ENEB

From Degree Forum Wiki

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 level degree programs in various business subjects as well as postgraduate diplomas and higher education courses. These programs are offered in by ENEB and certified by 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 document/certificate 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 document. 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[edit]

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 (300 academic hours). Higher Education course contains 2.4 ECTS (60 academic hours).

As with many typical Master's programs that one may find at U.S.-based schools, and graduate studies across Europe, grading 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 a 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.

Note: Students will only receive the ENEB diploma and a Universidad Isabel certificate. Students often mistake the "certifying document" as a diploma and claim to have a Universidad Isabel 1 degree. All of ENEB's courses are designed, developed and taught by ENEB. Universidad Isabel certifies programs/ titulo propios from many different institution in spain, and can be considered similar to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Potential Controversy[edit]

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 only (and certified by 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 in some countries, but may be sufficient for employment and for entry into other research Masters or advanced professional programs post-credential evaluation in ones home country or country one has traveled or is planning travel to. 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 to point out that Titulo Propio degree programs primarily attract mid-career professionals in Spain, and international students. Additionally, most universities in Spain award the Titulo Propio award for studies in Business (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 programs 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.

Evaluation and Equivalency Results[edit]

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 before doing so. To that end, ENEB diplomas have variously been evaluated as:

United States[edit]

What Who Why this is important
United States
U.S. Master's degree equivalent (U.S. non-accredited) WES Contrary to the opinions of some, non-accredited (unaccredited) degrees are not invalid. Some schools even allow them for entry into accredited programs through the Doctoral level. 3/14/24 from applications.wes.org: "WES does not evaluate academic records from Escuela de Negocios Europea de Barcelona - ENEB at this time. Do not include this credential in your application. If included, this will cause a delay in processing your evaluation report."
U.S. regionally accredited Bachelor's degree equivalent (accredited) ECE If one is seeking to be accepted into a U.S. Master's degree program and that program requires an undergraduate degree in a business field or any other field, obtaining an ENEB diploma evaluated by ECE could be a potential solution.
U.S. regionally accredited Master's degree equivalent (accredited) Validential A recent thread showed an academic evaluation by Validential deeming an ENEB/Isabel I degree is equivalent to a U.S. regionally accredited Master's degree. It may be used for further education, employment, or immigration, if the channels processing your application accepts Validential as they are not part of AICE or NACES. Post A second forum user also confirmed Validental's evaluation by getting an evaluation of their own.
U.S. regionally accredited Graduate diploma/certificate/graduate credit equivalent (accredited) IEE

In November 2022, thodeptrai was able to successfully have the Master of Big Data and Business Intelligence evaluated as a Graduate diploma by IEE, confirming the predicted evaluation result.

cacoleman1983 on DegreeForum contacted IEE about evaluating the Master titulos propios on offer. Without actually performing the evaluation, IEE stated that it would most likely be equated to a graduate certificate. This could possibly be used as an inexpensive source of credits for a graduate degree that accepts transfer credits.

Some schools, such as University of Arkansas, will accept something like this as being sufficient to enter their doctoral program. Thanks, cacoleman1983 This was confirmed in a 2019 TACRAO presentation here. IEE's official position is that the Titulo Propio degrees are considered equivalent to a graduate diploma rather than a U.S. Masters degree as it does not permit a degree holder to ordinarily enter a doctoral program, but is still rigorous and conducted at the graduate level.

U.S. regionally accredited Graduate diploma Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute (ACEI) ACEI has confirmed in the EAIE Conference that it will evaluate all Titulo Propio degrees in Spain, regardless of institution (including public universities and IE University), as being a graduate diploma so long as proof that the evaluation recipient has a Bachelor's degree is provided. ACEI recommends that graduate transfer credit be awarded for such an evaluation and thus requires a transcript. Some background can be found here.
One year of graduate study (accredited institution/unaccredited program) Academic Evaluation Services, Inc. (AES) One of our members, ashkir, had an evaluation of "one year of study at an unaccredited program" and "comparable to completion of one year of study at a regionally accredited institution of higher education"

This evaluation could still work similarly to ACEI and IEE for transfer credits if the receiving institution does not make a distinction by denying acceptance due to the unaccredited program status.

North America (Other)[edit]

What Who Why this is important
North America (Other)
Masters Degree The University Council Of Jamaica ENEB has a disproportionately large cohort of Jamaican and Caribbean students because the UCJ (University Council or Jamaica) had conducted a blanket evaluation on Universidad Isabel I and ENEB's MBA program in 2020, affirming the UI1 MBA degree and the UI1 Master in International Trade degree as equivalent to Masters Degrees in Jamaica. The other evaluation status of the other Master's programs provided by ENEB remains unknown. Interestingly, ENEB is an increasingly common MBA option within the offshore finance sectors in the Caribbean due to the overall lack of distance-based degree programs there.
Masters Degree (Canada - Québec) Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration In a large Quebec immigration group on Facebook, it was noted that the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, a member of the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada, has evaluated ENEB/UI1 in a Comparative evaluation for studies done outside Québec process as being equivalent to a Quebec Masters Degree. Note that the process for evaluation is difficult and tedious: a hard copy of one's UI1 degree and transcript certified by the Spanish consulate/embassy is required, and the process takes 3+ months. From receiving your UI1 diploma signed by the rector to the end of the evaluation process, 9+ months may pass by. The evaluation itself is not binding and is meant for reference purposes for employment rather than additional study, and may not be useful outside of Quebec.
Masters Degree (Canada) WES Canada WES Canada evaluates ENEB degrees as equivalent to a Canadian Masters degree for employment and immigration purposes. However, as of January 2024, WES Canada has confirmed in emails that it no longers accepts evaluation for ENEB Master's degrees, and previous evaluation reports may be rendered invalid.

