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[please_advise]

Greetings!

Not sure if this is the right forum for this request, but I could really use you advice on the following. 

A friend of the family lives in Prague & wants to get an undergraduate degree in business administration.  She would strongly prefer it to be recognizable/acceptable for employers in US and/or Western Europe.  Naturally, I tried to find US-based/accredited universities with programs in Prague, but was only able to find a few "for-profit"s  (e.g., The City University of Seattle) &  SUNY Empire State College & Teesside University from UK.

1. Would the degrees from these places be of value in looking for employment in US/UK ?  If so, which of these would be preferable?

2.  Are there any more traditional/prestigious US institutions offering such degrees anywhere in Eastern Europe?
(This friend is willing to move, but only if the quality of the degree is really worth it.)  E.g., the University of Pittsburgh has an "executive MBA" program in Prague, but nothing for the undergrads.

I'll be grateful for any feedback -- thanks in advance!

[sandgrounder]

What's wrong with the Czech University of Economics (VSE) in Prague? They have business degrees and a good reputation from what I've heard. Put it like this: a UK employer, I suspect, would prefer a degree from there than an outpost of Teeside university, which while it does have some strengths like animation and computer games, is normally found towards the bottom of UK university league tables. I'll leave it for Americans to comment on the US options.

[wegie]

Alternatively, what's wrong with an economics degree from the Charles University? Definitely preferable to Teesside.

[scotia]

I guess it depends on your friend's entry qualifications. If they are weak then Teesside might be a reasonable option. However, a business degree from the University of Teesside would probably have many UK employers reaching for a map to find out where Teesside is and whether it even has a university. (And before I get flamed, I have family connections with Teesside and witness the lack of familiarity first-hand.)

I agree that your friend would be better studying at a good Czech university - if s/he wants exposure to English language programs one option might be to look at spending a year abroad as part of his/her studies.

[please_advise]

Thanks to those who responded; this info is very helpful.

This family friend's plan was to attend a program where all lectures & seminars would be conducted in English.

I don't know for sure, but it seems that this is not the case in Charles University or the Czech University of Economics (VSE), right?

[I think that she had two reasons for this language/style preference:
firstly, her native language is not Czech and secondly, she thoughts (perhaps wrongly) that a British or American-style business admin program would carry more weight for potential employers in UK or US.]

[scotia]

[I think that she had two reasons for this language/style preference:
firstly, her native language is not Czech and secondly, she thoughts (perhaps wrongly) that a British or American-style business admin program would carry more weight for potential employers in UK or US.]

With a well known UK/US university that might be the case but, as an indicator, Teesside ranked 81 in the most recent UK university league tables published by The Times newspaper (69 in a similar ranking published by The Guardian). I am not a big fan of league tables, but they are something that employers look at. With the exception of one or two subjects (not business) Teesside is not a widely admired UK university - it is not even particularly admired in the region.

If your friend wants to study in an English language program can s/he not study in the UK? I had at least three students from the Czech Republic in my first year undergraduate class this year, and a number of others from Eastern Europe. Some of them struggled a bit with English but they were uniformly hard working. By the time they get to the final year I expect they will be among the best students.

[please_advise]

Thanks again for responding.

[I think that she had two reasons for this language/style preference:
firstly, her native language is not Czech and secondly, she thoughts (perhaps wrongly) that a British or American-style business admin program would carry more weight for potential employers in UK or US.]

...If your friend wants to study in an English language program can s/he not study in the UK?...

I am afraid the $$$ might be an issue here.
The local universities (which have agreements allowing them to award the diplomas of above mentioned British & American universities) charge under $10K in tuition per year.  I suspect that any decent place in UK would charge an international student much more than that.  (Am I wrong on this?)

Yes, I know that you get what you pay for.  But in "business administration" the perception seems to be at least as important as the reality.  So, she is simply trying to find the "best looking" diploma that she can afford.
 

I guess it depends on your friend's entry qualifications.

I honestly don't know how to judge the strength of her qualifications.  Probably "reasonably good" based on prior grades, etc.

[scotia]

If your friend is a citizen of an EU or other EEA country (and the Czech Republic is a member of the EU) or meets certain residency requirements she would pay the same tuition fees as UK students to study in the England, Northern Ireland or Wales. For the moment this fee is capped and is  cheaper than $10K (I think it is in the region of £3,300 for the coming academic year). I believe EU students also qualify for some student loans.

See

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/StudentsFromOtherEUCountries/DG_10035218

The situation in Scotland is a bit different, see

http://www.student-support-saas.gov.uk/student_support/eu_students/2001_or_later/index.htm

She would need to check the small print carefully, but I don't think there are any major exclusions if she meets the requirements.

[please_advise]

Alas, she is not considered an EU-resident & non-resident fees at UK universities seem to be beyond her budget.

I have communicated all the info that I found here & hopefully she is now better equipped to make a decision.
Once again -- thanks to everyone who voiced an opinion.