Hello.
I have been working as an Administrative & Accounting Head in a manufacturing company for 4 years.

I am confused between an MBA from Kingston or a MSc IBM from Newcastle.

[Edited by Tan on Jul 25, 2019]

I'm not sure for what goal these would be the two best alternatives. Do you have some constraint that limits you to these two?

I hope to start my term this September.

As of now, I have
1. an unconditional offer from Kingston MBA
2. an interview scheduled for Newcastle MBA
3. applied to RGU - Aberdeen and hope to receive communication by first week of August
4. applied to EU - Barcelona and hope to receive communication within first 10 days of August.

I have done my B.Com with 6.39 CGPA - considered average with specialization in Accounting & Finance and I have not taken the GMAT.
I am an international student and am willing to spend around 20,000 GBP for my masters.

Since starting my MBA this term is a fairly late decision, and I need to decide my course by the end of this month for Visa processing, the person I consulted had suggested me the above mentioned places except EU Business School. However, I have been told, given my current professional experience, Newcastle would be willing to offer me an MSc rather than an MBA.

If I get an offer from Newcastle for MBA, currently it will be my first preference.
In case I do not get an offer from MBA and get one for MSc IBM, should I consider doing that over Kingston MBA?

I can't see any reason to consider the EU. Stick to schools with meaningful international accrediation.

I'm not sure if you have any specific career goals. If that's the case, it may be better to take a semester to study more options, take the GMAT and start a much better programme next year.

There are some stronger MBA options within your budget. Koç and Sabanci universities, in Istanbul, and Nottingham University in Malaysia stand out. The new online MBA from Boston university is strong, as is the Illinois online MBA.

I have been working in the same sector (a small-medium sized enterprise).

I want a recognized MBA for
1. Global exposure
2. Get a hang of how the management in the larger companies work
3. Study management in detail to understand better
4. Better and global employment opportunities with an MBA from the UK

My ultimate goal is to start a business of my own after working and gaining experience for about 2-3 years.

I have looked at Koç and Sabanci universities like you suggested, but I prefer to stick to an English speaking country and preferably the UK.

If I do join in the current term, is Newcastle a good option?

I prefer the full time course because of the cultural exposure and for a full-fledged experience.

I haven't checked the online MBA options yet, will check the same now.

Newcastle's a strong school, certainly. I think the resources, education, cohort and brand value will be higher than at Kingston (although Kingston has a better location). While Kingston is certainly the former Polytechnic with the best MBA (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/mba-rankings/europe/2019), the traditional universities have a much stronger reputation and better alumni networks.

I would also consider Leeds, Loughborough, Nottingham, Aston, Loughborough and Lancaster. Lancaster is really strong for entrepreneurship. Nottingham, Loughborough and Lancaster have wonderful campus settings.

If you were applying to Barcelona, perhaps the English-speaking city variable isn't that important. Remember, wherever you study it will be your classmates whom you speak with, not people in the city. make sure you that you select from the schools with the highest IELTS requirements since a cohort with a low level of English will have many limitations.

I have applied to Aston and am applying now to Loughborough, pinning my hopes to the rolling admissions process.

I will make sure to check the IELTS requirements when applying to Universities in non-English speaking countries henceforth. Having a common language with the cohort will definitely make the experience better. Thank you.

Regarding the EU Business School, I earlier travelled to Spain and was taken by it. The QS has fairly ranked the Business School and I plan to learn Spanish. However, I shared the similar concern of them not having the international accreditation making it my last resort during the application stage.

I don't think they have national accreditation either, do they?

Their MBA in Barcelona is from Roehampton. So at least it is a real, legit degree. Below average i'd say though. It has CMI accrediation so that's something, better than nothing.

It still lacks one of the three international accreditations, so you should first try to find a university with at least one of these.

Regarding the EU Business School the degree awarded
For students studying in Barcelona and Switzerland campuses, a state-recognized, university MBA degree accredited by Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Spain.

Regarding international accreditation
All four campuses have been accredited by the CEEMAN IQA and the MBA along with some other courses offered are accredited by the ACBSP.

UCAM's scandalous behaviour, basically selling degrees in Italy, has been profiled in the press. I would not risk that. ACBSP accrediation isn't worth much.

Dual qualification on campus
While completing the EU MBA program on our Barcelona, Geneva, Montreux or Online campuses, you have the possibility to earn a second distinct qualification, a U.K. state-accredited MBA from the University of Roehampton (UoR) in London.

In order to obtain both EU Business School’s and the University of Roehampton in London’s MBA degrees, you must complete 120 ECTS. The additional credits are achievedthrough the completion of a final EU business competency simulation and a UoR dissertation in addition to your regular EU MBA coursework.

€3800 for the additional roehampton MBA. You could have an LSE graduate diploma for half the money.

The UCAM part of the dual degree did not worth mentioning, this is the only part that has some value.

There are some very very good universities suggested earlier on this thread, i'd say stick with some of those.

I have offers from

1. Kingston
2. RGU - Aberdeen (with standard scholarship)
3. Newcastle University

Based on all suggestions above, and my initial preference, I am considering Newcastle University for this term.

Due to personal reasons, I want to start my term this September and hence I do not have the option of waiting a term and taking a GMAT.

Please let me know if there is something I can do different now if not the MBA.

I would also be grateful if you could give me any tips to prepare myself for the year ahead as the cohort will be much more experienced than I am.

[Edited by Tan on Aug 01, 2019]

Newcastle is a fine choice, as would be RGU. I'd consider RGU if (1) your interests included a career in energy, or (2) you had your sights set on Scotland as a place to work after graduation.

Finding a job in Scotland with an RGU degree MAY be better than landing a job in England with a Newcastle MBA, but that's debatable, depending on your specific career goals in terms of industry, firm choice, etc.

I apologize for the late reply.

I am considering Newcastle for this term.

Thank you for taking out time to address my queries and help me - Duncan, George Patsoulis, Razors Edge.