What does a typical MBA program teach?
MBAUniverse.com Bureau

Management program is both academic (learning the theories) and applied (learning by doing). As Dr. Chaturvedi, Director, Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) says, "Along with theory it gives you knowledge about application of theory. In education, there are many other courses but most of them are theory-centric. MBA is a mix of theory and application."

The most widely accepted course in management is a 2-year MBA program. While universities offer MBA degrees, autonomous institutions which are recognized by statutory body AICTE offer Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). IIMs offer Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP). Most B-schools follow a tri-mester examination system. The object of this course is to train graduates to become managers in the corporate sector (in different fields such as marketing, Human resources, Finance, Operations and Strategic Management).

In the first year, MBA students learn the core disciplines of the Science of Management. Initially, more emphasis is on fundamental or core subjects in various areas of management such as principles of management, business law, managerial economics, finance and accounting, introduction to marketing and quantitative methods. In the second year, students can opt to specialize in selected functional areas. Programs invariably require students to undertake seven-eight weeks of summer internship. And the second year is for specialization through choices of electives from areas like Finance, Marketing, HR and others.

To better equip you to meet the competencies and to train you, institutes have their own way of teaching. Dr. Ratnam of IMI says, "It is for the teacher to decide the pedagogy. It all depends on the course requirements. As far as the case study method is concerned, it is best left to the teachers concerned. Ideally, I think that a mix of methodology should be used rather than a dogmatic fixation about a particular methodology."