World | India
Get ahead of the rest
India is home to many globally recognised and cost-effective MBA programmes that provide you with a competitive edge
- By Claire Glasby | Gulf News Report
- Published: 18:57 August 14, 2010
It is a competitive world out there, and more students than ever are opting to undertake a Master of Business Administration degree, or MBA, to give them the edge. A globally recognised qualification, it is considered a marker for excellence — an indication of leadership abilities, practical business skills and the intelligence to survive such an intense academic programme.
“Considering the recession and its effect on the global economy and job market, now is the ideal time to study,” says Padma Chandran, a recent MBA graduate of India’s SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai. “Even if it is just for a year, if you can afford to do it, get educated so that better opportunities will come along.”
In India alone, there are more than 1,600 institutions offering the MBA or Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) equivalent, including top universities, technical colleges and private business schools. The subcontinent boasts some of the best MBA programmes in the world — a 2009 report by QS Global Recruiters, as voted by leading international employers, ranked a number of Indian institutions in the world’s top 200 for MBAs, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Calcutta, as well as the Indian Institute of Business, the SP Jain Institute of Management and Delhi University. And alongside the cream of home-grown talent, foreign students are also choosing to make Indian business institutions their alma mater.
The smartest MBA destination
“If you look at India as a destination for study it is better,” says Rohit Manchangda, Head of Corporate Communications, The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM). “If you want to learn all about business and economics, it has to be in a country which is driving this forward and influencing the rest of the world.”
Dr B. Ramjee, Director, Manipal University’s Dubai campus, agrees. “With India’s population and economy booming at a rapid pace, the market has grown as one of the most important in the world,” he says. “An MBA from India is also relatively cost-effective and international students who want to enhance their marketability can do it affordably and with a rounded approach to their international business experience.”
Indeed, an MBA from a top Indian institution can turn out to be considerably cheaper than other top international colleges. For example, the flagship two-year post-graduation programme at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIMA) will cost around $27,000 (about Dh99,180), inclusive of all costs except food. Compare this to the two-year MBA programme at Harvard University, where the cost of tuition for the class of 2012 amounts to $48,600, not including an additional $4,850 programme-support fee for course materials, plus a further estimated $10,800 for accommodation and utilities.
But do the benefits of an MBA outweigh the costs? Definitely, says Syed Azam, a former MBA student at Manipal University in Dubai. “Before my MBA from Manipal University, Dubai, I was working at a mid-management level. Today I am employed as an operations manager at a multi-national organisation.”
Padma Chandran, who studied for an Executive MBA alongside her day job, agrees. “It’s certainly an advantage to have an MBA on your resume,” she says. “Employers will consider you more as compared to other candidates.”
Whether students choose to extend their studies with an MBA, or view it as a stepping stone to a change in career, the rigorous two-year MBA course can help develop innate potential and strengthen prospects for career advancement, adds Dr Ramjee.
For many, another key reason for opting to study an MBA in India is global reach, from networking opportunities with an international student body, to visiting faculties and student exchange programmes.
“When we talk about globalisation, it is not only about giving exposure to your students, but also an exchange programme for the faculty, where you can join hands with other institutions and foreign universities for research,” says Professor Ashish Bhattacharya, Chairman of Admissions, IIM Calcutta. “At IIM-C we also offer student exchange programmes — large numbers of our students go outside of the country every year, and there are foreign students who come here for one term.”
Indian institutions in Dubai
For potential management students in Dubai, there are a number of institutions offering the MBA or PGPM programme, which are affiliated with Indian colleges and universities, and targeted at expatriates: the IIMA offers its Executive Education programmes from its offices in Knowledge Village. Pune University, Mahatma Gandhi University of Kerala and Manipal University in Karnataka have campuses in Dubai; and the private SP Jain Management Institute and BITS Pilani also offer a range of MBA programmes.
There are also distance learning programmes geared towards Dubai-based MBA students: the Indian Institutes of Management from Calcutta and Kozhikode both operate an innovative ‘Interactive Distance Learning Platform’, complete with live broadcast video, two-way audio and data interactivity. However or wherever you choose to study for your MBA, it is an investment that is sure to pay high returns.
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