I've read most of the topics on here about MBAs in Spain. The problem is, I just don't want to (can't) afford IE, IESE or ESADE.

Well, anyway. EADA is a safe bet as a second (maybe even first) tier MBA program that still is affordable. People mention UPF a lot, although that program currently seems to be restructuring - at least an odd note on their website indicates that they currently don't accept any application due to them starting a new program soon.

Universidad Carlos III is accredited, but considering that it's about 50 minutes outside of Madrid and the program itself basically is only in the evening (5-8pm) makes that not my preferred choice.

Anyway, I still have problems to somehow evaluate EAE and EOI (both cost about 20k EUR, are 1 year programs, non accredited etc.). Some people say, those programs are still decent ones, some say they are a waste of good money.

Well, I just would like an opinion of where to apply if EADA doesn't take me (I haven't applied yet...).

Thanks a million.

Simon,

EAE and EOI are relatively old schools. My guess is that they have tried to get accreditation and have been rejected, so I think Carlos III is a safer choice.

If I were you I would just think carefully about my priorities. Is it more important for you to choose a school that's more centrally located and has morning classes than to make sure that the school is accredited? Are you willing to pay more to go to a school that's more centrally located but not willing to have a slightly longer commute to go to a school that's accredited? If so, then you should probably choose EOI-EAE. Just one last comment: Madrid's a big city, so having a less than 30 min. commute is difficult, unless you live right by the school.

Thanks for the answer, LP.

I ssee what you are getting at. Reading through other threads in more detail, it really seems like going for EOI or EAE isn't a good choice after all. Anyway, I was trying to get a feel whether there is any good backup MBA program in Spain if EADA doesn't work out. The more I read about MBAs in Spain, the more I came to the conclusion - except for maybe UPF and Carlos III - there really isn't any. And to be honest, I rather prefer Barcelona over Madrid and just am not convinced I will appreciate the experience at Carlos III given the factors I listed in my OP.

I guess what I am going to do is apply to EADA, hope to get in and apply for UPF as well as my Spanish back-up (once they actually accept applications for 2010 - their website still doesn't give any information on when that will be...). As fall-back choices I rather go for a UK university. That isn't what I had in mind when I decided to do an MBA in the first place, but it still seems the more prudent move than to go for a third-tier program in Spain which is unaccredited.

I would appreciate any comment on that strategy, that is
1. apply for EADA and hope for the best
2. apply for UPF as well as a back-up (given that they state to be "relaunching" their MBA program, they might want to get accredited now... just my guess)
3. apply for 2 UK universities as a second back-up

Cheers,
Simon

You might also try applying to first tier schools like ESADE and IESE in Barcelona. They both offer scholarship opportunities if you are admitted.. it's worth a shot! why not? (except for the $130 a piece in application fees :P)

Other than that, I think your plan is good: EADA as your first choice; then UPF since it's important to you to be in Barcelona, and then Carlos III as a fallback option. If you have a decent academic background and GMAT score, you should have no problem getting into one (if not all) of those schools.

Also, Carlos III is only about 20 minutes outside of Madrid by car. It takes longer (close to an hour) if you're going by public transport.

And Getafe seems like a great place to be:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getafe#Culture

If you lived in that city, I don't think you'd need to be going into Madrid all the time.. it has everything you need, shopping, entertainment, cultural attractions, even a 1st division football team (getafe cf)! Carlos III is a big university, so as with any college town you'll have the cultural environment that goes along with that.

And I think if you do some more research you'll find that Madrid is just about as appealing as Barcelona. It's also a great place to study business, considering it's the largest financial hub in the country.

Anyway, good luck with your applications!

Sally, Getafe is about 20 minutes by train from Sol station, which is located right in the middle of Madrid.

LP --

Ah, I was looking by Metro (on their Web site, it has the times.) Is there a different train?

Update: I just found this post by a Carlos III student called "Blaster" in the forums on this topic:

"To get to the university there are a number of options, but it does not take an hour from Madrid - do not go there by metro or you will be travelling all day!!!

The train from Atocha is 20 minutes, so from Sol less than 22 minutes.

I used to get a bus from Plaza Eliptica in the south of Madrid which took 10 minutes. From my house near central Madrid that was a door to door journey of 30 minutes."

About UPF, I would contact them about that. It says they will have a full-time class in 2010. So they must be accepting applications soon, if not already.

In 2009, they were not completely shut down. They just only ran their part-time program because they were relaunching the full-time program.

The only reason it seems that UPF and Carlos III are safer bets than the others you mention is that they are both large university that -- while not especially famous for their business programs -- are well known in general because of a variety of other subjects they teach and research. They are also state-funded universities so you know they have to adhere to certain standards.

For me, if I'm going to go to a smaller, lesser-known business school I'd rather go to one that's attached to a large, well known univeristy. That's just my opinion, though!

