Marketing of an academic program: case study of an engineering program

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was the development of an effective marketing strategy for academic programs. The nature of academic programs has significantly changed. The curriculum at those programs as well as the methods for recruiting students were very traditional and rigid. In recent decades many private universities were created and started competing with established public universities. At the same time, public universities started competing among themselves. Recently many people view university education as an investment which provides a return in the form of well-paid employment after the completion of their formal education. The recruitment strategy needs to be adjusted to the changing conditions. Every academic program is trying to compete for the best highly-motivated high school students. Academic programs are operating in a similar mode to traditional businesses by selling educational services. The article presents a marketing approach to offering educational services in universities using the example of an Engineering Program at The Pennsylvania State University Hazleton (USA). The authors, using the case study method, place their considerations in a broader context of issues related to the marketing and communication strategy of universities. They indicate the need to use the 7-element marketing mix using the broader context of relationship marketing and feedback as well as building the brand of the university to skillfully meet the challenges of the dynamically developing world and the constantly evolving labour market, while not giving up the intellectualization of the educational processes and shaping the personality of the students. The methodology used in this study was a case study of the marketing of an Engineering program at The Pennsylvania State University (USA). This is a public university successfully competing with many private universities in the United States (USA). A theoretical analysis of the marketing strategy based on the best and most effective practices is being presented in the article. The paper also contains practical suggestions and recommendations that can be used by both private and state universities.