School Type: Public

Students Say - Academics
Future MBAs choose IAE Universidad Austral's intensive one-year program because of the school's "excellent reputation in Argentina and throughout Latin America" as well as for the speed with which it delivers results. The bilingual program (classes are taught in Spanish and English), which runs from January to December, has been honed over time to provide a quality education to its students. As the school's website states, the one-year MBA program "is the result of the 25-year experience IAE has acquired in providing part-time Executive MBA programs and the contributions of many years of delivering full-time programs supplied by the Harvard Business School and the IESE of Barcelona."

IAE's "intensive" program is "a one-year hardworking MBA. The schedule runs from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., with only a two-hour break in the middle of the day (from 12:30 P.M. to 2.30 P.M.) for sports and eating." The program begins with a month-long "leveling course," during which students are reacquainted with fundamental quantitative skills in statistics, mathematics, and accounting. The second module of the program consists of an extensive core curriculum that focuses on three areas: "technical skills in marketing, finance, etc.; critical thinking skills that teach you new ways to approach both professional problems and personal problems; and teamwork skills." During the third module, students choose from a selection of electives. The fourth and fifth modules of the program are devoted to interdisciplinary analysis of business problems, fieldwork, networking, and developing management skills.

Students speak highly of the program, reporting that "professors are all very good. Most of them have PhDs, and they have a lot of patience. They always are able to help you inside and outside the class." The program runs smoothly, and this ease is especially important given the amount of work piled on students; no one here has time to wade through bureaucratic red tape. As one MBA notes, "The administration provides exceptional service. It is well prepared for the needs of its classmates: Everything we need is available for us." And perhaps most important, "IAE has very good contacts with businesses in Latin America, and a very important aspect is that it provides us with internal and external mentors."

Students Say - Admissions
Applicants to the full-time MBA program at IAE must have at least three years of post-undergraduate work experience. The admissions department requires all of the following materials: official transcripts for all postsecondary academic work; an official GMAT score report (minimum acceptable score 550; IAE also offers its own skills exam which can be taken in lieu of the GMAT); a resume; personal essays; letters of recommendation; a completed application form; and, for students whose first language is not English, a minimum TOEFL score of 570 (paper-based test) or 230 (computer-based test). The admissions committee uses the above materials to screen candidates. Those deemed possible candidates for the program must undergo an admissions interview with an IAE professor and members of both the admissions and career management departments.

Students Say - Campus Life
IAE's campus "is located in Pilar, 50 kilometers from the capital" of Argentina, in a beautiful setting "with a lot of trees, grass, and greenery everywhere." Despite the bucolic setting, "you can find everything near the campus: a mall, restaurants, supermarkets, movies, gas stations, etc." Campus facilities include areas where students "can play soccer, tennis, and rugby during the two-hour lunch break." Big-city life isn't too far off, as "the campus is one hour away from Buenos Aires." Students note, however, that "since IAE's program is a one-year MBA, the workload is so heavy that there is very little time to do activities outside the classroom." Classes convene from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.; most students "study until 9:00 P.M., then have some dinner with friends," and then call it a day.

About 70 percent of IAE's students are Argentine; the remaining students come from other parts of Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Students are drawn from all sectors: marketing, banking, consulting, engineering, services, and even agriculture are represented here. About half the students consider themselves "young entrepreneurs," and nearly as many see themselves as "young, socially oriented professionals." Students generally "have great senses of humor, don't hesitate to help one another, and enjoy hanging out, drinking beer and wine, and watching movies."

Students Say - Careers
The Career Services Department at IAE works with students and companies to facilitate recruitment and placement. Students report, however, that "the department is underdeveloped, especially in the international job market." The alumni network, on the other hand, "is unbelievable," according to students; one reports, "I could speak to many important executives from the best companies of my country because they were alumni." Employers who have worked with IAE include Alto Parana SA, Arthur D. Little, Banco Galicia, Belise & Asociados, Bodegas Lagarde, CCBA SA, Citibank NA, Fiat Argentina, Ford Argentina, GE Capital Cia, Global Praxis, Hart Casares, Johnson & Johnson Medical SA, KPMG Consultores, Kraft Food Argentina, McKinsey & Company, Nestlé Argentina SA, Novartis Argentina SA, Sade Skanska Ingeniería y Construcciones SA, and The Walt Disney Company.

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