Sally, I don't think it is correct to say that those schools are "not especially famous for their business programs". At least not for Carlos IIII. Carlos III is one of the leading schools in business research and its research standing is similar to IESE. As for teaching, the undergraduate program in business administration at Carlos III has been consistently ranked #1 in Spain by the newspaper "El Mundo".

LP -- Were you a Carlos III student? I was just wondering because you seem to know a lot about the school; I've seen you post about it in other places as well.

I think it's fair to say that Carlos III is not especially famous.. especially not outside of Spain.

Also, to the original poster, I just came across an interesting site. There is an Association of Spanish Business Schools (officially called Asociación Española de Escuelas de Dirección de Empresas or AEEDE). I just read about them in El Pais newspaper. This is the article (in Spanish): http://www.elpais.com/articulo/carreras/capital/humano/mejores/masters/tienen/acento/espanol/elpepueconeg/20061231elpnegser_5/Tes

Anyway, after that I went to AEEDE's Web site, which has profiles on all it's members:
http://www.aeede.es/web_ingles/miembros_aeede.htm

Both EOI and EAE are members of that group, which lends them some credibility.. since they're in the company of the best in the country. I'm not sure why we haven't heard more about those programs on this board. Are they in English? Also interesting that neither Carlos nor UPF are on that list, but it could be because they are are not business-only institutions. Rather they teach a broad range of subjects. Anwyay, just thought was interesting and I would share!

Also, SingleSpain, who is a regular poster on these boards and is from barcelona has this to say:

"For applicants, Eada is a good school but totally unknown outside of Barcelona. Also, other Spanish schools, such as EAE, Instituto San Telmo, Deusto, Caixanova, Esic, among others, are at the same level than Eada, for Spanish companies.

Saying that EADA is the 4th in Spain would be not what MBAs from these Spanish second tier schools would say. Personally I would recommend Eada for internationals when considering any of these second tier, but you must consider that in the rest of Spain they would say what I've stated before. My bias in favour if Eada, is due to my city, but I am also realistic about pros / cons. Also, I prefer Eada in front of Eae, both in Barcelona."

A little confusing.. but seems that he/she thinks EOI and EAE are good second tier options, after EADA.

In other posts, Single Spain also put EOI and EAE ahead of Carlos III. But LP was arguing with her about that!

Here was SingleSpain's summary:

"For an MBA in Spain:
TIER 1: IESE, ESADE, IE
TIER 2: EADA, EAE, CARLOS III, POMPEU FABRA, EOI
TIER 3: others "

Sally, my source for saying that business research quality at Carlos III is comparable to IESE is this UT Dallas web site:

http://top100.utdallas.edu/

It has information about the quality of business research in different schools. None of the Spanish schools is in the top 100, which is very telling and may perhaps help you read the MBA rankings differently. You may also want to look for IESE, IE, Carlos III, ESADE, EADA, and other Spanish schools. Not that research is everything, but it gives you an idea about the quality of the programs. You'll see that EADA has zero research, same as EOI and other heavily advertised programs.

I've been reading some of your posts and I get the idea that you are doing a lot of internet-based research on the schools. I think this is important, but there is also a limit to how much you can learn by surfing the web. Sometimes you may end up giving too much credit to some pages or articles you read. I think at this point you would greatly benefit from actually visiting the schools you are interested in and talking to the students and alumni. I know it is expensive and it takes some time, but it may save you some money and headaches in the medium run.

You're right that I am doing a lot of Internet research, however I've also interviewed representatives from each of the schools that I'm interested in, either on the phone or in person. I have also talked to alumni from all of the schools I am applying to. I agree that I would benefit from from traveling to the schools, but it is really not an option for me because of both financial and time constraints.

Research has not been a consideration of mine. I don't think the amount of research a school produces has a direct impact on the quality of education. Sure, good researchers often make good teachers... but those with field experience can make equally good teachers. I would not rule out a school just because its professors have never been published in "The Accounting Review" or "MIS Quarterly." Anyway, that survey seems to rank the schools based on the quantity of research they produce, not the quality of it.

Separately, I was just wondering what your background is... what country do you live in? Have you already obtained an MBA? If so, from where? And, if not, where are you applying?

Sally,

If the fact that a school's faculty is able to produce new ideas or to think in new ways about business problems is not something you care about, then of course you should not consider the research quality of schools. I personally think it is a mistake, but every one must choose the program according to what one likes.

Of course being good at research does not imply that 100% of the teaching is good, but by the same token being bad at research does not imply that teaching will be 100% good. It's funny how we've come to this situation where if a school does good research its teaching is questioned, whereas it is just taken for granted that schools with no research have excellent teaching. I think that is a big triumph of marketing over common sense.

Plus don't be mistaken: most of the materials (books, papers, etc) that teachers at non-research institutions use for their teaching are written by the research-institution teachers whose work you don't appreciate.

