After graduation from any stream, the most preferred post-graduate course of students is an MBA or Master of Business Administration. Students seek to do a management course, either on degree or diploma level. The attraction for MBA has grown over the years with more and more managers being absorbed into the industry today. With increasing globalization and privatization of the Indian economy, corporate across all sectors are looking to hire efficient managers at all levels. Thus, students are thronging B-schools to pursue MBA courses. Especially, if an MBA is completed from a reputed B-school and colleges in India, there is no doubt that the student will be successful in his/her career.

However, a career in management and to pursue an MBA course, one requires particular personality traits such as leadership qualities, good decision-making and thinking capacity, risk-taking aptitude, very good communication skills and similar qualities. All these are traits of good managers and most of them are tested during the entrance exam, interview and group discussion round of admission to an MBA course. A lot of dedication and high levels of concentration are also required to pursue a successful MBA course.

Though most students prefer full-time MBAs, there are manly five types of MBA courses that one can choose from. These are full-time MBA, part-time MBA, and distance learning MBA, executive MBA and online MBA. As per one’s requirement and academic qualifications, a student can opt for one of these MBAs. There are areas of specialization during MBA and these include: Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Operations and Logistics, Information Technology, Systems, International Trade and Business, Consumer Behavior, Risk Management, and many such others. New specializations are being introduced as per industry demands and growing job prospects.

For admission to an MBA course, institutes have entrance tests and different selection criteria. The main exams conducted in India for an MBA include CAT, XAT, MAT, IIFT, SNAP, JMET, etc. After the written examination, an interview and group discussion rounds are held. The prior academic qualifications and work experience, if any, are also taken into account for admissions. For many reputed B-schools, students are also required to write essays too. All these steps are necessary to produce world-class managers for tomorrow who could be immediately absorbed in the industry after the completion of their MBA course.

The two-year full time-program is a comprehensive programme. Apart from the course curriculum, it offers an exceptional opportunity to network and participate in extra-curricular activities. The course includes, project work, internship and direct exposure to the industry. This is the most preferred course as far as recruiters are concerned. It is ideal for fresh graduates and those with less than three years of experience. The one-year full time programme is meant for working professionals who are looking for a career shift and do not have much time to spare from their career. The one-year programme is quite rigorous and requires high levels of dedication.

The part-time MBA is for those who cannot afford to leave their job but want growth with a well-defined career path in mind. It is mainly pursued by those professionals who are looking to upgrade their skills and make a career shift. It is devoid of some of the advantages of a full-year programme but is ideal for those who cannot take a career break to pursue an MBA course. Both distance learning and online MBA courses offer a lot of flexibility to students to study at will from anywhere, any time. These courses are increasingly becoming popular in India and more and more students are opting for these.

With an MBA under his belt, a student can look forward to a successful career in future. The growth prospects of MBA students are quite promising. One can look forward to immediate jump and fast track growth in professional life. One can also aspire to become an entrepreneur after the MBA and start his/her own venture. Though an MBA is not essential for this, the skills learnt during the course surely come handy while running your own business. One can also switch career and gets an opportunity to explore more options after the MBA. And of course, an MBA helps immensely in growing skills and knowledge about business administration and one gets to learn a lot many new things.

Few useful links:

www.shiksha.com

http://management.shiksha.com/