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Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a 2 year professional postgraduate course that provides students with a wide spectrum to choose their field of career from. MBA acts as a stepping stone for senior leadership roles by focusing on core financial and management subjects.
MBA can be pursued in various formats like Online MBA, Distance MBA, Integrated MBA and Executive MBA.
MBA Admission takes place through Entrance Exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, GMAT, MAH MBA CET etc. GMAT is beneficial for students who want to study MBA Abroad.
CAT is the most popular as well as the most difficult MBA Entrance Exam in India. More than 2 Lakhs students sit for CAT each year to get admission in IIMs and other B-Schools that accept CAT. Some colleges take Admissions for MBA courses without Entrance Exams.
MBA Entrance Exams take place between November and May followed by admission to B-Schools in India on the basis of marks obtained in these exams.
MBA Registrations are going on at this moment in various colleges based on the Entrance Exams that took place recently. MAH MBA CET Exam, which is conducted for MBA Colleges in Maharashtra is set to be conducted on August 23, 24, and 25, 2022. The last date to register for MAH MBA CET is May 11, 2022.
It is expected that the CAT 2022 exam will be held on the last Sunday of November 2022 in 3 slots.
Students will face different MBA eligibility criteria in different Entrance Exams they sit for.
Graduation is a must for any MBA Entrance Exam. CAT, SNAP and NMAT require students to have at least 50% in graduation.
There is no upper age limit or restriction on the number of times a student can sit for any exam.
MBA Specializations:
List of MBA Specializations in India, How to Choose, Best Colleges
In order to create value for its customers, produce and sell their product or service, organisations need to undertake following key functions:
>> Design, Research and Development
>> Production, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
>> Sales and Marketing Management
>> Human Resources Management
>> Financial Management
>> IT & MIS Management
Each of the functions need to work together for achieving organization’s goals and objectives. To put it simply, MBA education is a study of each of these functions so that MBAs can be effective managers after leaving the campus.
MBA Program teaches all these functions through its compulsory core course in first year of MBA because all MBAs should have the basic understanding of how business works. Having acquired this basic understanding of key functions,
MBAs select one or two areas of specialization based on their interest and job market. So, if you have chosen for MBA Specialization in Marketing, you will study specialized subjects in this area to deepen your understanding to help you get a job in Marketing area.
To cater to industry demand for specialized talent, MBA specializations in various industries like Banking & Finance, Insurance, Healthcare etc are also being offered.
This article written by MBAUniverse.com experts will give you latest information on following:
>> Types of Top MBA Specialization in India
>> List of Top MBA Specializations
>> Top MBA Colleges offering MBA Specializations
>> Jobs and Career for each MBA Specialization
>> How to choose the right MBA Specialization
>> Different Types of MBA Specializations in India:
>> MBAUniverse.com classifies MBA Specializations in following different types.
>> Most popular in the list of MBA specialization in India, include the Two-year full time MBA programs.
>> Short duration specialized Executive MBA programs are also becoming popular to gain specific industry relevant skills.
MBA Courses
MBA in Rural
MBA in Marketing
MBA in Finance
MBA HR (Human Resource)
MBA in International Business
MBA in Banking & Financial Services
MBA Business Analytics
MBA Family Business
MBA Healthcare Management
1. Two-Year Full-Time MBA Specializations
Regular MBA with 2nd year Specialization based on Function (For ex: MBA with Marketing specialization offered by IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, FMS Delhi). This is the most common type of MBA specialization in India.
Specialized MBA on one of the Functions (For ex: MBA in Finance offered by IIM Kozhikode; MBA in HR offered by XLRI, IIM Indore; or MBA International Business offered by IIFT). Many IIMs and other top B-schools offer this specialized MBA.
Specialized MBA on any Industry Sector (For ex: MBA in Banking & Financial Services by IMI, MBA in Insurance by BIMTECH or MBA in Healthcare by GIM Goa or MBA in Oil & Gas by UPES Dehradun)
Specialized MBA on a Special Interest (For ex: MBA in Entrepreneurship or MBA in Family Business Management offered by EDII Ahmedabad)
2. 1-Year Full-Time Specialized MBA or Post Graduate Certificate Program by top B-schools like MBA in Public Policy at IIM Bangalore and MBA in Business Analytics at Great Lakes.
