Things To Be Considered Before Choosing MBA Study

Last Updated on June 8, 2018

By Dr. Amitava Mukherjee, Principal, Globsyn Business School 

In the current age, with extreme specialisation, competition and working excellence, a simple graduate level education is not enough to stand out in your career in the corporate world. With most sectors of industry and business showing projected growth, students seeking to make a professional corporate career or with an entrepreneurial aim would do well to go for a course of study in business management as an investment in their future. And, the right institution will play an important role in making sure you get the best out of your education. There are various factors one must consider while choosing a good business school. Some of the key ones are:

Academic resources and exposure: Do check up on the faculty pool. Are they well qualified (mainly PhDs) with the knowledge and experience, are they full time at the school, do they have a good mix of industry and academic experience, are they engaged in research and does their research reflect current business trends? Aside from teaching from a theoretical standpoint, an inspirational teacher will give emphasis on the application of theory to real issues in the business world today. They will teach you to think and develop solutions to business issues. Their experience and networking in the industry will be critical in advising you and even connecting you to internships or other career opportunities. In Globsyn Business School, not only have we given emphasis to establishing a well-qualified body of faculty, a continuous stream of industry and academic experts from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds visit the Campus for sessions with students under an outreach we call the ‘Corporate Connect’.

Choice of subjects and majors: This is the age of specialisation. Business has many areas of concentration, and you can choose to pursue your course with focus on specific areas or more general management. Does the school of your choice offer a selection of subjects? More importantly, can you get the cross-functional elective subjects that lead to a better all-round understanding? Some institutions offer a dual specialisation or a major-minor combination that could stand you in good stead in the job market. Good counsel and mentoring will help opt for the right majors in a B-School that covers a wide basket of subjects.

Up-to-date curriculum and evolving methodology: Young managers coming into the workforce face a challenge in the pace at which the global economy and corporate world are evolving. Skillsets that were relevant ten years ago may not be relevant today. B-Schools need to keep pace with this change and update their curriculum architecture on a regular basis, with involvement of the industry. Find out if industry leaders are involved in structuring the curriculum architecture development and if the method of academic delivery has kept pace. At Globsyn Business School, for instance, we continuously identify resource gaps in management skills across industry, work with the corporate world to revamp curriculum, develop faculty and align them to the evolving needs of the industry. As a benchmark, at least 25% of our curriculum is updated every year, with inputs from corporate and senior alumni.

Strong network of alumni: A good business school is defined by the eminent and active alumni network, who will add value by contributing to the institute through continuous involvement in curriculum development, coming back for interactive lectures based on their real-world experiences and cases, project guidance, mentoring entrepreneurship-inclined students, offering internships and assistance in placement, to name a few.

Focus on holistic development: Learning takes place both inside and outside classrooms and both are equally necessary in the holistic development of a budding manager. A good B-School would have initiatives which allow students to learn different facets of management education. At Globsyn, we have programmes aimed at care for society, live projects, entrepreneurship development, management conferences – under our ‘Beyond Education’ activities of the School, that help develop students to become responsible, holistic managers, develop a well-rounded personality, prepare to take on leadership roles in work and in life.

Research and development: To improve the level of education inside the classroom, the faculty body would seek to upgrade itself, through faculty development programs on upcoming topics and contemporary teaching methods and to keep themselves relevant with industry requirements. Research also would be a primary focus area. At Globsyn, our Management Conference and Management Journal not only provide a platform for our faculty to present and publish their research papers but, also sees participation from academicians and corporates nationally.

Selection and admission process: A group of ‘bright peers’ will enable you to rub shoulders with intelligent minds, continually challenge you to outperform your mates and raise the level of what you take away from the programme, even getting teachers to deliver their best.

Reputation: A very important factor is the acceptance and reputation of the business school delivering a certain management programme. The indicator of a school’s reputation is its overall ranking among business schools. You should think about what matters most to you when it comes to a school’s reputation. The Globsyn Business School’s flagship programme has been certified by the AICTE and is now accredited by NBA as well, a rare distinction. We have been ranked by Business India magazine among the Top-5 Private Business Schools in the eastern region.

Placement opportunities: Last, but not the least would be the opportunities that a good B-School provides for you. Typically, a good alumni body contributes significantly on this account, by participating in mentorship programs to help you transition into the corporate world, and through direct employment. At Globsyn Business School we are fortunate to have a large network of alumni (2800+) and corporates that help build our Corporate Relationship Program through the year. Moreover, we nurture entrepreneurship aspirations of students and even had a focused programme for those with family businesses.