Choosing the best PGDM course

MET: Choosing the best PGDM course

Undergraduate students often have a single question ahead of them, should they go in for an MBA or a PGDM course. While both these are excellent options, they become extremely difficult to choose between quite simply because not too many people know the difference between the two or, because they’re just confused. Let’s simplify the process one step at a time.

Step 1: PGDM or MBA: The basic difference between the two is that one is a diploma, that is granted on the successful completion of a syllabus that is formulated by an autonomous institution. An MBA on the other hand is a degree handed out on completing a course, by a college, through a university. The syllabus of an MBA course is more or less standard and varies very slightly depending on the specialisation chosen in the second year. A PGDM on the other hand is a highly specialised syllabus that aims at creating knowledgeable, skilled professionals who are at the top of their game, when it comes to that particular specialisation. This makes the PGDM course a sought after one, for the fact that students passing out of it are highly trained in a skillset and it makes them perceivably more indispensable than similar pros in the field.

Step 2: Choosing the best PGDM courses: Here’s the lowdown on how to choose the best PGDM course for your skillset.

●        Determine your skills: An aptitude test will clear that out for you in a technical sense, but by the time you reach graduation, you already have a working, instinctive knowledge of the career path you’d like to follow. Basing your decision on your instincts, after getting them validated from near and dear ones, professional colleagues and even professors is the right way forward.

●        Follow industry developments: Having an idea ofwhat is happening in the industry of your interest is an edge to have inchoosing the correct PGDM course. Industry developments will often times decide the course and demand for a certain type of professional which will help you understand and mould yourself into one, with the help of the right PGDM course.

●        Inquire about institutes: Always remember that the reputation, quality of faculty and even the infrastructure the institute offers is about as important as the course itself. Make it a point to draw up a shortlist of the topmost institutes in your field of interest and make pointed inquiries about the parameters laid out earlier. This will enable you to make the right choice for yourself.

Choosing the correct PGDM course isn’t rocket science, but there are a few things that can help clarify things in the minds of prospective students. We hope you find our list helpful, as always we await your feedback in the comments below.

MET.edu: Choosing the right PGDM College

MET.edu: Choosing the right PGDM College

A new academic year brings with it throngs of students who are hopeful of making it to the creme-de-la-creme of management institutes. But with competition so stiff in the various entrance exams, that even those who appear in the top hundred percentile, are unsure of making it to the top colleges. The criteria then becomes not one of which course to choose, but of the college you need to go to, because that matters just as much, if not more than the former. Here’s a ready reckoner of the things you need to keep in mind when choosing the PGDM college that is best for you.

1. The reputation of the college: Always ask your seniors, peers, former students, teachers and market pros about the colleges in your spectrum of consideration. Based on the reviews you receive from these trusted sources make your own list, narrowed down to the top 3 colleges based on their reputation. Sure the degree is issued by the AICTE or relevant university, but the college with its aura and perception is what will truly get a prospective employer’s attention.

2. Diploma or degree: Once you’ve figured out the college you want to go to, you need to figure out if you want to do a diploma (postgraduate), or a degree. The difference between the two is that an MBA degree is a more generalised course that helps leaders of tomorrow get a broad based spectrum of how businesses run, while a diploma is for those who want to immerse themselves into one particular specialisation.

3. Duration of the course: There are some colleges that offer a truncated 1 year MBA which often results in the students having to spend up to 16 hours studying daily. While there’s nothing wrong with the same, a 2 year MBA is preferable if you’d like to study in an unhurried manner and make connections that endured for a longer period.

4. Faculty: The faculty of a PGDM college are like the face of the college to the world, after all it is through their reputation that the college gets noticed. A great way to determine if a college is a good one is to take a cursory glance at their faculty and heads of departments. Ask past students and people in the know and make a careful consideration of the faculty, before enrolling to a PGDM institute.

5. Facilities and campus: Another important indicator of how progressive a college is, is its facilities, infrastructure and campus. The college infrastructure is a precursor to the facilities that a student might expect when he joins the corporate world. Therefore, high speed data connections, well stocked libraries and of course lawns and unwind areas for recreation, are an important consideration when thinking of enrolling into a PGDM college.
Choosing the right PGDM college is of critical importance as it can have a tremendous impact on your career, therefore ensure that you select the right college, using these simple to understand and easy to follow hacks.

MET: Choosing the best MBA courses

MET: Choosing the best MBA courses

Ask an individual from virtually any educational background, what the best course of action would be for advancement in their careers and the first thing they’re likely to say is, getting an MBA degree. An MBA is a popular course that prepares students in the art and science of management. Now while there are a plethora of institutes and colleges offering a smorgasbord of choices in terms of courses and specializations, the real trick is to choose a specialisation and college to suit your skillsets, your interest and importantly your budget. Here are 5 simple steps which will help you choose the right course for your needs.

Step One: Ask yourself, what your reasons are for doing an MBA.