3. Executive/Part Time On-Campus/Hybrid or Online Specialized MBA or Certificate Programs by Top B-schools & Universities like AMPBA at ISB;
PGDM Data Science at NMIMS Bengaluru, PGDM (BA) by IMT-CDL or M.Sc Business Analytics by BITS Pilani.
Given the different types of MBA Specialization, Universities and MBA
Colleges started offering more than 200 MBA specializations! To avoid confusion, in January 2020, the regulatory body All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
revised the names of all specializations into 73 categories. All B-schools are supposed to follow this guideline.
Top 10 MBA Specializations
If you want to know which are the most popular top MBA Specializations in India, here they are:
>> MBA Finance
>> MBA Marketing
>> MBA Human Resource Management
>> MBA International Business
>> MBA Banking & Financial Services
>> MBA Business Analytics
>> MBA Rural Management
>> MBA Healthcare Management
>> MBA Agri Business Management
>> MBA in Entrepreneurship & Family Business Management
We will be discussing each of these top MBA specializations in detail below. But before we do that, here is a quick guide on how to select the right specialization.
How to choose MBA Specialization? Key parameters
Which specialization is best in PGDM or in MBA? How to choose MBA specialization in second year of the course or should you join a full time specialized MBA program? Following parameters will help you in taking the right decision
Your Goals & Interest: If you are passionate about making a career in a particular area, you should assess your interest in the area of MBA specialization and opt for the program.
Job and Career Prospects: It is very important to check for the past placement record of the program to envisage the future career progression with the specialized MBA program.
Rankings & Reputation of MBA Colleges offering Specialization: MBA Specializations list is long and out of it, you need to choose the best colleges. So, before finalizing your admission check for the Accreditation, Ranking and Reputation of the B-school
1. MBA in Finance
MBA Specialization in Finance is a preferred specialization opted by the students to get excellence and groom leadership skills in the areas of Financial Management, Corporate Financial Planning, Corporate Acquisitions & Mergers, Accounting, Banking and Financial Management among others.
Those who wish to make finance management as their career after doing graduation in Commerce, Science, Humanities, or have done CA/CS/ICWA, or have engineering back ground, can opt for MBA specialization in Finance as there
is no specialized qualification bar to opt for MBA Finance. There is also no age bar to take admission in the MBA Finance programme.
While all 2-year Full-Time Regular MBA programs offer this specialization in second year of their program, there are a few top Institutes offering Specialized MBA in this area.
If you pursue General MBA in IIMs or other top B-schools, you can choose your specialization in the end of first year but if you are taking admission in the specialized MBA program, you choose your specialization on the day one of the
first year as you cannot change your specialized MBA program. So, before entering the MBA program, you should give a thought to the idea wh
ether you wish to choose your specialization after one year of study or want to pursue MBA in the pre-decided specialized area without leaving scope for change.
So, here is a list of Top MBA Specialization in India.
2. MBA in Marketing Management
Specialization in Marketing Management is traditionally preferred and is considered as the best MBA Specialization for future security as the demand for MBAs with Sales & Marketing skills never go down.
The Students who wish to get skills in the areas of Consumer Behaviour, Sales Management, Branding, Product Development, Market Research, Advertising & Communication, Services Marketing, Rural Marketing, Digital Marketing amongst others prefer specialization in Marketing Management.
Skills required by candidates to pursue MBA in Sales & Marketing degree are Mathematical Ability, Good Communication Skills, Analytical and Leadership Skills, Reasoning Skills and Problem-Solving Skills.
While all 2-year Full-Time Regular MBA programs offer this specialization in second year of their program, there are a few top Institutes offering Specialized MBA in this area.
If you pursue General MBA in IIMs or other top B-schools, you can choose your specialization in the end of first year but if you are taking admission in the specialized
MBA program, you choose your specialization on the day one of the first year as you cannot change your specialized MBA program.
So, before entering the MBA program, you should give a thought to the idea whether you wish to choose your specialization after one year of study or want to pursue
MBA in the pre-decided specialized area without leaving scope for change.
3. MBA in Human Resource Management (HRM)
MBA specialization in HRM is very much in demand by industry. Managing and retaining the best human resources at the work place has become a challenge and therefore the demand for candidates who have done MBA in HR is growing year after year in the corporate and industry.
With an increased recognition of the critical issues in managing human resources in business organizations, the MBAs in HR are in demand today for deploying their skills to hire, manage and retain talent in these dynamic & challenging times.
