Offbeat management courses are in vogue

Offbeat management programmes are increasingly becoming popular among business-school aspirants.

For instance, apart from the regular management courses, Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, also offers postgraduate programmes (PGP) in human resource management (HRM) and international management (IM). Ashok Panjwani, dean (graduate programmes), MDI, said this year the institute had admitted its 10th batch for the PGP-HRM course and the eighth for the PGP-IM course.

“Year-on-year, the course curriculum has evolved and become more relevant. Also, both these courses are establishing a distinct brand name for themselves, besides the established PGPM (postgraduate programme in management) course. In fact, during admissions, we are seeing more and more students opting for these courses as their first preference, which indicates a growing interest and good response from aspirants,” he said.

NEW APPROACH

• Offbeat management courses have a course structure similar to that of full-time management programmes
• In some cases, the fee structures of offbeat programmes could be 10-15% lower than those for main PGDM programmes
• There are part-time and full-time courses for these programmes, both for working executives and fresh graduates
• While certificate management courses don’t have placements, campus placements are held for diploma and degree postgraduate programmes
• Such courses include those in areas of energy management, international management and agri-business management

The market had been extremely competitive for the last couple of years, he said, adding this new trend meant there was increased onus on students to upgrade their technical skills and offer more value to prospective employers.

The course structures of these courses are similar to those of PGDM programmes. However, in some cases, their fee structures could be 10-15 per cent lower.

Certificate programmes at the postgraduate management level are also gaining popularity. Sunil Verughese, chief brand and sustainability officer, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), said through the years, offbeat certificate programmes had been encouraging. XLRI offers a postgraduate programme for certificate in entrepreneurship management (PGP-CEM), a six-month residential programme.

It also has a PGP certificate programme in agri-business management, a six month on-line self learning programme aimed at supplementing a

student’s agricultural knowledge with business skills. Verughese added the institute was considering to launch additional certificate courses in future.

Sector-specific management courses are being seen as the next major area of growth. Great Lakes Institute of Management offers a PGPM in energy. Gautam Lakhamraju, associate director, Great Lakes Institute of Management, said the industry’s response to this course had been overwhelming, with companies across the energy spectrum hiring those who had completed this course. “We have had 25-35 per cent of the students being hired by consulting firms in the last few years, among the highest for business schools in India. Further, the fact that a significant number of our students have relevant experience in the energy industry is a big plus for recruiters,” he said.

WHAT’S ON OFFER

• XLRI offers a postgraduate programme for certificate in entrepreneurship management, a six-month residential programme. It also has a PGP certificate programme in agri-business management, a six month on-line self-learning programme aimed at supplementing a student’s agricultural knowledge with business skills
• Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, also offers postgraduate programmes in human resource management and international management
• Great Lakes Institute of Management offers a PGPM in energy
• Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore offers a course in enterprise management
• IIM-Ahmedabad’s postgraduate programme in agri-business management has seen good placements

Last year, the course had a 50-member batch; this year, it has 76 students. Considering the increasing role of analytics in decision-making across sectors, the institute is also planning to offer an 11-month postgraduate programme in business analytics for working professionals.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore offers a course in enterprise management. S Ramesh Kumar, chairperson (PGP in enterprise management), IIM-Bangalore, said individuals could take up the course while working at the same time.

IIM-Ahmedabad’s postgraduate programme in agri-business management has seen good placements. According to the institute’s placement report for the 2011-13 batch, all 33 candidates (of the total 35, two students opted out) in the programme received offers from 20 companies that participated in the placement process. The highest pay package (including long-term non-cash and performance-linked components) stood at Rs 19.73 lakh a year and the lowest at Rs 6.6 lakh, the report said.

Experts said with companies scouting for specialised talent, the demand for niche management courses was expected to soar. “In sectors such as oil and gas or agriculture, a professional qualified in energy management or agricultural management is more suited to meet their needs. Therefore, it is advisable for such students to take up core programmes,” said a Mumbai-based education consultant.