Interactive Workshop - Building and Managing Competitive Degrees
Date: Thursday 14th May 2026
Location: B323/1, University of Pécs, Faculty of Business & Economics, Pécs, Rákóczi út 80, 7622 Hungary
Time: 9.45am – 4.15pm
Registration: Free for pre-registered attendees
Contact:
Dr. Krisztián Szűcs, University of Pécs, FBE, szucsk [at] ktk.pte.hu;
Dr. Mark Thomas, Hardcastle & Associates, mark.thomas [at] hardcastleassociates.com (mark[dot]thomas[at]hardcastleassociates[dot]com)
REGISTRATION - Invitation only
Business schools operate in an increasingly demanding environment marked by shifting student expectations, intense international competition, and rapid digital transformation. Designing and managing competitive degrees now requires a strategic blend of market intelligence, academic quality, operational discipline, and institutional agility.
This workshop is designed to enable you to align your programme portfolios more effectively by clarifying your programme strengths, strengthening internationalisation, embedding continuous improvement, and defining clear measures of success. The workshop will combine practical tools, case examples, and structured discussion to support leaders who wish to enhance the relevance, distinctiveness, and long term performance of their degree offerings.
Who should attend
Programme directors and coordinators seeking to strengthen programme relevance, differentiation, and long term performance.
Associate Deans and Heads of Department involved in portfolio strategy, international development, or accreditation preparation.
International office leaders working on global recruitment, partnerships, or market positioning.
Quality assurance and accreditation managers aiming to enhance narratives linked to KPIs such as student satisfaction, employability, internationalisation, and assurance of learning.
Faculty members contributing to programme design, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Programme
9:00/9:15 Arrival & Coffee
9:15 - 9:45 Welcome by Dr. András Takács (UPFBE)
9:45 - 11:00 Session 1: Welcome and Framing the Challenge
- The global pressures shaping degree competitiveness
- Shifting student expectations and employer demands
- Why programme competitiveness matters for accreditation
- Key findings from 76 in-depth interviews and quantitative data (GMAC, FT etc.)
- Exercise: Analysis of programme strengths, weaknesses & differentiation
11:00 - 11:15 Break
11:15 - 12:30 Session 2: Attracting International Students to your Programme
- International insights from Being the Changemaker and The Master’s Playbook
- Positioning degrees in global and regional markets
- Using internationalisation to strengthen accreditation narratives
- Exercise: Assessing potential international development for your programme
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 14:45 Session 3: Defining & Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement
- KPIs that matter for accreditation (student satisfaction, employability, internationalisation, assurance of learning)
- Using data to drive programme enhancement
- Exercise: Developing a Programme Improvement Dashboard
14:45 - 15:00 Break
15:00 - 16:15 Session 4: Action Planning and Institutional Roadmaps
- Three priorities for the next twelve months
- Engaging key stakeholders
- Assessing opportunities & risks
- Exercise: Designing a personalised 12-month improvement roadmap
Workshop facilitator – Dr. Mark Thomas
Dr. Mark Thomas is a Senior Associate at Hardcastle & Associates and an affiliate professor at GEM Alpine Business School. With more than 25 years in higher education, he has led major international programme portfolios, serving as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and International Development. He has managed extensive global initiatives, signing over 100 partnerships across 30+ countries and developing off site campuses in China, North America, the UK, and Europe. His work includes negotiating double degrees, building international recruitment alliances, and overseeing master’s and MBA programmes.
Mark has nearly two decades of accreditation experience with AACSB, EFMD, and AMBA, serving as mentor, reviewer, and former Chair of the AACSB Associate Deans Affinity Group. He has supported more than 40 schools worldwide in accreditation processes.
He teaches Corporate Strategy and International Business and has published over 60 academic contributions in journals such as Long Range Planning and the European Management Journal, with research presented at AoM, EGOS, EURAM, and EIBA.