If you are the one who has keen interest to the most sensitive ‘Human’ side of an organization, the MBA HRM specialization is right choice for you. The program requires the Human Resource Manager to make sure that the
business organization has the required number of skilled people with the adequate knowledge about their work and organizational goals. The program has its primary objective to develop the critical skills, knowledge and a
sensitive HR Professional who can manage with ease - both core business and human resource related challenges.
While all 2-year Full-Time Regular MBA programs offer this specialization in second year of their program, there are a few top Institutes offering Specialized MBA in this area.
4. MBA International Business
MBA Specialization in International Business is the backbone of economic growth and those who get skilled in the MBA IB know well how the precious foreign currency could be earned for the country with best management skills. The program gives key understanding of the capabilities needed for international operations. It imparts skills on international marketing, finance, various international codes of conduct.
MBA IB, in fact is the MBA degree on multinational corporate. If you have keen interest in global operations, international exports and imports, you can pursue this Program.
While all 2-year Full-Time Regular MBA programs offer this specialization in second year of their program, there are a few top Institutes offering Specialized MBA in this area.
If you pursue General MBA in IIMs or other top B-schools, you can choose your specialization in the end of first year but if you are taking admission in the
specialized MBA program, you choose your specialization on the day one of the first year as you cannot change your specialized MBA program.
So, before entering the MBA program, you should give a thought to the idea whether you wish
to choose your specialization after one year of study or want to pursue MBA in the pre-decided specialized area without leaving scope for change.
If you pursue General MBA in IIMs or other top B-schools, you can choose your specialization in the end of first year but if you are taking admission in the
specialized MBA program, you choose your specialization on the day one of the first year as you cannot change your specialized MBA program. So, before entering
the MBA program, you should give a thought to the idea whether you wish to choose your
specialization after one year of study or want to pursue MBA in the pre-decided specialized area without leaving scope for change.
5. MBA in Banking & Financial Services
MBA specialization in Banking & Financial Services is one of the most sought after specializations as it caters to the growing needs of management professionals for Banking and Financial Services industry. The program is aimed to develop quality management professionals equipped with technical and managerial competency with a global mind set.
The program grooms students into immediately employable managers in core banking and financial services. Not only in India, but across the Globe the demand for the professionals with management skills and knowledge to demonstrate problem solving skills by understanding and defining the problems related particularly to banking and financial services, analyzing it and solving it by applying appropriate theories, tools and techniques, is rising.
If you have interest in Banking and Financial services, you can choose this specialization. While all 2-year Full-Time Regular MBA programs offer this specialization in second year of their program, there are a few top Institutes offering Specialized MBA in this area.
If you pursue General MBA in IIMs or other top B-schools, you can choose your specialization in the end of first year but if you are taking admission in
the specialized MBA program, you choose your specialization on the day one of the first year as you cannot change your specialized MBA program. So,
before entering the MBA program, you should give a thought to the idea whether you wish to choose your
specialization after one year of study or want to pursue MBA in the pre-decided specialized area without leaving scope for change.
MBA Admission Process
MBA Admission takes place mainly through Entrance exams. Entrance Exams for Master of Business Administration can be divided into 2 types, one is Entrance exams conducted by colleges and another type is entrance exams conducted by state governments.
Exam Type
National Level Tests
Description : Conducted by 1 apex body or a top national level institute on behalf of many other participating colleges. Exam Name : CAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA
State Level Tests : Conducted by state body or top B-school of a state conducting the exam for all participating colleges in a state.
MAH-CET, OJEE, KMAT, TANCET or APICET
Institute Level Tests The tests are conducted by a specific college for their own MBA Admission.
Sometimes these scores may be accepted by other MBA Colleges as well.
EXAM NAME : XAT, NMAT, SNAP, IBSAT
MBA Admission without Entrance exam is also possible through management quota. Students can go for direct admission in IIM after 12th through Integrated Program in Management (IPM).
Direct admission for Master of Business Administration is possible in certain colleges where students do not have to give any entrance exam initially.
MBA Eligibility
MBA qualification takes place through various MBA entrance exams. There are certain MBA Eligibility for these exams. The basic MBA Eligibility criteria are mentioned below.
They must have a minimum of 50% in graduation in order to study Master of Business Administration. Top institutes like IIMs and IITs ask for 60% in graduation. Learn More: Online MBA Eligibility
Students belonging to the reserved categories like OBC, SC and ST get 5% relaxation in the percentage asked in some MBA colleges.
