The international business school INSEAD recently shared news of a major professional services agreement with the Department of Civil Service (DCS) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to deliver a customized Masters of Entrepreneurial Leadership, developed to reflect the overall strategy and objectives of the Emirate.

According to their press release, the agreement, signed April 20, marks the first time that this INSEAD Masters of Entrepreneurial Leadership has been launched anywhere in the world. Beginning in October, as many as 25 participants will start 14 weeks of modular work spread over roughly 18 months. The Masters of Entrepreneurial Leadership will be delivered at INSEAD’s Centre for Executive Education and Research in Abu Dhabi, as well as on the school’s Asia and Europe campuses.

INSEAD Dean J. Frank Brown explained the significance of the agreement by saying “This unique partnership with the Department of Civil Service features an intensive learning experience led by our world class faculty with a Middle East focus, to promote the skills, capabilities and entrepreneurial acumen for Abu Dhabi and, eventually we hope, the rest of the Arab world.”

The integrated curriculum pulls together the key pillars to success, including modules focusing on entrepreneurship, leadership and business skills. INSEAD inaugurated its Centre in Abu Dhabi last September and is already offering executive education programs including both open-enrollment and customized company-specific programs to a number of local and regional companies across the Middle East.

To see INSEAD’s student blogs, check out these links:

Bluey Road to MBA-INSEAD

Le blog hog @ INSEAD

Power Leveling at INSEAD

Earlier this week, Financial Times reporter Neil Courtis offered up an enlightening examination of the pros and cons of one-year and two-year MBA programs. While there’s no denying that business school is intense, there are definite differences in the degree of intensity in each course. The fact that most American programs take two years and European counterparts typically take one to complete makes little difference in the area of rankings, employer preference or even syllabuses. So what are the differences, and how do you know which pace is right for you?

Compressed programs, such as the one-year MBA pioneered by INSEAD 50 years ago, leave little chance to catch up if you fall behind. Classes start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 7 p.m., even on public holidays. As FT points out, in this format, core courses are largely dispatched in a four-month sprint at the start of the year. Engineers and business graduates certainly have the upper hand with subjects such as statistics or accounting; those without either a quantitative background or business education will have a tough row to hoe.

When it comes to class composition, one-year courses may have more sponsored students who may be older and have more workplace experience. These seasoned students may find discussions of leadership frustrating in classes where few have ever managed other workers.

In terms of what happens in the classroom, the differences are clear, says FT. A one-year program might squeeze a course of 10 three-hour sessions into 16 90-minute slots. Two-year MBAs, such as that at IESE Business School in Spain, thus have time to stick to the Harvard model where every class revolves around a discussion of a business case. This means shorter MBAs do not waste time rehearsing material students can find in textbooks.

According to FT, the critical difference between the two modes of study is off campus. At the heart of the two-year program, in the long summer break between first and second years, is an internship. This summer job on steroids allows students to subsidize their study and try a different career for 12 weeks.

Ask yourself, how crystalized are your professional goals? This can help the decision-making process, as those with a definite goal may appreciate the efficacy of a one-year progam. Conversely, anyone still contemplating several career avenues would probably enjoy the flexibility of a two-year program and the increased opportunities internships provide.

The indecisive might consider the latest intermediate options. London Business School has offered students a 15-month course since 2005. FT points out that this option is popular for would-be entrepreneurs who have found a promising project. Columbia Business School offers a 16-month variation, whereby those who do not want an internship can begin the course in January and study through the summer, beginning the second year in sync with the September intake.

So which program is best? No one can say for sure as nobody takes both paths. However, if you’re looking for Fridays off and a semblance of work-life balance, definitely steer clear of Europe.

Although the United States is still the number-one destination for business school, European MBA programs are making huge strides to catch up by offering shorter, smaller, cheaper and more diverse programs, businessweek.com reports. Increased corporate demand for employees with international experience, coupled with Europe’s dynamic business climate, has lured in top-notch candidates from all over the world.

U.S. applications to the elite French business school INSEAD grew 20% in the past year, and the school’s 2008 enrollment of Americans grew nearly 24% since 2007, to 73 students. Likewise, Barcelona’s IESE Business School received 32% more applications from the U.S. this year than last, and expects to enroll 35 Americans in the next class-an increase of 60%. Another Barcelona-based institution, ESADE, has fielded so many inquiries from Americans about its full-time MBA programs that it has begun encouraging them to wait until next year to apply.

According to the businessweek.com story, INSEAD’s dean, Frank Brown, says ever more young people are recognizing the value of an MBA but don’t want to spend two years earning one-the length of most U.S. programs. Others credit the U.S. recession. “Probably, the economic fear is making people think that it’s a good year for education,” says Olaya Garcia, ESADE’s director of full-time MBA programs.

Even with the dollar’s disastrous exchange rate, prospective American students can still find a good deal overseas. Tuition at the top 10 European schools averages less than $73,000, vs. $86,600 at Harvard Business School, and about $95,000 at Wharton. Only one elite European program costs more than the Wharton degree: IESE’s 18-month full-time MBA–long, by European standards–at about $102,000.

Many European schools offer courses on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and doing business in developing countries in an effort to address the needs of those looking to pursue social justice through business. In 2004, Instituto de Empresa Business School in Madrid, another elite institution, founded the Center for Eco-Intelligent Management to teach sustainable business practices. That same year Oxford opened the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship, which provides five MBA scholarships a year.

The repercussions for Europe’s MBA programs remain to be seen, but the present outlook is bright: applications are up, admissions are increasingly selective, and more companies want multilingual recruits with global polish. With the number of programs specializing in disciplines such as entrepreneurship, finance, and corporate social responsibility on the rise, Europe remains a compelling locale for MBA education. Watch your back, Wharton!

Source: businessweek.com

HBS announced its decision yesterday to appoint Anjali Raina to serve as Executive Director of its India Research Center (IRC) in Mumbai, India (see AScribe Newswire article). The IRC was established in 2006 to support the school’s efforts to research economy and business related matters in India and South Asia generally.

Also in recent news, the 12th annual Wharton India Economic Forum concluded successfully last Saturday, 3.22.08. The event, organized around the theme “India ¦ Imagine” drew a diverse array of business professionals and luminaries, including the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who delivered the closing speech.

The push to establish a presence in Asia (including India) is not exclusive to Harvard. INSEAD and Chicago GSB both have campuses in Singapore. Other business schools have established programs dedicated to Asian studies, such as Haas, which launched its Asia Business Center this year. For more on the rise of Asian business schools, check out this CNN article discussing global program rankings.