Abstract:

In the competitive world of executive and professional education, program offerings converge in content, format, faculty quality, and flexibility. Thus, brand differentiation becomes a crucial strategic asset. For universities offering executive education, an institution’s brand signals legitimacy, quality, and prestige—potentially influencing prospective student decisions even before course features are considered.

This article presents a case study of a University’s College of Business Executive Education department (hereon referred to as ‘ExecEd’), a program that has grown considerably in both scale and recognition over the past decade. Notably, ExecEd was recently ranked #1 in the state for executive education and #4 in the U.S. by the Financial Times for open enrollment programs. The College of Business also ranks among the top 50 online graduate business programs nationally. Between 2013–2025, the ExecEd enrollments expanded from approximately 500 to 1,600, supported by a marketing budget consistently set at 10% of revenue (rising from USD 5 million to USD 22.5 million).

A survey of ExecEd students enrolled in Spring/Summer 2025 measured perceptions of branding, its influence on enrollment decisions, and how brand interacts with functional factors (cost, curriculum, format, faculty). The key objective was to understand how much the university brand (reputation, recognition, credibility) affects decisions to enroll in executive education.

This paper proceeds with the following structure: first, a review of branding and decision theory in higher education and executive education. Next, the ExecEd case background and survey method. Then analysis and results discussion, focusing on branding’s mediating role. Finally, implications for marketing strategy in executive education and limitations/future research.