ENEB

ENEB or European Business School of Barcelona (in Spanish: Escuela de Negocios Europea de Barcelona) is a business school in Spain that offers MBAs and other Master's (MA) level degree programs in various business subjects as well as postgraduate diplomas and higher education courses. These programs are offered in conjunction with Isabel I de Castilla University (English) or Isabel I (English) for short (in Spanish: Universidad Isabel I de Castilla or Universidad Isabel I). Upon graduation, students receive a diploma from ENEB and a diploma from the international division of Isabel I known as Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla (which translates in English to Isabel I de Castilla International University) as written on the diploma. The program is registered within Spain's Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos under institution code 080.

ENEB degrees require proof of completion of a prior Bachelor's degree, including a 4-year degree for US and Canadian graduates. This is a legal requirement by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports in Spain to award Titulo Propio degrees and can only be waived in exceptional circumstances (i.e., considerable past work experience in business).

Degree Contents
ENEB's degree programs follow the andragogical self-paced independent study format. Once registration and verification processes have been completed, a student may move through the program as slowly or as quickly as his/her time permits. However, the school sets an 18-month time limit for Master's degree program completion, and a 24-month time limit for a dual degree program completion (i.e., an MBA and a Masters Degree). A one time extension of 6 months can be provided for free so long as it is requested between 15 to 60 days of the course end date. Each Masters level program contains 60 ECTS (1500 academic hours, equivalent to 1 academic year). A Postgraduate course contains 12 ECTS. Higher Education course contains 2.4 ECTS (60 academic hours).

As with many typical MBA/Master's programs that one may find at U.S.-based schools, and graduate studies across Europe, grades and completion for each course is based on a final paper responding to challenges posed by a case study. While the course instructions set a limit of 18 pages (excluding the title page and reference list) per Master's level paper, students have reported submitting papers ranging in length from 5 to 20+ pages. Using graphics/visual diagrams, as well as varied sources in a meaningful way (minimum 15-20 per final paper) are significant components of grading. Similar to other European graduate programs, failing twice on course paper will result in failing the program as a whole. Even if one restarts the program after failing, a permanent negative mark and the failed section will still be recorded on the transcript, even if the program is passed successfully after (and you will find many anecdotes of disgruntled failed-out students upset that ENEB did not turn out to be a diploma mill on Spanish MBA and European immigration forums to this effect).

Potential Controversy
The first concern that some have with ENEB is that its programs can be found on Groupon for a low price. Some consider that to be an indication of lesser quality. However, proponents of the program have pointed out that U.S. regionally accredited schools such as National Louis University and ASA College have also offered programs on Groupon. Others have argued that ENEB's offering is not unlike well-known schools such as Johns Hopkins University or Georgia Institute of Technology offering cheap courses or even full degree programs at deeply discounted rates on edX and Coursera.

The second concern for some is that ENEB's degrees are not formally registered ("Official") degrees in Spain, but rather Titulo Propios ("Own Titles"). The distinction between Titulo Official and Titulo Propios is a common point of confusion among people not familiar with the unique Spanish education system. Official degrees in Spain follow state approved curriculums, bear the signature of the King of Spain and are registered with the Spanish government.

Titulos propios or "own titles" are not registered with the Spanish government, but are government-recognized and fully valid in the Spanish higher education system. However, it is important to note: in Spain, a titulo propio does not grant a person access to government or academic jobs nor does it allow one to continue on to a doctoral program in any field. What a titulo propio does is grant a person valid and relevant qualifications for jobs in the private sector as it is often seen more akin to a post-graduate professional development activity than an academic pursuit. This restriction on public sector employment oftentimes does not apply outside of Spain.

This system is unique but best compared to distinctions between terminal and research masters. A Titulo Propio degree, as awarded by ENEB/Universidad Isabel I, is equivalent to a MSc (in the UK) or a terminal course-based masters (in the US and Canada). These programs are not sufficient to progress to doctoral studies, but are sufficient for employment and for entry into other research Masters or advanced professional programs. A Titulo Oficial, or an "Official Degree", is equivalent to a MPhil (in the UK) or a research masters (in the US and Canada), as they generally have formal thesis requirements, and are intended to prepare a student for a career in research or doctoral studies.