Most often a student pursuing an MBA has one of three reasons for doing so. They’re either looking for career advancement, or a job/profile/role/occupational change, or they’re looking to break the glass ceiling in terms of pure monetary reward. Once you’ve established your reasons for doing an MBA, you will find it infinitely easier to pick the right course for you. For instance if you’re looking for career advancement, you should probably think of an executive MBA and so on…

Step Two: Choose your stream based on where you’d like to work.

What particular line of work you see yourself doing is an important consideration in choosing the stream you will pursue. If you see yourself in the financial services field, an MBA in Finance is a given, if IT is a passion of yours, an MBA in IT is the way to go. Think you can help corporations understand their people better, an MBA in HR is what you need to look at and so on…

Step Three: Reputation is all.

In the world of MBA education, which college you’ve passed out from, is as important, if not more important than the stream you’ve chosen. The demand for MBAs is only superseded by the demand for MBAs from the ‘right’ college. Therefore when contemplating an MBA degree, always check the reputation and track record of a college, along with the perception it holds in the eyes of the industry you see yourself in. You can do this by asking seniors, friends or colleagues and HR professionals.

Step Four: Follow education news.

Reading educational news from sources like websites, discussion boards and even newspapers is a good way to understand the trends in the educational sector and the demand for a kind of professional and ergo, the demand for professional courses. Newspapers also conduct rankings of colleges and individual courses that can come in handy when trying to pick the right course for you.

Step Five: Speak to alumni

A good way of gauging the reputation of a college and the efficacy of a course is chatting up with the alumni of a college that you’re considering. This will give you a student’s perspective and the lowdown on how the course is run, along with intangibles like the best professors, visiting faculty and campus placements.

We sincerely hope that this list comes in handy when considering the best MBA courses for your needs. Good luck

MET: Executive MBA

MET: Executive MBA

There’s an old saying, “Education is its own reward.” Nowhere is this truer than in the case of an MBA degree. Whether you’re pursuing a full time course or an Executive MBA, as many professionals with career ambitions today are, the apparent value of an MBA degree is there for all to see. While an Executive MBA isn’t the only prerequisite for career advancement, it is an extremely important determinant in how far you could go in making a mark for yourselves in your career.

The following are the salient benefits of an Executive MBA programme from a recognised and reputed institution.

1.      Better rate of incremental income: An executive MBA is an expensive proposition, sure. But most EMBA students also see a bare minimum year on year increment of around 14%. This is just the tip of the iceberg and in essence the beginning of a long and productive career, On an average, an executive MBA, from a reputed institution pays for itself within a year and a half of graduation. The upper limit on salaries and increments are completely up to the individual in question.

2.      Inculcates better all round skills: The knowledge imparted in an executive MBA classroom is being given to students who already have access, on a daily basis to situations where this knowledge can be tested on a daily basis. An EMBA also gives students the access to some of the industry’s brightest minds and enables them observe the leadership style each doyen comes in with. This means an inculcation of better all round skills and the access to real world situations to test these skills in, which leads to a better grounding.

3.      A sense of innovation: Being able to think on the fly and adjust to high pressure situations, by being flexible and innovating, is one of the traits that EMBA graduates are renowned for having. This happens primarily because of the circumstances of the teaching methodology and curriculum also the application of learnings to business situations on a daily basis.

4.      Greater perceived value: An organization that already shares a comfort level with an individual, is more likely to promote said individual from within itself. An individual opting for an EMBA ensures that the powers that be, notice his/her drive and ability to multi-task, two very important parameters in a promotion situation. A company perceives an EMBA graduate as greater value, because he or she is from within the company and is therefore available to the management on a more full time basis, is known to have greater and more contemporary knowledge and market intelligence and are hungry to prove their worthiness. This makes them indispensable in the long run.

5.      Easier to speak the Glocal language: In the age of ‘Think Global, Act Local’, the way business speaks has also changed, this means that many of the precepts that held true even 5 years ago are obsolete. An EMBA programme is tuned withan eye on both the present and the future and is geared to equip a professional with the tools to understand, associate and speak the language of the ever evolving business scenario.

An executive or EMBA is an excellent way for a professional to update their skills and education with the aim of forwarding their careers and job profiles. While a top EMBA is an expensive proposition, it is an attractive options, as the benefits far outweigh the costs.

MET: MBA in Finance

Whenever you think about a business there are three main functions that come to mind. Marketing, HR and Finance are the three main pillars of traditional business. While marketing and HR are integral to the product and human component of the business, it is finance that greases the wheels of modern commerce and ensures that all other components of the business spectrum are running cohesively. For an MBA in finance an individual must obviously be good at crunching numbers, but skill such as reading trends, predicting rallies (in stock markets) and interpreting policy decisions in monetary terms can all be acquired along the way and a niche as more than just ‘the finance guy’ can be carved for an individual.

What does an MBA in Finance mean?

As stated earlier, an MBA in Finance programme takes the number crunching abilities of a candidate and further polishes it. Students often choose a specialization during the second half of these 2-year programs. In two semesters therefore, a student is exposed to the industry standard of financial accounting, planning, budgeting, preparing balance sheets and other important financial functions. During the phase of specialisation, a student will often get to intern with leading firms, in their respective finance departments, therefore getting to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired over the course of their programme.

