This website is normally about MBAs, but I wrote this note today about non-UK BBAs in Europe for someone looking for English-language undergraduate degrees at business schools that are strong for marketing.
As someone from outside mainland Europe, and as a native speaker of English, I think she'll find that foreign universities will be more interested in her than ones of the same quality in her own country. At many places she'd get a better experience, and she'd certainly be more employable, have a better network, and be more open to possibilities. With cheap flights, getting home from mainland Europe might be cheaper than the train. Even basic skills in a second language will mark her out from many native speakers of English.
There's a good ranking of the top European business schools published every December by the Financial Times. I think it's due out on the 2nd or 9th of December. That's a good place to start. So is this list of schools with good masters programmes in business (http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/masters-in-management-2014), which is more recent than last year's ranking of European schools. Not all of these schools with teach bachelor's degrees in English, but many of the top 25 do.
Almost all of these will have three main elements: core courses in business, a semester or year abroad, and a choice of concentration courses, in marketing or other subjects.
Here are my top choices
- Just outside Paris, ESSEC is cheaper than a UK university at just over 10,000 euro pa http://www.essec.edu/programs/bachelor-in-business-administration.html Students in France get big subsidies for their housing costs.
- ESADE is one of the two top Spanish universities, and is around 14,000 euro pa http://www.esade.edu/grados/eng/grado-direccion-empresas
- ESCP is perhaps my favourite. It's 12,500 euro pa, with three European countries across the three years (London, Berlin and one other). It's led by Ben Voyer, one of the most exciting academics around. http://www.escpeurope.eu/fr/programmes-escp-europe/bachelor-in-management/bachelor-in-management/overview/overview-bachelor-in-management-escp-europe/
- Rotterdam is an outstanding school and great value. Its regular fee of 8,000 euro is reduced to under 2,000 for Europeans http://www.rsm.nl/bachelor/international-business-administration
- Bocconi runs three-year programmes with a focus on international political economy. There is a complex system of discounts available on the fee which is € 11,000 pa. http://www.unibocconi.eu/wps/wcm/connect/bocconi/sitopubblico_en/navigation+tree/home/schools+and+programs/undergraduate+school/prospective+students/international+economics+and+management
- Mannheim is the top German business school. I'm not sure what they charge: http://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/uploads/media/dekanat_Bachelor_Program_Folder_2012.pdf
- IESEG is one of the elite 'Grande Ecole' schools, and is part of France's largest private university; the Université Catholique de Lille. They have a degree specialised in marketing and sales, and costs just 9,500 euro. http://issuu.com/ieseg/docs/ieseg_bba and http://www.ieseg.fr/en/prospective-student/international-student/exchange-students/10-reasons-to-choose-ieseg-school-of-management/
- The Stockholm School of Economics is just 6,000 euro a year. It teaches undergraduates in English at its campus in Latvia, in what I think is the most beautiful academic building on earth: http://www.sseriga.edu/en/interact/photos/SSE-Riga-Building.html
- Kozminski, a top Polish university, is an interesting option. The Polish economy is booming and Polish is now the UK's second language. It's around 3,500 pounds a year: http://www.kozminski.edu.pl/en/study-programs/bba-in-management/about-the-program/
In this year's FT ranking for pre-experience degrees all of these schools were in the top 35, ranking on a par with high profile UK universities like Cass and Warwick, and above Bath, Bradford, Durham, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leeds, Manchester and Strathclyde. They are all well-known and are well-respected by big multinationals.
PS What other schools should this person be considering? Milind below suggested Grenoble which looks good and is #15 in the FT pre-experience ranking: http://www.grenoble-em.com/358-bachelor-in-international-business-2.aspx
PPS I have re-ordered my suggested schools into their order in the FT pre-experience ranking.
[Edited by Duncan on Mar 27, 2015]
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