Top MBA Programs

Posts Tagged ‘Work’

I am in the first year of my Engineering and want to inquire if there is any top business school in US,UK or anywhere else in the world which gives admission to its MBA program without any work experience. Institutes like London Business School,Harvard Business School demand minimum two years work experience for getting into their MBA courses.Isn’t there any way or relaxation in this rule whereby one can directly get into these B-Schools without any work experience.I mean good grades and internship at college.does it help?

UD is different. We’re not just another MBA factory where everyone comes out exactly the same with an identical degree. It is a unique place where students can study, work, and play as they pursue their MBA goals.Step into the life of an international student studying at UD and see that at UD, we UnDerstand you! Created by University of Dallas MBA students, class of 2011.

I graduated with honors with a 3.8+ undergrad GPA in accounting and two other majors from a top 25ish business program and my first GMAT score was a 710. I was involved in several clubs in college and have 4 years of prior summer internship experience, although it seldom provided me with any meaninful business experience. I am currently attending a top masters of accounting program. After I graduate, I plan on getting two years of work experience before going for my MBA.

I did not think my original GMAT score was high enough for a top 5 school so I took it again and received a lower score. I’m afraid if I keep taking it will look bad on my application since, although most schools say they only “review” the highest scores, I’m not sure this means that they do not still take them into consideration. Should I go ahead and take the test a third time? I am also curious about what type of work experience would look best to an top MBA program?

MBA is a multi-disciplinary course. So any student who has got a bachelor’s degree in any subject like arts, commerce, science, engineering or technology or any other equivalent subject from a recognized university, can go for MBA in Jaipur. The students who are awaiting for their results of graduation, are also eligible to apply for it. They have to give an entrance examination to get admission. For many, an MBA is a chance to polish their skills as they prepare to enter the exciting world of corporate management and some just love the intellectual stimulation and challenge that a degree like this offers. There is another category of MBA aspirants who look at themselves as the corporate leaders of tomorrow and for them, an MBA is the first step of the ladder to success.

Numerous Career Choices Besides acquiring soft skills like interpersonal and communication skills, leadership skills, analytical aptitude, and ability to think out of the box, MBA graduates also learn advanced business concepts and management principals. The professional training imparted in an MBA program helps managers identify growth opportunities and take critical decisions that lead organizations on the path to success.

The career choices open to a Master’s of Business Administration graduate are many. From marketing management and corporate finance to Information Technology management and human resources – an MBA graduate can choose a business field that interests them and utilizes their academic knowledge, practical training, and intrinsic strengths to the maximum extent possible.

For example, if you like the thrill of promoting an organization’s products and services through different channels, then you may enjoy the field of marketing. The U.S. Department of Labor defines the work of a marketing manager as estimating the demand for products and services offered by a firm and identifying potential markets for them. Marketing managers also develop pricing strategies and monitor product development.

Financial managers, on the other hand, supervise a company’s direct investment activities in addition to implementing its short-term and long-term financial management strategies and goals. They are also responsible for directing the preparation of financial reports. If you like number crunching and cash planning, then you will draw maximum satisfaction out of financial management.

Basic types of MBA programs Two-year (Full Time) MBA programs normally take place over two academic years (i.e. approximately 18 months of term time). For example in the Northern Hemisphere beginning in late August/September of year one and continuing until May of year two, with a three to four month summer break in between years one and two. Students enter with a reasonable amount of prior real-world work experience and take classes during weekdays like other university students.

Accelerated MBA programs are a variation of the two year programs. They involve a higher course load with more intense class and examination schedules. They usually have less “down time” during the program and between semesters. For example, there is no three to four month summer break, and between semesters there might be seven to ten days off rather than three to five weeks vacation.

Part-time MBA programs normally hold classes on weekday evenings, after normal working hours, or on weekends. Part-time programs normally last three years or more. The students in these programs typically consist of working professionals, who take a light course load for a longer period of time until the graduation requirements are met.

Executive MBA (EMBA) programs developed to meet the educational needs of managers and executives, allowing students to earn an MBA or another business-related graduate degree in two years or less while working full time. Participants come from every type and size of organization – profit, nonprofit, government — representing a variety of industries. EMBA students typically have a higher level of work experience, often 10 years or more, compared to other MBA students. In response to the increasing number of EMBA programs offered, The Executive MBA Council was formed in 1981 to advance executive education.

