Enrolling for an MBA course is the best way for the candidate to learn how to build and mould innovative organizations." - Dr. P Chandra, Director, IIM Bangalore

How MBA course adds value to a candidate's knowledge

There are a variety of  MBA course available in India and abroad and the students opting for MBA admission have a varied background. While some go for normal two-year MBA course, those who have little time or are engaged with businesses or jobs opt for Executive MBA course and part-time MBA course. An MBA education broadens and enhances knowledge and should be viewed in a sense of building up skills. It is utilized to find solutions to business issues.

An MBA course imbibe in the students the capability and skills to maximize individual and organizational productivity. An MBA course prepares the students to meet the demands of the marketplace. Dr. P Chandra, Director, IIM Bangalore, says, "Enrolling for an MBA course is the best way for the candidate to learn how to build and mould innovative organizations. An MBA degree teaches the learners how to go about analyzing management techniques and paves the way for building managerial perspectives. It also elucidates how the economy works within a society.

Also the case methodology that is practiced by almost all MBA colleges is a thing that leaves the students with a great understanding of practical management knowledge and solutions. The Case-Method creates a classroom in which students succeed not by simply absorbing facts and theories, but also by exercising the skills of leadership and teamwork in the face of real problems.

In India, MBAcourse is barely 50 years old. MBA Course in India began in the 1950s as a part-time education for practicing executives; only a few universities offered full-time management degrees. In 1961, the Government of India established IIM Calcutta and Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Sloan School of Management, MIT, and the Harvard Business School respectively. A full-time PG degree program of international quality in management was launched at the IIMs in India. By 1990, 82 university-based departments and schools of management were functioning in the country. Post liberalization, MBA education sector saw a massive growth. According to experts, there are close to 1800 MBA colleges operating in all parts of the country at present.

An MBA courses equip the candidates with adequate skills to face the challenges of a corporate career. IIM Ahmedabad graduate Santosh Desai, who's now CEO, Future Brands, says, "The wonderful thing about the MBA course is that one will not just be the manager, but also a creator. I think the most important future challenge would be how you are going to transcend the act of managers. In MBA colleges, you are given the freedom to think and to face the challenges. It will be new because all the things are in you but nothing compels you to think independently as does the good MBA course."

So, the MBA is not just a degree, much more in fact. It helps you find yourself and the capability within.

Former Director of IIM Indore Dr S P Parashar, says, "MBA education is critical for the development of a country. If you look around at the CEOs across the country they are all the alumni of these great Indian MBA institutes. Many academic leaders in top-tier MBA colleges in India are themselves from IIMs."

But some experts believe that the value addition of an MBA course largely depends on the candidate himself. Dr Venkat Ratnam, Director, International Management Institute, says, "Many students go through the same education but the outcome is different in each case. You and I may get admission into the same MBA College for the same course, but the outcome for both of us will not be the same. A candidate's mental makeup makes a lot of difference in what he or she is able to extract."