Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica, also known as UNEM or Business University of Costa Rica, is a private university in the city of
San José, Costa Rica. It is approved by the Consejo Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Universitaria Privada, the national council of higher education of Costa Rica,
[Lista de Universidades Privadas aprobadas por el CONESUP]
(in Spanish). Ministerio de Educación Pública: Consejo Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Universitaria Privada (national council of higher education). Accessed October 2014. to award
undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...
s in
accounting and
business administration, and
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. s in business administration.
[Nombre Universidad: 38 - Empresarial de Costa Rica]
(in Spanish). Ministerio de Educación Pública: Consejo Nacional de Enseñanza Superior Universitaria Privada (national council of higher education). Accessed October 2014.
The degree programs offered by UNEM are not among those accredited by the Sistema Nacional de Acreditación de la Educación Superior (SINAES), the national accreditation agency of Costa Rica.
[Instituciones miembros del SINAES]
(in Spanish). Sistema Nacional de Acreditación de la Educación Superior. Accessed December 2014. SINAES offers a voluntary accreditation process to Costa Rican Universities and accredits degree programs rather than universities. Nineteen of the fifty-eight Costa Rican universities are accredited by SINAES.
UNEM is authorized by the Asesoria Legal del Ministerio de Educación No. ATJ-167-CONESUP to operate internationally, to offer international programs, and to grant bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees with agreements with foreign universities
In 2013 the university was described by ''
The Costa Rica Star'' as "infamous" for its involvement in several
diploma mill
A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fake ...
allegations, in cases where students paid to receive degrees without following a course of study.
[Jaime Lopez (12 August 2013)]
Quality of Education and Cost of Tuition Increase in Costa Rica: Sham Universities
''The Costa Rica Star''. Accessed December 2014. The university has awarded
PhD degrees to people in Germany and the United States.
[ A 2008 investigation by '' Der Spiegel'' failed to find any legitimate campus or professors associated with UNEM.][
]
History
UNEM was founded in 1992 as an international graduate school, and acquired its present name and status in 1997.[Business University of Costa Rica]
International Association of Universities: Worldwide Database of Higher Education Institutions, Systems and Credentials. Accessed October 2014.
The university reported no graduates in 2007, and enrolled no students in 2010; it may be inactive.[Silvia P. Castro (2010)]
Costa Rican higher education, its universities and students
. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania. Accessed December 2014.
Hun Sen
Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...
, the Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
n prime minister, was made an "Honorary Professor of Diplomatic and International Relations" in July 2008.Biography of Hun Sen
/ref>
Also in 2008, Yahya Jammeh, president of The Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
, was awarded an Universidad Empresarial honorary professorship in traditional medicine by the International Parliament for Safety and Peace, a private Italian organisation.[Office of the Gambian President (19 November 2008)]
Officials of International Parliament for Safety and Peace Present Three International Awards to President Jammeh
State House, Republic of the Gambia. Accessed February 2015.
Rankings
Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica was not among the five hundred top universities world-wide in the ''Times Higher Education'' World University Rankings for 2014–15,[World University Rankings 2014-2015]
Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Accessed February 2015. nor among the top five hundred in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2014.[Academic Ranking of World Universities 2014]
Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Accessed February 2015. It was not among the eight hundred universities in the QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
for 2014,[QS World University Rankings 2014/15]
QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Accessed February 2015. nor is it among the thirteen Costa Rican universities listed by Quacquarelli Symonds.[All Results]
QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Accessed February 2015.
In the 2012 Classbase rating of web presence, it was not among the top one hundred universities in Latin America;[Top 100 Universities in Latin America]
Foreign Credits Inc. Accessed February 2015. it was rated eleventh of the thirteen universities listed for Costa Rica.[Universities in Costa Rica]
Foreign Credits Inc. Accessed February 2015.
References
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Universities in Costa Rica