ENEB Master Thread

[cacoleman1983]

I think that a lot of bickering over Universidad Isabel I – ENEB is basically the result of forum members looking at the issue from two completely different starting points.

First starting point: UI1/ENEB degree is primarily a higher education credential and should be judged as such. (expectation: If I don’t get a good evaluation, the higher education credential is worthless, close to worthless, or overhyped).

Second starting point: UI1/ENEB degree is primarily an employment credential and should be judged as such. (expectation: If I don’t get the employment credential recognized as equivalent to a bona fide higher education credential in my country, it’s not a big deal. It can still serve the employment function).

The people who take the second starting point (myself included) do not deny that the degree may also secondarily function as a higher education credential and possibly give those extra benefits (credit transfer, recognition by other schools, admission to degree programs, doctoral degree entry, etc.), but see those benefits only as an extra possibility, something that isn’t guaranteed to those who enroll in the program. These benefits aren’t provided in Spain, for example.

It seems to me that if you take the first starting point, you are much more likely to be seriously disappointed when you start hearing about some U.S. or Canadian credential evaluation agencies turning the degree down and listing it as unaccredited.

So, is there a good reason to prefer the second starting point? I believe so. Paradoxically, the reason is given by credential evaluation agencies themselves!

Notice how the representatives of the most strict credential evaluation agencies, those that do not recognize the Spanish titulo propio degree as equivalent to any U.S. or Canadian degree-level credential, speak about it:

The [fill in the blank} school is “a private entity that awards degrees and diplomas which exist outside the official titles sanctioned by the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) in Spain. Because the School operates outside the purview of the MOES, these degree titles are not officially sanctioned by the government of Spain, and are not officially recognized, though they are valued by private employers…ACEI finally confirmed, after corresponding with the issuing institution, that this is a título propio program, which most evaluators agree are designed for employment purposes, not higher education.” (Source: https://www.scholaro.com/newsletters/The...l-2016.pdf).

Great points here!   The ENEB degree was not designed for higher education.    We are lucky to get any recognition outside of non-accredited or "no recognition" from any foreign credential evaluators as any accreditation through Universdidad Isabel I for transfer credit or degree recognition of any kind actually gives the degree more weight than what it was designed for.   In some ways, ENEB is designed to be like a MOOC that mimics a degree but the coursework itself allows for some level of accreditation and recognition for academic purposes.  Either way, the cost of the degree is an absolute steal.

As far as employment purposes, the US, UK, and Canada are quite similar to Spain in many ways. Employers in the private sector only care rather or not your degree is legitimate and can be verified. Accreditation while important will likely be viewed secondarily provided you can prove your aptitude for the job. Also, trainings and professional development in general can be met through a non-accredited degree. Putting a Master Propio on a resume, CV, or LinkedIN profile as just a Masters degree even though non-accredited will likely render the same results for job prospects and hiring outcomes here in the USA for private industries as it would in Spain.