Not only CAT but XAT, MAT…need to be belled
| There are about 1,300 B-schools, offering about 90,000 seats |
The queue is getting longer for the Common Admission Test (CAT), the biggest challenge before management education aspirants looking for seats in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management. With the number of aspirants growing, the challenge just got tougher because the seats are limited. Yet, the rush continues. And one big reason for that is the emergence of an array of business schools boasting infrastructure, faculty, placement recor ds and an image rivalling the IIMs.
With about 1,300 B-schools, offering about 90,000 MBA/PGDM seats, the supply side is growing fast. But so has the number of aspirants, which according to rough estimates, now stands at about four lakh. About 2.4 lakh candidates are expected to appear for CAT alone.
Yet the equation is not so simple. These candidates are not aiming for those 90,000 seats, they are only after the 5,000 seats available in the top 30 B-schools. And that includes the IIMs.
Beyond the six IIMs, the candidates often look for seats in the Jamshedpur based Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), MDI, FMS, IIFT, S.P. Jain Institute of Management, NMIMS Bombay, Xavier Institute of Management, Jamanlal Bajaj Institute of Management, IIT-B Department of Management, T.A. Pai Institute of Management, Manipal, LIBA Chennai, IMI Delhi, BIM Trichy, Welingkar.
Before we profile some key B-Schools, here is an advice from J. Philip, president and founder of the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), for those looking to get into B-schools outside the IIMs: “Appear in one or two of the national MBA admission tests.
They are CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA and JMET. Considerable preparation is needed to do well in these tests. And if your do not get into 90+ percentile range, there is not much of scope for making it to one of these reputable B-Schools.
“A lot of students join coaching centres such as IMS, TIME, Career Plan, Career Launcher etc. Do what you will, but an aspirant must prepare well for the admission test which deals with analytical ability, verbal reasoning and quantitative ability.” Now, for a glimpse of the important business schools outside the six IIMs.
ISB The Indian School of Business (ISB) evolved from the need for a B-school that would cater to the leadership needs of emerging Asian economies.
The programmes offered by ISB lay emphasis on entrepreneurship, the impact of technology on commerce, and managing the emerging markets of Asia.
Offered is a one-year full time postgraduate programme for candidates with work experience, a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship Programme, and Executive Programmes.
ISB works closely with its associate schools and academic area leaders to create contemporary programmes that blend Western concepts into the Asian context.
“The corporate-academia partnership has shaped the school in three ways: it has ensured that the content for our programmes is relevant and well-timed, that it is international in its perspectives, and is delivered at world-class standards,” says an ISB official.
SPJIMR SPJIMR is not affiliated to any university and is completely autonomous. This status, according to the institute, “has given the institute the ability to utilise academic freedom to develop trend-setting educational programmes and pedagogic processes with long-term benefits for all stakeholders.”
The Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) that it offers is a two-year, full time, residential programme.
The programme offers specialisations in finance, operations, marketing and information management. The emphasis of the programme is to develop in the candidate the ability to translate theory into practice.
“It aims at promoting an inquiring and analytical mind, which proactively seeks the right knowledge, acquires the appropriate skills and promotes the right attitude to develop capabilities needed to manage enterprises in the 21st century.”
XLRI Founded in 1949 by Fr. Quinn Enright, XLRI is a brand with ready recall. Alongside various other courses, XLRI offers a two-year full time programme on Business Management, on the completion of which candidates are conferred with Postgraduate diploma in Business Management (PGDBM).
The curriculum of this programme lays the foundation for a conceptual and analytical understanding of Indian and international business. XLRI’s Business Management programme is designed to closely integrate current management theory and practice.
The course imparts knowledge and fosters attitudes essential for the growth of students into competent, responsible managers.
The course has an evolving programme content and is constantly updated to be in tune with the emerging trends.
Jamanlal Bajaj Institute Founded in 1965, it has a geographical advantage. The proximity of this institute with Nariman Point helps its symbiotic affiliation with the corporate magnates.
The institute has a panel of eminent management experts and senior practising managers from diverse fields.
The institute’s Masters in Management Sciences (MMS) degree course is spread over four semesters, with each semester extending to 15 working weeks.
The objective of its Executive MMS programme is to prepare executives for top-level Human Resources positions in public or private sector organisations.
The emphasis is on developing a proper role perception of Human Resources Development in the Indian context by exposing them to a wide range of relevant areas, sufficiently in depth so that they may gain the confidence necessary to interact with people at all levels and develop the human resource skills for translating policies into action effectively.
XIM The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, owes its origin to a Social Contract between the Government of Orissa and the OJS (Orissa Jesuit Society). The Post Graduate Diploma in Management, its flagship programme, is of two-year duration.
