Instituto de Empresa Business School

As Europe's third largest city, Madrid’s geographic location makes it a cultural crossroads, offering a wealth of history in its architecture and traditions, as well as breathtaking modernity. Its offerings include a world-class cultural heritage, such as the extraordinary artistic riches of the so called 'Golden Triangle' of three world-class art museums the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid is a dynamic city and there is always something going on, such as exhibitions, concerts, sports tournaments, etc. Students also enjoy a vast range of tourist activities and sports facilities both in the city and surrounding areas. Being a Spanish hub due to its centric location in the country, you can travel anywhere in Spain, as each city has its own cache whether you are seeking sports, cultural or social events.

The people of Madrid are known for their zest for life. The city's restaurants, cafes and theatres, coupled with major shopping areas and malls that host everything from top international designers to exquisite local specialties, make the city a hub of activity both day and night.

Wherever you are based, we are sure that at some point you have been exposed to the Spanish culture, whether it is exquisite Spanish cuisine, the Latin culture, the famous Spanish football teams or Spanish music bands. The Spanish culture is vivid and alive and Madrid will definitely represent the experience of Spain with its cultural richness, as well as its Mediterranean spirit.

The year-long passage in Madrid also offers the possibility to develop your Spanish language and non verbal communication skills or reach a level of proficiency within a professional setting through daily life and the opportunity of Spanish language classes, the world's second business language. With the Spanish courses offered at IE as well as the opportunity to take electives in Spanish, you could graduate from the program being bilingual!

Explore more about life in Madrid!

The downtown campus, located in the heart of the financial district of Madrid, provides students with the proximity to interact and network throughout the program with Spanish and multinational business communities, as well to take part in the activities taking place downtown. The intensive cultural experience of living in the vibrant capital of Spain and living the Spanish ways of life will transform your perspective and broaden your capacity for adaptation.

To see how to get to IE, click here.

The expansion of IE within the Salamanca District has created a sort of “IE neighborhood”. IE has more than 20 different facilities in this area of the city including Computer Labs, a physical and virtual Libraries, easy to access as wireless connection is available across campus.

To take a virtual tour around campus, click here.

Visiting the campus prior joining the program is highly recommended as you will directly feel whether or not you it is the right fit for you. We organize several on campus events, including a Campus Tour almost every Friday, and we will be very happy to meet you at any of our next events.

As soon as you decide to come to Madrid, the Student Office’s team will make your transition as smooth as possible. Once you confirm your place for a specific intake, you will have access to the Campus Online, the platform where all the crucial information will be posted throughout the program. The campus online will contain information regarding:

Visa Process

The Campus Online will contain all the information you will need to go through in your country prior to your arrival to Madrid, including the IE certificate needed to request your visa.

Intensive Spanish Course

Classes are provided prior to program commencement for all students of full-time programs at IE (free of charge) and for IE partners (paying a small fee). In this course you can learn all the vocabulary needed in the first few weeks in Madrid. It is a fun course and targets students with little to no level of Spanish. It is also a good opportunity to start networking with students enrolled in other IE Master programs, enjoy the long weekends traveling around Spain or Europe, and put into practice what you learn in the course while you are apartment hunting.

Accommodation Database

Looking for an apartment is demanding especially when you do not speak the language! However, the student office provides you with an access to the accommodation database where they post all apartment offers they receive, whether around the school or in other neighborhoods, to meet each students’ needs. The intensity of the program and the location of the school has made the IE neighborhood, students’ favorite place to live. Even though most of the students tend to live in the area, others opt for other options such as Malasaña, Chueca, La Latina, etc. The student office has developed an accommodation database where enrolled students can look for their own apartment prior to their arrival to Madrid. Once you complete the enrollment process, you will have access to this database and start planning!.

Student Clubs

The Student Office coordinates and supports extracurricular activities which take place at IE and which contribute so greatly to the IE experience. These events and clubs present you with a great opportunity to network outside of class and meet people that you may not otherwise meet within the classroom. Some of these clubs and activities are the following:

• Academic Clubs (Including the Entrepreneurs' Club, Finance Club, Women in Business, IE Net Impact, and the Marketing Innovations Club etc.)
• Sports Clubs (Including the IE Football League, the Basketball Club, Tennis Club, and the Sailing Club etc.)
• National/Regional Clubs (Including Venezuelan Club, Japanese Club, Africa Club, etc.)
• Social and Leisure Activities (Including IE Partners' Club, Gourmet Club, IE Out, and Bar of the Week etc.)

IE Partner’s Club

Student Office events and clubs are open not only to IE students, but also to their families as well. The Partner's Club in particular is geared towards ensuring that family members or partners get the most out of the IE Experience. The IE Partner’s Club works to make this transition easier for those accompanying IE students on the next step in their careers, and helps them get the most out of the experience too, with family members developing a lasting circle of friends and a network that often lasts a lifetime.

IE’s Partners’ Club strives to help both adults and children alike get the most out of the IE Experience. The integration of partners in the IE experience is key and that is why they can join the intensive Spanish classes (paying a small fee) and kick off their journey in Madrid just like students! They will receive an ID card to access all of the different on campus facilities (including the library and computer lab) and the discounts in the different organizations and events that IE has gathered for its students.

Student Office events and clubs are open not only to IE students, but also to their families as well. The Partner's Club in particular is geared towards ensuring that family members or partners get the most out of the IE Experience. The IE Partner’s Club works to make this transition easier for those accompanying IE students on the next step in their careers, and helps them get the most out of the experience too, with family members developing a lasting circle of friends and a network that often lasts a lifetime.

Global Village

Every year in May, the IE Community enjoys the diversity of its students during the Global Village.

Hosted by IE´s Net Impact Club, the student social responsibility club, the event celebrates the cultural understanding and diversity of the more than 80 nationalities that are enrolled at the IE Business School.

Students enjoy food, drinks, dancing, singing and other traditions from countries all over the world, all prepared (or performed!) by students across all IE programs.

During the core part of the program your day will start at 9am and you will have classes until 3pm with a short break of 30 minutes. Every day you will have 3 classes (1 hour 20 minutes each) and 1 hour assigned to work with your study group. In the afternoon you will continue to meet with your group again for discussing some cases or preparing presentations. You may also choose to attend one of the events or conferences organized by IE Business School or by the clubs. You have a range of possibilities but it’s up to you to make the most of the IE experience!