It is worthwhile pointing out that Titulo Propio degree programs primarily attract international students, and mid-career professionals in Spain. Additionally, most universities in Spain award the Titulo Propio award for studies in Business to begin with (and almost exclusively for Business degrees conducted in English), as the expectation is that these degrees are used to advance careers in the private sector rather than in academia or the public sector. Recent graduates of Spanish undergraduate tend to gravitate towards Titulo Ofical programs due to their more competitive ability to acquire letters of recommendation from professors, student loans and internships as early-career professionals, and to preserve the optionality of entering the Spanish public sector or academia.

Note that IE University, a well-respected private business university in Spain, primarily issues Titulo Propios as well. These degrees are, in program accreditation terms, equivalent to a Titulo Propio from Universidad Isabel I, but IE University is able to rely on the strength of its reputation to justify the value of its degrees and achieve stronger professional outcomes for its students. Following this trend, IE University primarily markets its offerings to international students (in the EU and North America) and business professionals rather than recent graduates of undergraduate programs in Spain, so much so that IE university has recruitment offices in the United States, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France and Canada.

Evaluation and Equivalency Results
Listing a titulo propio in the education or qualifications section of a resumé is legitimate and acceptable. However, for peace of mind, some students may prefer to have this foreign degree evaluated by a qualified foreign credential evaluator. To that end, ENEB/Universidad Isabel I diplomas have variously been evaluated as:

Other evaluators may have other opinions on how to evaluate ENEB qualifications. Institutions are not required to accept the results of an evaluation, although they often will. Since the programs award ECTS, there is the possibility of transferring course credit to other programs elsewhere, as demonstrated by the IEE evaluation.

Where equivalency information is not known, you can oftentimes seek out this information by using IE University (a private business university primarily awarding titulo propio degrees) as a proxy to compare equivalency results, as their titulo propio offers are much more common and recognized in the west. Some IE University recruitment local offices may be able to provide you with known equivalency results as well. From a credential evaluation standpoint, there is no difference between an IE University and UI1 Titulo Propio as they both contain the same number of ECTS, have similar teaching formats and are private institutions.

In East Asia
Institutions and businesses across East Asia will accept the Universidad Isabel I degree for employment purposes and in support of scholarship applications. This is especially useful for individuals seeking entry-level career opportunities or to support their applications to become foreign language teachers (as teachers in formal schools are expected to be able to teach in an additional subject such as Business). The China Scholarship Council, the MOFA Taiwan Scholarship and Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship program have confirmed that they will accept the degree to fulfill baseline requirements for doctoral and research scholarships, but the decision remains with the host institution on whether the degree satisfies their competitive requirements. However, East Asian institutions generally expect the degree to be accompanied with a Hague Apostille provided by Universidad Isabel I and the degrees may not be accepted without this Apostille.

Ancillary Benefits
An enrollment at ENEB provides one with access to a digital enrollment certificate that may be used to acquire student discounts, and potentially access to better financial products typically offered to MBA students and graduates. For example, two banks in Canada offer a Prime + 1.3% unsecured Line of Credit for ENEB students and graduates, well below typical rates for non-professional clients.

Conclusions
While a Master titulo propio from ENEB/Isabel I will not satisfy every student, it is considered a suitable option for some. ENEB is not a diploma mill. ENEB has the proper qualifications in Spain to grant Master titulos propios and they have partnered with--and are certified by--what is considered by U.S. standards to be the equivalent of a regionally accredited University (Isabel I) to give more weight to their Master titulos propios.

The time commitment for completing the program is often considered significant, and taking an ENEB program requires one to value the neutral to potentially negative reputation of the degree more than their personal time. It may be worthwhile to actually consider ENEB as a program to prepare for a more well-recognized MBA or Masters degree, as the credits could potentially be transferred (depending on the institution) and the degree itself requires case study work similar to a US MBA or European Masters of Management program.