South America[edit]

In Latin America, the degrees and specializations of ENEB are recognized as both preliminary degrees and local-own degrees from private universities under the European Education system of the Bologna Agreement, since the ENEB programs offer transfer of credits in the European university system, for which Master's degrees are recognized and validated as degrees from private universities, since the difference in Latin America exists between private and state universities, thus evaluating education with the rest of the world. Since the ENEB degrees are certified by the Isabel I University and ministerial registration in Catalonia, Spain, the diplomas have local validity in Spain and most Latin American countries. The countries with the greatest presence of students and alumni in their master's and postgraduate degrees in order of number of enrolments are Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. In addition, ENEB and Universidad Isabel I have signed consortium degree agreements with various Latin American universities for programs delivered in Spanish and English languages.

Europe[edit]

What Who Why this is important
Europe
Advanced Bachelors Degree (Europe) NARICS Belgium On DegreeInfo a member had one of their ENEB/Isabel I degrees evaluated by NARIC Belgium as equivalent to an Advanced Bachelors (4th year Honors), and the other in Big Data evaluated as a Masters. Here
No Accreditation (Europe) NARICS Belgium UI1/Structuralia master's degree in Cybersecurity with a master thesis (exact same structure as ENEB, just a different partner of UI1) got a negative evaluation by Naric as they did not recognize the 3rd party institution, in this case Structuralia, as an accredited body]
Masters Degree (Europe) NARICS Belgium On DegreeInfo a member had their Masters of Big Data and Business Intelligence evaluated as a Masters degree. Here This was because the Masters of Big Data was sufficiently distinct from the MBA program to justify a Masters evaluation.
Level 7 Diploma (UK) ECCTIS ENIC ENEB can be used as a Level 7 diploma for a top-up masters. However, favourable ENIC evaluation alone does not guarantee acceptance by a UK MBA Top-up program as many universities only use the ENIC evaluation as a guideline.
Professional Qualifications (Poland) Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange

Holders of Bachelor’s degrees have the option of enrollment in postgraduate education at Spanish universities, aimed mainly at improving professional qualifications. This type of education results in university degrees (the so-called Titulos Propios), which are not subject to national Spanish higher education regulations and do not provide any actual academic entitlements.

Unlike proper government-endorsed university degree diplomas, these university degree diplomas do not include the state pattern and are issued by the rector.

Postgraduate diplomas are not formally recognized in Poland and are not subject to nostrification procedures. They also do not entitle to continuing education at second-cycle (Master’s degree) studies or doctoral studies or to the opening of a doctoral dissertation in Poland. They may, however, be submitted to Polish employers as a confirmation of obtaining professional (postgraduate) qualifications.

(English translation from the Polish "Guide to Foreign Education Systems" taken from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange – NAWA)

As is common with foreign credential evaluation agencies, other evaluators may have differing opinions on how to evaluate ENEB qualifications. Although it is common for institutions to accept the results of a foreign credential evaluation, no institution is required to do so. Since the programs award ECTS, there is the possibility of transferring course credit to other programs elsewhere, as demonstrated by the IEE evaluation.

Asia[edit]

Institutions and businesses across East Asia will accept the Universidad Isabel I degree for employment purposes and in support of scholarship applications (CITATION NEEDED). 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 (CITATION NEEDED), but the decision remains with the host institution on whether the degree satisfies their competitive requirements. However, East Asian institutions (CITATION NEEDED) 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.

What Who Why this is important
South East Asia
Masters Degree Ministry of Education of Indonesia The Master in Project Management has previously been evaluated as being equivalent to a Master in Indonesia.

Conclusions[edit]

While a Master titulo propio from ENEB will not satisfy the needs of 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 should be done with a consideration of the neutral to potentially negative reputation of the degree versus ones personal time. Some have found it worthwhile to utilize ENEB as a program to prepare for more well-recognized MBA or Masters degree programs as the credits could potentially be transferred (depending on the institution), and because the degree itself requires case study work and graduate level research that is typically required for a U.S. MBA, general U.S. Master's, or an European Masters of Management program. Others have used these ENEB programs to enter Doctoral programs such as the Doctorate of Healthcare Administration from Virginia University of Lynchburg and the Doctorate of Business Administration from Apollos University.