After admission students are guided by the college to take the MAT exam.
MBA CET 2022
MBA CET refers to MAH CET Exam for MBA conducted by State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra.
Similar to other Entrance Exams for MBA, the eligibility criteria are that students must have completed 3 years of Bachelor’s
Degree in any discipline with at least 50% marks. MBA CET Entrance Exam will have 200 objective-type questions each having 5 options. Students will be awarded 1 mark
for each question with no negative marking. The MBA Entrance Exam syllabus will contain Abstract Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and Verbal Ability.
MBA CET 2022 Exam Date
MBA CET 2022 will be held on August 23, 24, and 25, 2022. The last date of registration is over
students will be able to apply for various MBA Colleges in Maharashtra after clearing MAH MBA CET 2022.
MBA Entrance Exam Syllabus
The MBA entrance Exam syllabus depends on the Entrance Exam for MBA. CAT contains 3 sections namely Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension,
Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude. But exams like MAT and CMAT contains 5. Thus students
will need to see the question pattern and syllabus of the particular MBA Entrance Exam he/she is sitting for.
MBA Syllabus
MBA Syllabus can be divided into 4 semesters. The MBA Syllabus is curated according to industry standards and helps the student get proper placements. The first semester and second semester deal mostly with theory and core subjects in MBA. There is a compulsory internship in the 4th semester.
MBA Subjects:
Business Economics
Accounting and Financial Management
Corporate Finance
Human Resource Management
Management of Change
Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Management Theory and Practice
Managing for Sustainability
Marketing Management
Research Methods
Strategic Management
India best MBA college
>>Indian Institute of Management Kolkata.
>> Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
>> Indian Institute of Management Bengaluru
>>Indian Institute of Management New Delhi
>>XLRI- Xavier School of Management Jamshedpur.
>>Indian Institute of Management, Indore
>>Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
>>XLRI Xavier School of Management
>>VGSOM IIT Kharagpur - Vinod Gupta School of Management
>>Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay
>>National Institute of Industrial Engineering
>>DoMS IIT Madras - Department of Management Studies
>>DOMS IIT Roorkee
WHAT IS PGDM? 7 CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT PGDM COURSE.
Have you just earned your undergraduate degree and are now looking forward to do an MBA? Or have you worked for a few years, gained a fair amount of work experience, and now wish to elevate your career to higher levels in management? When you explore your options for an MBA, you realize that there’s another name to MBA
courses offered by some of the business schools you’re aspiring for. Simply put, you come across the PGDM, which is a Diploma program in Management, whereas what you primarily seek is an MBA degree. The name might make you wonder if it’s really equivalent to an MBA or not. So what is PGDM? And how is it different (or similar) to an MBA degree? Let’s find out.
What is a PGDM course?
PGDM stands for Post Graduate Diploma in Management – a two-year business management program that caters to industry requirements, and helps management aspirants develop
relevant hard skills and soft skills to transform into an industry-ready management professional. The reason why it is a Diploma program and not a Degree is the fact that
only Universities governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) are permitted to award Degrees. Private business schools mainly governed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and standalone ones can award diplomas instead of degrees. Is it equivalent to an MBA? Absolutely!
We can safely say that PGDM programs add value beyond regular MBA curriculum, and that is what highly demanding recruiters look for.
What do MBA aspirants look for?
A high profile management job in a global organization is what most MBA aspirants aspire for. Many of them want jobs that would present ample opportunities to showcase their talent and skills, challenge their intellect and knowledge, and satisfy their ambitious streak. The PGDM program prepares them for this with courses on different business functions such as Marketing, Operations, Finance, Business Analytics,
HR & Organizational Behavior. The program also focuses on shaping progressive and mature leaders and therefore, also trains them in soft skills, team building and communication.
Choosing the right MBA or PGDM program
It is crucial that you, as an aspirant, pick the right program and the right B-school that suit your career needs. You must aim to get in to a top B-school in order to derive the maximum ROI from the two years you spend there. Going for a full time PGDM course is a huge investment and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, it is important that you make a well informed decision. The following 7 criteria can help you choose the best PGDM or MBA course for you:
Name of the B-school Location
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Indian Institute of Technology New Delhi
Xavier Labour Relations Institute Jamshedpur
Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai
S P Jain Institute of Management Mumbai
Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai
ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education Hyderabad
Rankings & Accreditations:
Accreditations such as AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS and NBA, awarded by national & international bodies, and are considered as a benchmark of overall
quality in the management education sphere. These accreditations take into account various aspects such as quality of faculty, curriculum,
infrastructure, teaching methodology and so on for benchmarking.
