to cope with using the language in an academic environment if you are not a native speaker. The exact level required depends on the university - the international office of your university will be able to tell you exactly what level you require. For most programmes listed on our websites you can also find this information under the ‘requirements’ tab at the bottom of the page. One of the best, and most widely recognised companies providing English language tests is IELTS. Read more»