Distance learning MBA programs hold classes off-campus. These programs can be offered in a number of different formats: correspondence courses by postal mail or email, non-interactive broadcast video, pre-recorded video, live teleconference or videoconference, offline or online computer courses. Many schools offer these programs. Dual MBA programs combine MBA degree with others (such as an MS or a J.D., etc) to let students cut costs (dual programs usually cost less than pursuing 2 degrees separately), save time on education and to tailor the business education courses to their needs. Some business schools offer programs in which students can earn both a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA in four or five years.

Imagine this. You are a 20 or 30-something employee of an MNC, with over seven to eight years of work experience behind you. While the going has been good until now, you suddenly find yourself dealing with additional responsibilities and a larger team. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of your depth, you realize that you need re-skilling, to take you to the next rung of your career ladder. What do you do?

A number of professionals today are getting compelled to improve their skill sets to enhance their performance within the workplace and stay abreast of the trends, developments and technological changes defining their specialised markets. Besides fulfilling the existing requirements of their jobs, they also need to continuously build their domain-specific and managerial credentials to perform better at work and move up the growth curve.

Countries like India are facing significant challenges in the area of manpower development, particularly at the middle management and entry-levels. Besides a paucity of personnel with the relevant industry experience and knowledge to handle work at more senior positions, the country is also grappling with the problem of a large, yet “shallow” manpower pool.

Recent studies by the McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of business intelligence firm, McKinsey & Co. on the human resource strengths of India and China, show that despite the ever growing base of graduates and engineers, the quality versus quantity issue looms large in these geographies. While India and China are churning out the necessary numbers of generalised and specialised professionals, fewer than 10 per cent can be considered “employable,” or job-ready and suitable for work in foreign companies.

The McKinsey Global Institute study has revealed that while India had an estimated 14 million young professionals-twice that of the US-and topped up this number by 2.5 million new graduates every year, only 10 to 20 per cent of these would ultimately get hired by MNCs.

In fact, only around 10 per cent of Indian students with generalist degrees in the arts and humanities was suitable for employment, compared with 25 per cent of all Indian engineering graduates. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, India also faced a shortage in certain management occupations and few older graduates or middle managers had the necessary international experience to switch to MNCs. India, therefore required graduates with degrees that employers wanted, like engineering, rather than generalist certifications.
Obviously, this is cause for concern. India simply has to sustain its manpower edge in order to attain leadership in the global markets.

The need for Executive Management programmes

In the early days, pursuing a classic management programme, (an MBA)-with its focus on economics, accounting, business strategy and management skills-to bolster a University degree, was the way to go. Today, however, senior managers and new entrants need to look at ways and means by which they can remain on the learning treadmill to progress in their careers. They have to go beyond the “MBA degree,” and further augment such learning with “Executive Management Programmes,” that are meant for managers who have already notched up a considerable amount of work experience.

They have to do this in order to make complex decisions quickly, optimally use the IT tools available to them, assess new business opportunities and deploy strategies to tap them. They also need such courses so that they can share their knowledge and discuss real-world challenges within the academic framework.

The Executive Management Programmes enable successful managers from a variety of backgrounds to combine relevant theories with the practice of conducting business in today’s global economy. Students in the programme have a chance to step outside of their professional environments and gain a fresh perspective that allows them to bring new life to their work.
For executives with less time or looking for training in more specific areas, an increasing number of academic institutions and business schools are offering intensive short courses and tailored content for individual organizations, covering areas such as management principles, financial analysis, planning and management and strategic marketing. These programmes allow participants and their companies to choose material that is directly relevant to their industry sector and future business plans.

The top ranking B-Schools in India, including the IIMs, Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, XLRI, Jamshedpur, IIFT, Delhi, Symbiosis, Pune and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai are now catering to the country’s executive community by launching a variety of such courses.
The IIMs, for instance, have tied-up with NIIT-under the umbrella of a brand new initiative called Imperia-to set up virtual classrooms at various locations across the country. Senior and middle-level executives from different organisations can now attend Managerial Courses and attend “live” lectures by faculty from these prestigious institutes.