Rankings can also help in gauging the quality of a program. B-schools ranking are done by both Government as well as private bodies.
The NIRF ranking done by HRD ministry of India is a reliable source for this information. Rankings by publications such as Outlook India,
Business Today & BusinessWorld can also be considered.
Some of the top colleges in India, for pursuing PGDM programs, ranked under NIRF rankings 2020 are listed below:
Curriculum and Faculty:
A top notch PGDM program is known for its industry oriented curriculum.
For instance, businesses now-a-days are heavily data-driven and demand knowledge in emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Business Analytics, and Design Thinking. To stay ahead in the competitive and agile
business environment, any management professional must have a fair amount of knowledge in these areas.
Faculty who are actively involved in research and have a deep understanding of
the industry through experience offer a promising value proposition to students in the
form of relevance and innovative teaching techniques. You can openly explore the online faculty directory of various b-schools to access this information.
Alumni & Peer group:
One essential part of the MBA journey is the peer group. A good peer group must have students from diverse backgrounds
so they can bring different perspectives in the classroom. Look at class profiles of the current PGDM students of b-schools that you’re considering and
understand the myriad avenues available for you to learn.
Also, look up the alumni on the websites of these institutions or simply search for them on LinkedIn, see what they are doing,
connect with them and understand how the program has benefited them. It’s always a good idea to get in touch with a few alumni and students to get a first-hand
review of their experience.
Summer Internship and Live Project opportunities:
Summer Internships and live projects are intrinsic parts of a high quality PGDM course. Corporates hire students as interns and students get to work on
real-life business problems under the mentorship of experienced industry professionals. This hands-on experience provides an understanding of business processes,
and acts as a platform to apply and implement management concepts and models.
Students can also approach various companies, volunteer to work on a live consulting project and develop solutions to their business problem.
The value proposition is two-fold –
A: The students get a practical hands-on experience at performing necessary research, processing information and presenting
a viable solution to the company, and
B: The company gets an innovative out-of-the-box solution to their business needs, with fresh perspectives infused.
International Immersion/Student Exchange:
International exposure can add significant value to your MBA. A b-school that offers International Immersion or Student Exchange programs
increases the value proposition of its PGDM program manifold by providing an avenue for its students to experience the culture of a foreign land,
interact with people from different countries, understand their behavior and add a global perspective to their management skills.
Unique Proposition:
Identify what factors make the b-school stand out. For instance, MICA is a go-to institute for those who wish to pursue a PGDM in
strategic marketing and communications. The IIFT specializes in Foreign Trade. Great Lakes Institute of Management offers a complete
specialization in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Analytics and Blockchain to major in. This is where aspirants with specific goals in mind shortlist
b-schools into their consideration set. You must look out for such value propositions that will benefit your career objectives the in the long run.
Placement Reports:
This is the most sought-after parameter while choosing a PGDM course or an MBA offered by a particular b-school. Most commonly,
aspirants first look for the average, highest and lowest salaries offered. For many, the search stops there. While this is important in calculating the return
on investment, it’s not the only factor that needs to be taken into account. One must look at the companies that visit, the industries they represent, and the roles
they bring for the students. Also, go back to your alumni research and see where they have reached after a few years of graduating. This will paint a long-term picture of
how the program will actually benefit you.
The Great Lakes PGDM:
Great Lakes offers the two-year full time PGDM course at both campuses – Chennai and Gurgaon.
The Great Lakes PGDM provides a globally benchmarked curriculum, world class faculty and a peer group from diverse domains, which transforms young professionals
and high performing graduates into Business Ready Managers. Some of the highlights of the program include Karma Yoga – an Experiential Leadership program,
a fully mentored Empirical Study, Live Projects, an 8-week summer internship and significant industry interaction with thought leaders and CXOs.
The institute also offers a semester abroad at University of Bordeaux, France and IÉSEG School of Management, P
aris and Lille at the end of 2nd year. The Great Lakes PGDM is approved by AICTE and has the prestigious global accreditation from AMBA (UK)
at both campuses, along with the NBA accreditation as well for Chennai campus. For its PGDM program, Great Lakes accepts GMAT/CAT/XAT/CMAT scores and shortlists
on the merits of the overall profile of a candidate.
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