Vibrant startups. Focus on sustainable energy. Rapid digitization. Talent. These are just some of the reasons why investors are flocking to Spain. Add to it a lively culture, friendly locals, and a very affordable lifestyle, and it’s the perfect backdrop for an MBA at IE University in Madrid.
Ranked the sixth-best international one-year Business School 2019 by Forbes, this is an institution where 87 percent of graduates gain employment after graduation. In the words of an alum, “IE University provides a magnificent professional and life experience, enriching your knowledge base, pushing your own limitations outwards and expanding your capabilities through an innovative learning experience.”
MBAs tailored to the needs and interests of ambitious professionals
Each MBA offered at IE University is tailored to the specific needs and interests of distinct professional profiles. Prefer a traditional campus experience and want to explore all that Spain’s golden capital has to offer? The full-time, year-long options offered — International MBA, Tech MBA — fulfill these requirements and more.
The former — ranked ninth worldwide by QS and with 70 nationalities represented in class — is a highly customizable option where up to 45% of the program can be entirely tailored with ten concentration areas. The Tech MBA — the first of its kind in Europe — equips students with the expertise to extract insights from data and adapt to the fast pace of technological evolution.
Looking for more flexibility? The Global Online MBA — ranked first worldwide by QS — lets students choose the time and place of their postgraduate education. Students can personalize both the duration of their degree — from 17 to 24 months — and electives according to their interests. As its format shows, the curriculum makes it the ideal pathway for those seeking to enhance their digital fluency and discover how to disrupt traditional business models. This was exactly what Rasmus Christensen was looking for to transition back to the corporate world after spending five years as a police officer in Australia.
“IE’s Global Online MBA empowered me to complement my experience and skills with knowledge gained from leading academic and industry experts,” says Christensen. He describes the program as “energizing” and “the best of both worlds,” offering fast-paced learning with “some of the most talented academics and students” he has ever met. Today, Christensen is a consultant with business, technology and innovation consulting firm Projective Group.
Going online represents just one facet of IE University’s commitment to provide flexibility to students. There are several other avenues for more senior profiles looking to take their careers to the next level: the Global Executive MBA — where students get to go to strategic locations around the world — the Executive MBA taught in English, Spanish or a combination of the two, the IE Brown Executive MBA, and the Executive MBA Presencial, a 10-month program that unlocks one’s managerial potential through Friday and Saturday on-campus classes.
IE’s Executive MBAs are taught by a faculty of world-class educators who double as international sector experts. They ensure a learning experience which includes enriching discussions with guest speakers, professors and peers — a feature that explains why IE graduates can adeptly handle today’s latest business challenges. At IE Business School, there’s an option for every ambitious professional, regardless of their specific needs or aspirations.
Talent from around the world
IE University draws students from all over the world, where 92% of the 2020 class hail from outside of Spain — they charge IE University with a unique energy. Its 60,000 alumni are spread across more than 140 countries, a vast community happy to open doors and provide specialized guidance to new graduates.
Carlos Simon, an Investment Director at Phi Industrial, a private equity fund based in Madrid, graduated from the IE Brown Executive MBA program in 2019. He describes the environment at IE as “truly international and diverse.”
Another IE University graduate Sabina Iman joined the business school in 2017 with 10 years of experience in the Marketing Communications Strategy Department at Omnicom Media Group. She still remembers a class “Leading People and Teams” with one of her favourite professors Fernando Bartolome. “His way of teaching by moving us through the cases, helped me to understand how you can fit in within diverse teams. IE continuously puts you in these situations and allows you to work with people from different countries, backgrounds and cultures,” she shares.
This experience helps Iman in her current role as Strategy Director at Demtech International. She shares, “This is something I now do every day at Demtech, with colleagues from Colombia, Venezuela, Spain and Germany. In small companies, team relationship-building affects efficiency a lot. That understanding helped me to always foster a healthy working environment and a motivated team.”
Liquid Learning approach: State-of-the-art tools, innovative teaching
IE University takes a forward-thinking approach to education called “Liquid Learning”. It breaks down the barriers between online and in-person worlds to create a seamless, highly flexible educational experience.
The program begins with a Core Business Period where students have the choice between four labs — Business Impact Lab, Start-up Lab, Tech Lab, Social Impact Lab — or an International MBA.
Students have access to state-of-the-art tools such as the Virtual Reality Audience Simulator where they can develop their public speaking skills in front of a virtual audience. In addition to that, they can participate in dynamic classes in the “WOW Room” which allows for cutting-edge virtual collaboration.
In between these facilities, projects, peer and faculty feedback sessions, the Liquid Learning approach enhances the student experience and caters to each individual’s unique circumstances. It is a set-up based on IE’s over 20 years of experience in the field. Today, it is a master in seamlessly blending together virtual and face-to-face education for tomorrow’s most impactful executives.
Don’t put your education on hold — drive your career forward with the right MBA from IE University.