9. Contribute to marketing for the programme
As Programme Director, you not only have to organise and safeguard a programme of high quality, you also have to contribute to one of the essential parts of sustainable higher education: attracting and selecting new students. You are therefore expected to contribute to the Open Days for prospective students and the faculty's Kick-In programme. In addition, for master's programmes, you play an important role in assessing applications and determining whether prospective students meet the admission requirements.
Participate in the Open Days in cooperation with M&C
Twice a year, in autumn and spring, UT organises Open Days for prospective students (and their parents). These Open Days inform prospective students about the content of the programme, about studying at UT and about student life in general. The aim is, of course. that these prospective students will make a good choice regarding which study to apply for (hopefully often at UT).
As Programme Director, you are responsible for the content and schedule of the Open Day for your programme. This includes deciding which aspects of the programme to showcase and how prospective students can best experience it. Marketing & Communication will contact you well in advance to support the preparation and organisation of the event.
Programme Directors are often expected to act as one of the presenters during the Open Days, as they are formal representatives of the programme. However, this role can also be fulfilled by others with extensive knowledge of the programme, such as a Programme Coordinator, Programme Manager, or experienced teacher.
The Open Days for Bachelor programmes are on a Friday and Saturday in one weekend. The Master Open Days are often online, to allow international students to join these days as well.
Resources on Open Days
Participate in faculty introduction (Kick-In) for new students
For new students, university life and student life starts with the Kick-In, UT's student-led introductory programme. During this time, the new students are introduced to student life, studying at UT and studying in the specific programme of their choice.
The main part of the Kick-In is organised by a student organisation, and focusses on student life and studying at UT. The programme-specific part of the Kick-In is often organised by the study association. In two days, your new students are introduced to the details of what studying in your programme is all about, and they will get many practical tips from current students.
As Programme Director, you are expected to be involved in at least part of this programme-specific introduction. What you can contribute and what is expected of you depends on the programme – you have to discuss and agree on this with the study association of your programme.
Resources for participate in faculty introduction
- Website of Kick-In
- study association of own programme
Cooperate with Marketing & Communication on marketing of the programme
Marketing & Communication is the UT department that takes care of all general communication and marketing for UT. As such they are an important stakeholder for you, as they provide general information on education and your programme to the outside world. They take actions such as maintaining the UT website, analysing website visits, informing prospective students via social media etc.
A dedicated team of marketing specialists are appointed per faculty. You can contact them when you have questions about communication and marketing for your programme.
Resources for cooperation with M&C
Selection of suitable students for Master programme
After completing a bachelor programme many students face a new choice: whether they will continue with a master programme and, if so, which programme and institute best fit their interest. Often students choose a master that is content-wise related to, but not exactly the same, as their bachelor programme.
For many master programmes, students need specific pre-knowledge to be successful. This can be a bachelor programme in the same discipline, but it can also be a wider selection of disciplinary programmes. Applicants who do not fully meet the entry requirements may be required to complete a pre-master's programme to acquire the necessary background knowledge.
As Programme Director, you are formally responsible for determining the admission criteria (see Ma EER): which programmes give direct access, and which programmes can give access with a pre-master. The content and amount of the pre-master can differ per previous bachelor programme.
Many programmes have installed a Master Admission Committee that reviews applications and advises on admissibility. As Programme Director, you can choose what your role will be: you can be a member of this committee and decide about admission as a team, you can ask the committee to give you advice and you make the ultimate decision, or you can mandate the decision on admission to this committee. Whatever you choose, make sure the selection criteria are very clear to the committee and to prospective students.