What does the curriculum of an MBA in Finance revolve around?

An MBA in Finance hopes to churn out a well rounded business thought leader in the realm of finance. So while the first few months will focus on the basics of business training, an institution that offers a solid MBA in Finance will plunge a student into the world of corporate finance with little delay. A good programme may also allow students to choose a specific focus in their financial education, such as commercial, investment or real estate studies. Topics commonly taught through a finance MBA program include:
● Stock market analysis
● Foundations in finance
● Global economy
● Financial instruments
● Futures and options
● Market trading and volatility
● Risk management
● Bankruptcy
● Corporate finance
● Investment banking





Learning on the job:

Finance as a specialisation isn’t every candidate’s cup of tea, and even though it is a mighty sought after course, learning on the job or at an internship is of vital significance, because it is of the essence to test the knowledge acquired in school, vis-a-vis real world situations.

Potential Growth:

In terms of salaries, in a survey done in March 2014, high payscales were reported for MBA-holders in a variety of financial professions.

● Finance analysis managers earned a median annual income of $81,250,
● A CFO chief financial officer's median annual wages stood at $117,415.
● Entry level MBA saw a take home salary of $58,000 a year
● MBA’s  with 5 or more years’ experience looked at a take home of anywhere between $85,000 and $95,000 a year

All figures are for Fortune 500 companies, as of April 2014, on PayScale.com

MBA: Part Time or Full Time, what should your choice be?

While it is important to make up one’s mind about the subject matter one is interested in, the reputation of the institution one is enrolling in, the faculty the institute offers, job prospects and industry perception of the institution etc. One must also ascertain whether they want to do a full time MBA or a part time (executive) MBA. Executive MBA programmes are now being offered by almost all institutions today. Are they for everyone? What are the major differences between the two? And most importantly what should one choose?

The answer to these questions lies in first understanding the nature of the two programmes offered. Some of the salient features of both types of MBA are listed below.

Part Time MBA	Full Time MBA
Can be pursued while holding a steady job. Hence it is also called an Executive MBA.	Is an extensive, exhaustive course that does not allow a student to pursue a job while pursuing the course.
Classes are often conducted in the evenings with a more rigorous lecture schedule on the weekends in order to accommodate working students schedule.	Classes are conducted throughout the day, like any other post graduate course, with one weekly off. Lectures are normally spaced out in order to give students the time to prepare for projects, assignments and presentations.
Peer to peer learning is a lot higher in the Executive MBA, considering that most students bring with them certain learnings gleaned from their day jobs which are then shared amongst peers.	Peer to peer learning is present, but not as high as that in an Executive MBA, considering that most students are freshers and inexperienced in the ways of corporate life.
Greater emphasis is on re-learning and fine tuning existing skill sets in order to forward one’s career.	Greater emphasis is on understanding business and acquiring or determining one’s skill sets in order to secure a job and begin one’s career.
The fee structure of a part time MBA is more flexible and structured in order to suit the paying capability of the student. It is generally lower than that of a full time MBA.	Fees are generally higher than a part time MBA simply because of the time investment of the faculty, and the fact that is a postgraduate degree.

Advantages of Part Time MBA:

Saves on time: A part time MBA is generally a short term course where a student isn’t expected to invest a lot of his working time. Considering that the curriculum is tailored to suit the time schedule of a working professional, a part time MBA is a time effective option.

Cheaper than a Full Time MBA: Cost is an important consideration when planning a postgraduate course. Another plus of the part time MBA is that is significantly cheaper than the full time variant.

Real world experience: Working professionals come from the ‘real’ world, in the sense that they are already exposed to the realities of business. A part time MBA focuses on enhancing that real world experience and helps the working student to tackle these situations better.

Great tool in income enhancement: Most executive MBA students take up this option simply to forward their careers. And according to the data collected for a 2010 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Education for Business, Mark Johnston & Keith Whittingham, found that part-time MBA graduates achieved a median post-MBA pay raise at graduation of 41% over their pre-MBA pay, and by the fifth year post-MBA their pay had gone up another 56%.

Full Time MBA: Advantages

Exhaustive Curriculum: Compared to the short duration of the Executive MBA, a full time MBA with its curriculum spread out over two years affords students the chance to study the course material, in-depth and with greater focus.

Job Assistance: Most institutions of repute have promising candidates picked off campus thanks to the job cells and on campus interviews.

Preferred by recruiters: Whether it is a matter of general perception or there’s any truth to it is debatable, but on a whole, students who pursue a full time MBA programme are looked at in a more favourable light vis-a-vis their Executive MBA counterparts when it comes to interviews.

Better Faculty: On an average, a full time MBA course has a better balance of theoretical and industry related faculty. This gives full time MBA students a better balance of real world and theoretical exposure.

Based on the above comparisons, your conundrum about full or part time MBA should be an easy one to navigate through.

Sources:

http://www.blog.epravesh.com/?p=726

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-18/full-time-or-part-time-mba-a-primer

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronaldyeaple/2012/06/04/does-it-pay-to-earn-a-part-time-mba/