Catolica Portuguesa Universidade

Age: 39

History: The School of Economics and Business Administration has been teaching management programmes since 1972, so it has a reasonable amount of clout on the international business school scene. This was consolidated when the postgraduate school was founded in 1991 and the MBA programme was launched. 2009 marked the beginning of the Lisbon MBA, a full-time international programme organised in collaboration with Nova de Lisboa and MIT Sloan School of Management.

Address: The MBA programme facilities are shared between Faculdade de Economia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Catolica Portugesa. They are located in the centre of Lisbon.

Ambience: The atmosphere is competitive and challenging, with students getting the chance to interact with international professors and leading business executives. The Lisbon MBA believes in a personalised relationship with students, drawing out the individual strengths of each student while learning.

Vital statistics: The Lisbon MBA is a brand new joint-venture between Nova and FCEE Católica – the leading business schools in Portugal. This partnership includes an International Full Time MBA – in partnership with MIT’s prestigious Sloan School of Management and a Part Time MBA. The Lisbon MBA is framed with an international outlook and a strong focus on interpersonal competences and leadership that provides a platform where talented, ambitious and high-flying students from all over the world may meet and engage in active learning, interacting with top notch faculty. The Lisbon MBA programs are taught entirely in English, with several international students and professors.

Added value: The Lisbon MBA allows students to gain a qualification in business and economics from two of the most prestigious academic institutions in Portugal. The two schools are both accredited by EQUIS and AMBA, and both place great importance on research.

FCEE is nowadays recognised as a leading Management and Economics school in Portugal Católica and accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB. Innovation and modernisation are permanent goals in order to keep up with the modern scientific theories and techniques and also with society’s needs.

Easy to get into? You'll need a first academic undergraduate degree, a minimum of three years work experience and be proficient in English. Candidates must complete an online application and submit the required essays, GMAT, TOEFL scores and two recommendations letter. We assess candidates individually through personal interview where we are looking for students with motivation, personality and maturity and eager to learn and contribute to the diversity of the student group.

Glittering alumni: Prior to the introduction of The Lisbon MBA, alumni included: Nuno Duarte, president, Microsoft Portugal; João Couto, vice-president and partner, AT Kearney; Fernando Neves de Almeida, country president, Boyden.

International connections: The Lisbon MBA full-time international programme has a partnership with MIT Sloan School of Business in the USA. The part-time programme has exchange agreements with schools from all over the world, from Scandinavia to Africa, Asia and North and South America.

Student profile: Majority of students between 26 and 35 years old, and 38 per cent come from engineering backgrounds. Only 18 per cent of students are women.

Cost: Fees for The Lisbon MBA Full-Time Program 2010 are €33,000, payable in three installments. This investment includes courses, required cases and other educational materials, as well as travel to and accommodation at MIT. The part-time MBA costs €21,000.

Return on investment: The leadership and management training offered by The Lisbon MBA, plus the networking and international opportunities provided by our Program, will be invaluable assets as you grow in your career.

Who's the boss? Professor Fátima Barros and Professor José Correia Machado are the deans of the program.

Prospectus: +351 213 822 720; www.thelisbonmba.com; info@thelisbonmba.com