Many many many moons ago (about 300 moons) when I was doing my MBA things were “simple” but “hard”.Let me explain myself. The 300 is probably a modest estimation but never the less counting – what needs to be explained is the “simple” but “hard”.
In those days in Greece an MBA was a simple issue, for two reasons.
The first, you didn’t have many options. To be very precise you only had one option. Sounds simple. Yes, but it was hard because this one option had many applicants, thus they played it hard to get. Supply and Demand, rings a bell?
The second reason why things were simple those days was because you either did an MBA or you didn’t. Simple? Let me further explain. An MBA those days was a Masters in Business Administration, or simply MBA or M.B.A. Simple. You did not have to choose between an MBA with emphasis in General Management, Marketing, Financial Management, Information Systems, Project Management, Human Resource Management. All of this is not simple, but yet is necessary since everybody is doing it and the market likes/wants it. As for the hard, I will say that any University that respects its self, has to make sure that the MBA process is not an easy one. How are you going to be proud of having an MBA?
Test this out, ask people you know, that have an MBA, about their University, the program, etc. If you start getting wishy washy answers, it must me a Micky Mouse school/program. If you get strong, firm and straight answers, chances are that it was a good University/program, otherwise your friend is a good actor.
Coming back to the present, things are “difficult” and “hard” (if we are talking about a good MBA program).
Nowadays in Greece you have numerous MBA programs to choose from, either from British Universities or from American Universities. I am not going to negotiate between British or American. If you are going to do an MBA, it has to be American. It might sound very blunt, simplified and banal, what I am about to compare – but would you drink Ouzo made in an African country or Ouzo made in Greece? The answer is obvious. The same thing with an MBA.
With this, the options start to narrow down. So I won’t beat around the bush, the University which is American, is in Greece, is accredited, has a serious MBA program and emphasis areas which are marketable in this part of the world is City University of Seattle in Athens Greece. The emphasis areas offered are General Management, Marketing, Financial Management, Information Systems, Project Management and Human Resource Management.
The University runs with the quarter system, which means that you have 4 quarters a year. One can start from any quarter – October, January, April or July as long as they have a Bachelors from an accredited University and the will power to sit and do case studies, term papers, presentations and a lot of other things that will make you proud of City University and the MBA you received. The MBA program is composed of 15 courses. Taking 2 or 3 courses per quarter – you make the calculation how long it takes to finish.
Although it is reasonable, or even obvious that one of the criteria of acceptance is the English, I have to emphasis it, as I have heard of English speaking Universities operating in Greece and conducting lectures in Greeklish or even worse – Greek. My position on this issue is that if you start looking the other way for the language, when your parent school conducts lectures in English, chances are that you will start looking the other way for a lot of other things as well. And when this happens, or this is what students are looking for, then they should go online and find the “very reputable” but not accredited “Universities” which will give them anything, no questions asked.
City University has a site in the northern suburbs, which is called City University North Athens Site, at 108, Papanikoli AVenue, Halandri, Athens – Tel 2108001029 (26 all over the world, 2 in Greece). Its centrally located, as it is accessible by car, bus and train and is close to the major business/commercial center which is Kifissias Avenue, Maroussi, Kifissia, etc.
Besides the MBA program which I have so much promoted, the school also has a masters program in Computer Systems with emphasis in Technology Management and Web Development and Bachelors programs in Business Administration, Computer Systems and Applied Psychology – with several emphasis areas.
So, if you want to “change your life for good, because that is what a University has to do, then go and visit them. They will give you the whole scoop.
PS: tell them who told you.