which does not require any work experience and welcomes newly graduated students.

Strike one.

The problem is that admission process was pretty easy. They did not require GMAT scores or an interview.

Strike two.

To seal this school's lack of credibility, it's not accredited by any reputable accreditation body (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS.) I'd steer completely clear of this one.

To get the best value for your money, you'd want to have at least three years of experience under your belt so that you can apply for an accredited MBA program. Your other options are pre-experience master's programs in finance - although you'd be hard-pressed to find a reputable one of these in Belgium, if that's where you want to study. Further afield, you'll find programs like this in France: HEC Paris or EMLyon; in Germany: Frankfurt; or the Netherlands: RSM and Tilburg.

Take a look at http://www.find-mba.com/university/2316/hogeschool-universiteit-brussel-hub/discussions

I don't think you can expect this programme to add any value beyond a similar programme in your own country.

The high-quality courses on this ranking http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/masters-in-management-2011 are aimed at people like you, without much work experience. Focus on them.

Let me clarify a few things for you. First of all, MIBEM is designed for non-economic academic graduates. Our MBA programme, which is a different programme, is a specialized degree in economics for which you need an economic bachelor degree in Business Administration, economics or management. Students who complete the MIBEM can then go on to the MBA after completing a preparatory track. Information is on our website: http://www.hubrussel.be For your convenience, I provide you a direct link here: http://bit.ly/NH2zUx.

We also have several testimonials on the website for both the MIBEM and MBA programmes, as well as videos of students on our YouTube channel.

Information on our accreditation and relationship with KU Leuven can also be found on the website (direct link: http://bit.ly/O7xDb2). Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel is a member of AACSB International.

Hope this is useful for you.

HUBrussels is accredited by NVAO which is the educational accreditation organization of the Netherlands and Flanders. It is a recognized Institution. It DOES NOT "lack credibility".

mattbellagio:

Thanks for your supporting comment. Our NVAO relationship is also mentioned on our Accrediation page: http://www.hubrussel.be/
Direct link: http://bit.ly/O7xDb2

HUBrussels is accredited by NVAO which is the educational accreditation organization of the Netherlands and Flanders. It is a recognized Institution. It DOES NOT "lack credibility".

Regional accreditations are all well and good, but for business schools, the relevant accreditation agencies are AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS. These bodies feature rigorous processes by which a school's curriculum and alumni career outcomes are vetted, sometimes over several years. This ensures that an MBA program is credible and is worth the investment.

If a school is not accredited by one of these bodies, then people have the right to question a program's legitimacy.

There are indeed places where this doesn't always hold up (Thailand has some respectable non-internationally accredited MBA programs, for instance) - but Belgium is not one of these countries: Antwerp School of Management, Louvain, Solvay, and Vlerick all hold international accreditation. With this kind of selection I can't think of a reason why a potential MBA student would choose HU Brussel.

Again, as stated above and on our site, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel is a member of AACSB International.

Again, as stated above and on our site, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel is a member of AACSB International.

Membership is different from being accredited. Please do not try to mislead people.

I think that Ralph and Alea are arguing a little at cross-purposes. Alea is making the point that HUB is a quite normal university, and not at all illegitimate. Let's remember: illegitimate as a word indicates a lack of lawfulness. The HUB is a quite legal university, which certainly meets all the standards for higher education in Belgium.

Ralph is looking for a higher level of quality: the one which the top MBA programmes have and which is reflected by international accreditation. The HUB isn't at that higher level, because there's a network of things involved in it: higher fees, more selectivity, students with more work experience, stronger careers services, more full-time faculty and researchers, executive education.... and so on. There's also the question of the core curriculum and the experiential element of the MBA. The MBA's innovative MBA in international relations, for example, doesn't have the curriculum that employers would anticipate an MBA having.

Just because the HUB doesn't have those things, that doesn't detract from its reality as a great value MBA -- pretty much one of the least expensive nationally-accredited MBAs. But, at the same time, students coming to this website want the best experience possible. Most of them, especially those with little work experience, will find it better to attend a school with a more international network, better connections to employers and a richer educational experience.

"If a school is not accredited by one of these bodies, then people have the right to question a program's legitimacy."

This is an inaccurate assertion as far as accreditation is concerned. If an institution is appropriately accredited, its legitimacy cannot be called into question.

Anyone is entitled to query the value of a business qualification from a university in relation to acceptance in the market place, its worth in attracting good starting salaries etc.. But if a university is accredited, it is highly inappropriate to indicate its qualifications as lacking credibility.

HU Brussel does not hold accreditation from the AACSB, AMBA, or the EQUIS. Hence its business degrees may not have the same acceptance as others who do. So, it is fine to suggest alternatives to potential candidates by simply pointing out its lack of a programmatic accreditation. However, it is misleading to use terms like "lacking credibility" or questioning its legitimacy when an institution has appropriate accreditation.

JK, thanks for making some good points. These international accreditations do involve significant time, money and resources. Membership of these associations allow those who are goal-driven towards accreditation to participate in advancing their activities in business education towards that goal.

Well, I think credibility and legitimacy are different. HUB is a real, solid, well-backed university. But credibility is in the eye of the beholder.

On the local level, even in the small world of Flanders, it's not so well known because it is a fairly new name for a number of struggling Flemish-funded colleges around the capital. Even its association with the KUL reflects its need for a mentor institution outside it.

But in the international context of this site, the experience is really clear that for major MBA recruiters, and for students moving internationally, then accreditation by the three respected international associations produces a real premium. That's why the HUB MBA doesn't cost $30,000 and that's why the students who consider it normally could not consider an MBA anywhere else. For most of those students, an MSc at an accredited school will be a more valuable qualification than the HUB's MBA.

A very fair point with a well balanced argument.

My message is simple, there is no need to question the legitimacy of any institution that is appropriately accredited in order to promote others that hold AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS accreditation.

But if a university is accredited, it is highly inappropriate to indicate its qualifications as lacking credibility.

I'm not questioning the legitimacy of the university, but I personally judge the credibility of an MBA program based on the following criteria:

1. Verifiable alumni career advancement. Does the program provide quantifiable outcomes?
2. Candidate selectivity. How rigorous is the selection process? How much work experience do accepted students have? What are their GMAT scores?
3. Curriculum. Does the program cover the business basics and provide other well-rounded electives?
4. Career services resources. What kinds of relationships does the business school have with industry? Who recruits graduates?

It just so happens that how a business school fares within these factors generally coincides with whether or not the school has accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS, or AMBA.

What I'm getting at is that business schools are judged by different criteria than their overarching universities. If you go to a program that isn't accredited by one of these global accreditation bodies, sure, you'll get a *legitimate* MBA degree from a *legitimate* university; but this degree will be looked at much differently by the marketplace than one that has international accreditation.

Your point is well taken. I hope you will also understand the message that I am getting at.

Hi I would like to know when this program was founded in Belgium? As in when was it first launched? Any idea?

It's one of the programmes inherited from EHSAL, so HUB will have offered it since the 2006-7 academic year.

HUB and the other large Flemish university college mentored by the KUL seem to have merged to form Odisee. The English-language masters no longer seem to be on the Odisee site: its has transferred to the KUL Brussels Campus: https://feb.kuleuven.be/eng/brussels/prospectivestudents/academicprogrammes/MBA

Is that mean that the degree now is under KU Leuven instead of HUB?