IESE vs IE MBA: Entrepreneurship, Exchange, Internships, Recruiting Companies and Alumni Network

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6) Entrepreneurship

Although both IESE and IE programs emphasis on Entrepreneurship as an integral part of the learning process, IE Business School has a comparatively larger eco-system for nurturing Entrepreneurs.

IESE introduces Entrepreneurship during the first year core course with Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Management.  During the second year, a set of electives can be chosen to select Entrepreneurship as a concentration. In addition to a dedicated Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, IESE has started an Investment Fund, FINFAVES, and have brought together a group of Angel Investors in Madrid and Barcelona to support funding for start-up and second-stage Businesses. Although 3% of the latest class opted for Entrepreneurship as a career choice, the school claims that after 10 years of graduation, nearly a third of MBA Students opts to start their own Business.

Entrepreneurs founded IE Business School and therefore Entrepreneurship is not a set of electives but a core value in the program. Students get extensive support through the Venture Lab Accelerator where students are mentored by successful Entrepreneurs, and student’s ideas are transformed to a presentable Business Plan. IE Business School’s international investor forum – Venture Days, provides a platform to present Business Ideas to local and international investors.  Most notable participant in the event was Ali Partovi , Founder of Dropbox. During the second year, IE MBA students can choose Entrepreneurship as a concentration.

7) Exchange Programs

IESE offers a 3-Month Exchange program just before graduation to one of the 27 partner schools that include top schools like Haas, Chicago Booth, Columbia, Kellogg, LBS, NYU, UCLA and Wharton to name a few. IE Business School on the other hand offers two formats of exchange programs: 1-week short-term exchange and 3-Month long-term exchange programs. The long-term exchange programs are in partnership with 40 premier Business Schools that include Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan Flagler, SDA Bocconi, HEC Paris, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Instituto De Estudios Superiores De Administración (IESA), Tsinghua University and Rotman School of Management, to name a few.

8) Internships

IE Business School has an optional internship module called The International MBA in Practice. Students have to receive academic credits to be considered for this module. A minimum commitment of 7-13 weeks is expected from the students. In IESE MBA Program, internship opportunity is offered through a 12-Week Corporate Internship program, starting from Mid-June and ending at the first week of September. The number of students considered for the internship program depends on the recruitment cycle of the company. Many companies offer full-time job openings after evaluating the students through Internships.

9) Recruiting Companies

Since the majority of the students join Consulting, Finance or Industry sector, companies representing these sectors lead the recruitment activities in the school.

IE Top Recruiting Companies: Johnson & Johnson, Grupo Telefonica , Accenture, Indra , Grupo Mensor , L'Oreal , Everis , Daemon Quest  and Cap Gemini

IESE Top Recruiting Companies: McKinsey & Co, Gas Natural, Johnson & Johnson, Booz and Company, Citigroup, Mango, Europraxis, Amazon Indltex, Novartis, The Boston Consulting Group, Lan Airlines, Philip Morris

10) Alumni Network

Alumni Network in a university plays a crucial role in connecting students to employers. IE Business Schools has a strong 40,000+ alumni spread across over 100 countries while IESE has a reach of 38000+ Alumni Network.

Conclusion

Both Schools are among the top Business Schools in the world, but IESE has a slight advantage over IE Business School when you compare the overall learning experience. For Entrepreneurial MBA Students, IE Business School is a better choice than IESE.