IIAB HSE: One Course, Three Diplomas

To start the new academic year teachers, students, graduates and big company representatives gathered at the HSE’s International Institute of Administration and Business (IIAB) to review the first year of study and to discuss ways of developing their courses.

The IIAB offers two programmes: Master in European business which it teaches with the European Business School ESCP and Master de droit économique français/européen. Unlike other similar courses the Master in European Business can give grants for study abroad in Europe and offers a choice - Russian students can study in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid or Turin and Europeans can go to China, India, Mexico or Thailand.

IIAB has finished teaching its first selection of students on the Master in European Business programme. Now the students only have to complete their internships in international companies in Russia or abroad. 'It’s vital that we live up to the international accreditation requirements of the programme laid out by AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB and primarily, that concerns the practical nature of the course,' said Irina Maltseva. 'At the same time, we want to keep its particular Russian flavour - a more academic approach where students gain a broad professional grounding as well as studying real cases.'

There were eight Russians and nine students from France, Germany, Italy and Britain on the course last year. They are all now on their internships. The German student is working for a German company in Russia. Some seized the opportunity to get a diploma from the Berlin Economic School, by staying there for three months for their study abroad.

The French government awarded grants to six of the Russian students to study in Paris for a year and one female student went on a grant to Luxembourg University. They will all receive diplomas from the European universities they attend. 'Our teacher, Samuel Hutchinson has made a major contribution to getting students on to study abroad programmes and helping them apply for funding. He gives teaching seminars and oversees cooperation between Paris and Luxembourg,' said IIAB Director Irina Maltseva.

Unlike other similar courses the Master in European Business can give grants for study abroad in Europe and offers a choice - Russian students can study in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid or Turin and Europeans can go to China, India, Mexico or Thailand.

The new IIAB course, Master de droit économique français/européen - Master in French and European Economic Law - is a redesigned version of an HSE Law Faculty programme devised with the University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne. After they transferred it to the IIAB last year the HSE signed a new accord with Paris 1 to establish two essentially new agreements.

'This agreement means we can and are already taking students from other Russian universities - MGIMO, the RF Financial University, the Academy of Jurisprudence, Moscow State Law University, and we’ve signed an agreement with the Academy of Foreign Trade to work on the programme together,' Irina Maltseva explained. 'The second important thing we’ve agreed on is to allow not just law students but economics and management students for example to take this specialisation too. This means that when they finish the two year course (plus a year of language training and preparation for classes with French professors who come from Paris to teach Economic Law), all our students take three diplomas away with them - a diploma from their home university, an HSE Diploma of professional training in French and European Economic Law and a Master 1 diploma from the University of Paris 1, Pantheon Sorbonne.'

With the Master 1 diploma you can start the second year of a highly competitive Master’s on Private International Law and Business Law in Paris to achieve a National French Master’s Diploma in Law.'

The IIAB at HSE works with Total, Schneider Electric, The Russian branch of GDF-Suez (Gaz de France) BNP Paribas, Renault and other major international companies which, inspite of the complex international situation continue to cooperate with the Institute. 'They organise master classes, present cases for group projects and organise open days in their companies for students,' Irina Maltseva explained. 'IIAB’s membership of the Franco-Russian chamber of commerce and European Association of Business help to develop our partnerships.'

Student impressions of the Master in European Business programme  

Denis Belyavtsev (HSE student on the ESCP Europe campus in Turin)

'Combining study in Russia and abroad helps to achieve a balance between our approach and the European one to education. In Russia the tendency is to be more academic, with an emphasis on the historical side of issues and how problems have been solved. In Europe it’s almost exclusively about cases and practice.' 

Vsevolod Batishchev, studied at HSE and ESCP Europe in London, Madrid and Berlin where he received a German MSc.

'An important part of the course was the Company Project which counted as an exam. We were put into international mini-groups (3-5 people) to solve cases from real companies. The way our work was organised varied from campus to campus - in London we worked for three months intermittently but in Madrid we worked every day for three weeks.'

Ekaterina Dmitrakova, HSE and ESCP Europe in Madrid

'The Master in European Business is a great opportunity to study in two different countries and get to know the culture and approaches to teaching in Europe. I chose the Moscow - Madrid track. Overall I wasn’t disappointed, I learnt a lot which I’ll find useful in any management job.'

Aram Avetisyan, HSE and London

'MBA programmes take two years and cost a ridiculous amount of money. So I decided to take the Master in European Business which is basically the same as an MBA but cheaper and shorter because it’s more intensive. I got everything that I had hoped for and maybe more. My intuitive guesses about business are now backed up with some quality education and I have a strong feeling that my knowledge is well-structured. I am confident now that I can solve any business problem.

Besides, I got to meet some great people from all over the world, have acquired some lovely friends and unforgettable experiences of living abroad.'