Satellite and Broadband Technology using high quality audio, video and data will enable these managers to interact freely with the faculty during each lecture. This “Synchronous Learning,” will allow them to attend management programmes without taking time off from their jobs. 

The concentrated nature of the courses, which will involve extensive evening and weekend participation, are likely to attract smart, dedicated and extremely motivated executives, keen on moving to the next stage of their careers.

The profile of an executive learner

People enrolling for such Executive Management Programmes will typically be Engineers, Managers, Accountants and Consultants in their late 20s or 30s, and belong to industry sectors such as finance, media, communications, healthcare, IT or manufacturing.

Comfortable with their careers and unlikely to take two years off to complete a traditional MBA course, these “students” will be willing to share their real-world experiences with peers and juggle full-time work with a heavy study load. They will also tend to be flexible and have the ability to juggle multiple tasks at any one time.

Executive Management Programmes will not only allow these learners to opt for a self-paced, quick upgradation of skills, they will also help them complete their academic studies and acquire knowledge that will be invaluable as they grow in their jobs.

Clearly, such methods of continuous learning are here to stay and we will hear much more about Executive Management education in the months ahead.

In my 15 years of work as an Admission Counselor, I have answered thousands of questions from hundreds of MBA aspirants. While some of the questions are unique and context specific, a majority of questions (and their answers) are straight forward and informational in nature.

In this article, I will address a question that has intrigued almost all applicants since MBA programs gained reputation among students and professionals. The question is: What makes an MBA application – a winning application? Others may ask: Among varied factors such as GPA, GMAT score, Recommendation letters and Statement of purpose – Which one is the most important? Still others may question – What weight age does GMAT score have over GPA or work experience? In the following sections I will elucidate the relative importance of the factors.

Grade Point Average (GPA): The grade point average is the evaluative summary of one’s academic performance in school and college. The overall score may depend on several factors such as the grading standards in the institution and ranking of the school or college. MBA applicants are expected to have a ‘decent’ GPA, but this criterion should not be over emphasized. While its importance may vary from school to school, experts attribute 25-30% points to GPA.

Statement of Purpose: In this essay, the applicant is expected to state his/her reasons for applying to the program. It is an important piece of document that outlines the philosophy and purpose of the student. Some experts believe that it may tilt the balance in your favor if one ties with others on remaining criteria. It may be noticed that several professional bodies, admission counselors and review courses may provide services to craft someone’s statement of purpose. This practice has made admission committee members suspect a ‘well-written’ statement of purpose with suspect, especially if other components of application package are not as stellar. One can attribute about 10-20% points to statement of purpose.

Recommendation Letter: Most schools ask for reference letters from three people who have had a chance to observe the candidates’ work and behavior. Usually, professional supervisors and course professors write a confidential letter of recommendation. Schools use these letters to validate claims made by the applicant. However, given the fact that an applicant will always request some one to write a letter with whom he/she has had a positive work/academic relationship, admission officers choose not to give more than 15-25% points to this evidence.

GMAT score: While psychologists, academicians and decisions makers may differ on the appropriateness of an aptitude test as an evidence for future performance in studies and work, the GMAT score remains the most important criterion for selecting the right candidate among a group of applicants. Experts also concur that it is one of the most objective methods of selection per evidence obtained, for the MBA program. Despite varied views on GMAT test/score, most experts maintain that a candidate’s selection depends 40-60% on the GMAT score.

Work Experience: It is encouraged to have considerable and relevant job experience in order to appreciate the courses taught in the MBA program. Most candidates have 2 to 5 years of full-time work experience. While things may vary from school to school in granting admissions, admission committee members may give 10-25% points to job experience.

Having quantified various criteria for gaining admission in the MBA programs, I would like to add that no single factor may secure an admission. On the other hand, a very poor showing on one or more components may be a deal-breaker. Ultimately it is the ‘right’ mix of above-mentioned factors that may work in one’s favor.

Work experience can help the candidates in the admission procedure when they are looking for admissions to top MBA schools Kolkata. Most good B-schools in fact select candidates who have already worked for some years. They feel that working professionals will have a better idea about teamwork, and people skills, which are the two most important qualities needed to be a good manager.

