Programme and course portfolios as brand portfolios

Mapped principles 

The project is mapped to the following framework principles:

P8. Flexible and structured study paths

Definitions of the principles

Contact

Henrik Uggla associate professor

henrik.uggla@indek.kth.se , 087908734

Profile

This project was implemented at the School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM) within the Future Education programme (project no. 2422-ITM). 

Project context  

Today, education is not just about a single course, a specific programme or a specialisation. Rather, various educational initiatives at KTH and INDEK should be seen specifically as portfolios of educational offerings. From such a portfolio perspective, KTH has traditionally offered courses and programmes from a product-centred view, with a sender-oriented focus. In the future, the key paradigm will instead be a user- and student-oriented offer focus. 

An important aim will be to cover different attractive (new) segments of the market in such a way as to achieve maximum market coverage but minimal overlap or cannibalisation. It will be important to differentiate the courses (and their components) so that they are assigned a clear and strategic brand role within the educational portfolio. Else we cannot identify and understand the strategic value of a particular course or programme  

Examples of brand roles: 

• It increases cash flow through high enrolment (cash cow brand)
• It has strategic significance for the future (strategic brand)
• It transforms and enriches the meaning of the department, school, or KTH’s institutional master brand (silver bullet brand). 

Purpose (outcome) 

The aim is to create a clear platform for positioning INDEK's programme courses, which enables a much more attractive positioning internally against other courses and programmes, as well as externally against other universities. 

Project results (output) 

A brand portfolio strategy for the course and programme portfolio for INDEK. Sub-results:  

• Formulated strategic and sustainable portfolio objectives

• A systematic brand architecture that shows how the entire system of course “brands” is connected to KTH and its overall brand

• Defined roles for portfolio parts and individual courses that can load, integrate and separate the course portfolio.

• A realistic portfolio strategy that becomes both a strategic positioning tool and a support for pedagogical and didactic development. 

Time plan 

Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2024-11-15 

Project documentation  

If you have a KTH ID, you can read the latest project documents when logged in:

• Poster: Poster_FrU25_2422-ITM_Kursportföljer_250520.pdf (English)

• Project initiation document: Projektdirektiv_FrU24_2422-ITM_Kursportföljer_240919.pdf (Swedish)