Finally, let me just add that you are quite mistaken if you think that the UT Dallas ranking values quantity over quality. It's actually just the opposite.

Sally and LP, thank you both for your answers. Every bit of information is appreciated.

I think LP is quite right about actually talking to faculty and students at the different schools to find out which one is the best choice. It's just, before doing so, people who are unfamiliar with Spanish MBA programs (like me...) still need to weed out all those schools that really aren't an option at all for international students.

Anyways, whatever people say, I think if we ignore the really expensive programs (IE, IESE, ESADE), most people on here and elsewhere who know a bit about Spanish MBAs agree that the Second Tier programs that look good for international students are (at a minimum) EADA, UPF and Carlos III. The reason I was also asking about EAE and EOI was that I have a bit of an odd CV - I started university in my home country after high school and mandatory military training but first didn't finish my studies, but rather after 3 years of studying worked full time for nearly 3 years at my father's business. Only after doing so, I returned to university and completed my first degree (well, with mediocre grades). I know most of the MBA programs just look at "post-graduation" work experience, of which I have nearly 2 1/2 years now (I stopped working for a couple of months to complete a second university degree (doctorate in my country) which I started alongside full-time work - with very good grades). Anyways, I am getting older and rather want to do an MBA now than later (I am already 30 and soon be 31...). Given my CV, I rather play it safe and have back-up schools if EADA, UPF etc. take issue with the amount of post-graduation work experience I have. I also still need to take the GMAT (have been studying for it for some time now) and I am not sure how high I will score (my high school math is a bit rusty...).

I am looking to apply earlier than later - probably in the next few weeks (even without having taken the GMAT - EADA, e.g. actually doesn't require it for application purposes), so I need to make a selection pretty soon.

Maybe one of you can comment about whether you think I should at least apply to EAE (if not EOI) as well (in addition to EADA, UPF, Carlos III), given the fact that I have seen the EAE MBA been mentioned in an old international ranking (I think it was from 2000 - would have to look for it on the internet again)?

hi there - does anyone know approximately how much a full time MBA costs at the university of deusto? im getting some mixed responses... i would really appreciate any information.

thanks so much.

According to the website:

Fees for the 2011-2012 academic year total 16,200 euro. This amount includes the cost of reserving a place in the programme, texts, notes, class material, use of the library and computers, etc. Accommodation and other costs are not included.

hi there - does anyone know approximately how much a full time MBA costs at the university of deusto? im getting some mixed responses... i would really appreciate any information.

thanks so much.

thanks so much for the reply! my only confusion was what i read on this website... they made it seem like that amount was only for the semester and you would have to pay it multiple times... check this link out to see what im talking about: http://www.thembatour.com/studentArea/MBAProgramProfile.jsp?ui=510

thoughts?

also... while im on here... my goal is to go to Spain, enjoy the culture, live in a beach town on the water, and learn + get my MBA to be able to come back and teach at a university or JC... (most likely business communications, advertising, or marketing). Deusto is not accredited yet - but Im not sure it will matter for me once I get back to the states and start looking for a teaching job at a JC.... of course accredited is better - but do you think ill be okay?

thoughts?

thanks in advance for any advice - much appreciated.

My post may be off topic but i am not sure if studying at Spain is a good decision. Unemployment is 20% right now and unemployment among youth workers are 40%. Yeah

Also, I did not realize this fact. Portugal, once a might empire have a ridiculously worrying figures of 20% population completing high school. That is at odd with most of her neighbor who present a 80% rate of high school completion among their citizens

thanks so much for the reply! my only confusion was what i read on this website... they made it seem like that amount was only for the semester and you would have to pay it multiple times... check this link out to see what im talking about

also... while im on here... my goal is to go to Spain, enjoy the culture, live in a beach town on the water, and learn + get my MBA to be able to come back and teach at a university or JC... (most likely business communications, advertising, or marketing). Deusto is not accredited yet - but Im not sure it will matter for me once I get back to the states and start looking for a teaching job at a JC.... of course accredited is better - but do you think ill be okay?

I got call from EAE school on may 6, 2014. They told me to pay about 20% fee within 12 may 2014. That costs nearly 3 lakhs in Indian rupees. I am planning to get loans from bank to study this course. So if it is accredited means only I could get a bank loan of about 20 lakhs amount. otherwise I cant get and If i pay now 3 lakhs in advance and cant pay remaining fee means 3lakhs is utter waste and can be received back. So i need a Suggestion whether I could pay 3 lakhs or not.
Note: Banks in India offer loans only to college that has accredition. Will I get loans in banks?
Is it a good college? I need uregent reply because I may put upon 25 lakhs in this course........
Need your urgent reply guys
thank you in advance

It's accredited by someone, I'm sure, but not by one of the three bodies that most matter: http://www.find-mba.com/accreditations

For more see http://www.find-mba.com/boardsearch/q/EAE