There are many B-schools in the world where work experience is considered absolutely mandatory. In fact a number of business schools in UK are extremely strict and they never offer admissions to those who have less than three years of full time work experience. You may opt for other options, but think of the competition and if work experience gives you an edge, why not try for it? If you have a low GMAT/GPA score, you can actually highlight the managerial and leadership qualities and for this, you can take help of work experience. This will make your candidature strong when you are applying for top MBA school Kolkata.

Students will find that there are a number of business schools who look for candidates fro different cultural backgrounds to add diversity to their student community. Students who have work experience in teaching, private equity, sports, teaching consultation and military are also welcome. They actually enrich the learning process by bringing in their diversified experience. Moreover a class of students with different perspectives and different views in handling a situation will only add to the spirit of learning. People who have already handled situations in reality often have better perspectives than those with no experience at all.

One should not forget that a student with a MBA tag will expect a bigger compensation package than anyone else. In that case a fresh graduate will have to face stiff competition from those who have already demonstrated their skills to cope with adversity and conflict in a real world situation. In this regard, a candidate with work experience will have better chances. He or she will be able to position himself or herself better by citing examples of their past experiences. They can also elaborate on their managerial skills by taking examples of real life instances from their previous jobs. In comparison, a ‘green’ candidate will have a tough time convincing the recruiters.

There is one small problem. If your resume shows that you have been frequently changing jobs, this will not create a good impression on the recruiters. It is better to stick to one job for a longer period in order to reap the benefits. You can avail the opportunity that comes your way, but it is always better to be faithful to your organization for at least 3-4 years.
 

I am thinking of doing the one Year MBA program in the UK but I want to be sure this degree will be respected in the US and I will be able to find finance related jobs. I am looking at some of the top UK schools w/ triple accreditation.

After a proud score of 760, lot of MBA aspirants seek my advice on various topics which revolved around these major questions:

- Am I MBA Material?

- Why MBA

- Where MBA

- When MBA

- How MBA (What is important for MBA admit)

So I am writing this article in difference sections, starting from bottom up.

This is the First part on “HOW MBA”

How MBA:

Before even consdering MBA as a career option, you have to set your ambitions right and your priorities straight [Why you want to do MBA, Where you want to do MBA, What specialization for MBA]. Realize its not a joke and needs commitment and hard work. Once you have accomplished this step, you can start preparing for your Voyage – destination MBA.

The journey starts much before you can start applying to various target universities. These are the prerequisites before you can start applying to universities:

- Work Experience

- A good profile

- Communication skills

- Application Essays

Coming Next: A Good Profile

The work of a programmer involves high responsibilities so they should be capable enough to handle and execute all programming work allotted to them. The programmers should have expertise in Programming/Software, network designing and administration, technical support, technical writing, engineering etc. The programmers must have technical expertise in Microsoft Technologies like C, VB.Net and ASP.Net and Java Technologies. Apart from these, the hired programmers should possess the application expertise in Web and Portal development, Client server and other applications. Also, domain expertise in CMS, CRM, ERP, MIS, Community Portal and Call Centre Software is the principle capability for the programmers as this qualification not only involves technical know-how but also to retain and apply professional knowledge and ability to understand the business. The programmers should possess the knowledge and experience of back-office support or human resources.

Choosing the programmers in India is not an issue for the overseas companies wanting to setup offshore outsourcing establishment in India. India produces thousands of IT professionals and computer experts with MBA every year. In fact, there has been a tremendous demand for the IT professionals in India as well as in foreign countries like USA, UK, Australia, Canada and in European countries. Being qualified from the best institutes, the outsourcing professionals in India not only expertise in computer programming work, but they also possess the great leadership and management skills so are capable enough to build strong relationships with the clients as well as with the top management of the principal companies.

In order to get the best out of programmers, the overseas companies should choose those with classic experience. In case of e-commerce development, the companies must choose the programmers experienced in transactional website development process with database driven website creation experience. Over and above all, the programmers should be creative, open-minded and capable enough to add creativity to make the project better. The programmers should possess good communication skill with consistency in understanding client requirements and apart from technical solutions, the programmers should apply their technical, analytical and creative skills to come up with business-oriented solutions. When choosing dedicated programmers, main thing the outsourcing companies must look for is the standard and quality of work the programmers would execute.