Óscar Martínez Tapia

Oscar’s expertise comes from various academic and professional experiences. His undergraduate years were spent studying political science and sociology at Complutense University of Madrid. He admits to enjoying every minute of those seven years and to becoming a self-proclaimed nerd. He then spent a year full of books, music and friends in vibrant Manchester while earning a master’s degree in international relations. He moved on to spend one year researching at Lund University in Sweden, and then returned to his undergraduate alma mater to work toward his doctorate.

Soon after returning to Madrid, Oscar felt the need to go abroad again. He moved to the south of Los Angeles for a two-year stint at UC Irvine as a Democracy Fellow, and then transferred to Harvard University for three years before finally completing his doctorate in Madrid. He then began his teaching career and loves extending his experience, passion and knowledge to his students every day.

Hard work is something that was instilled in Oscar at a young age. In order to be independent, his generation had to take on various side jobs from washing dishes to serving drinks in bars. Oscar was no stranger to extra work: he worked as a teaching assistant in California and as a teaching fellow at Harvard. Oscar also opened a trendy bar in Madrid with his two best friends. But his most notable side job was working as a communication advisor for the Spanish government. He wrote speeches for the Spanish politician Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega. He recalls this experience with pride, stating that she is a wonderful and powerful woman. That firsthand experience of real policymaking, combined with his decades of teaching, puts him in "an interesting position to explain current trends."

Oscar began his teaching career with IE University in 2017. He teaches full-time, but every once in a while will do some consulting work. He loves the diversity and support offered at IE University and believes that it’s one of the best universities in Spain, claiming that teaching here was an obvious choice. Throughout his time at IE University, Oscar has noticed that the students are hardworking and perform at a high academic standard. He teaches in Madrid and in Segovia and is happy to learn more every day himself while experiencing the best of both IE University worlds.

As a political science professor, Oscar is able to help students make practical connections to the professional world. But he also teaches political theory and philosophy, where he pushes students to think beyond their comfort zones and really dive into new ideas about life and the world around them. He strives to leave a lasting impact on both students’ personal and professional lives.

Connecting the dots across business and politics

Today, as Academic Director of the Bachelor in Political Science, Oscar also brings that impact to students of the Dual Degree in Business Administration + Political Science. In his view, the political and business landscapes are more intertwined than ever, and it’s practically impossible to divide the two worlds. Many politicians come from business backgrounds, while businesses have become deeply political. "Politics has become the art of making business possible, and business increasingly is the projection of political ideals," he explains.

Understanding both is the only way to make sense of how policy is made and what drives business success. For Oscar, these aren’t obscure theories; they have real consequences for millions of people, shaping democracy, rights and prospects for a better future.

His teaching starts with an open mind. Oscar challenges his students to think critically, connect the dots creatively and take risks within a controlled class environment. "We teach students to make better mistakes," he says. "Because if you’re not ready to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original and of value." At its core, he describes his approach as humanistic, almost like a return to the Renaissance. Technology is a valuable tool, and IE University has state-of-the-art resources. But it cannot think for us. "We think like humans for humans."

The classroom itself is part of the method. Professors arrive from diverse backgrounds, both geographically and professionally. Their experience blends with a student body comprising 140 nationalities, with at least 30 represented in a single class. The result? "Students excel. Professors grow. And the world benefits."

He often tells his students that they’ll get jobs by putting the dots together, which means being a "specialist in nothing." That interdisciplinary mindset is increasingly valuable, as the private and public sectors are no longer separate arenas. "Many graduates will have to invent their own jobs, first looking at the big picture and then working down to the details of implementation," he says. Doing so takes hard work, but Oscar believes there has never been a better time to have a "multidisciplinary brain."

Oscar believes the key to success is found within. Hard work, empathy, generosity, a global vision, respect, tolerance and constantly questioning yourself will make you a well-rounded person able to achieve your goals. His advice to future students is to approach IE University’s unique learning experience fearlessly and with an open mind, ready to change yourself and the world around you. "You’ll be in good hands here."