Curtains For 5-Year Dual-Degree MBA Programmes

It is curtains for the five-year integrated and dual-degree MBA programmes offered by some Universities and private management institutions in India with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) decision to close down the courses and not to allow fresh admissions from the academic year 2016-17.

The AICTE, in a circular dated May 19, 2016, stated that it had constituted a Committee to examine the continuation of Five Years programs.

Dual Degree Programme (s) in Management (lntegrated) were introduced in the academic year 2012-13 with the nomenclature of BM/BAM/MAM. The Committee reached the conclusion that since the same were “not in line with UGC approved programme (s)”.

The University Grants Commission (UGC), besides being the sole agency for providing funds to institutions of higher education, is also responsible for coordination, determination and maintenance of standards in these institutions.

“The Institutions who were running dual degree courses are given Extension of Approval for five years Integrated MBA courses in lieu of the five years dual degree courses of MBA/MAM,” AICTE said.

However, those enrolled for the courses, would be able to exercise their exit option at the end of three years and the fourth year students would be allowed to complete the five-year course.

For safeguarding the interest of the students, already admitted in the BM/BAM/MAM programme during 2012-13 to 2015-16, AICTE has decided that in line with the UGC notification, there would be an exit option at the end of the three years for the students, who have joined the dual degree courses in 2015-16 and prior to that, with a BBA degree instead of BM degree.

The students who had completed four years in the MBA/MAM dual degree course, in the absence of an exit option, would be asked to complete one more year and awarded BBA/MBA degree.

“AII the affiliated Universities are requested to adopt above changes and also introduce additional supplementary subjects in the curricula of BM/BAM /MAM course for these existing students, if necessary, to come up with same standards of BBA and MBA course being conducted in these universities,” AICTE said in the circular.

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In 2012, when the 5-year integrated programme was launched AICTE had listed three key objectives. These were:

• To educate and groom the students to get entry-level managerial positions in manufacturing/services organizations or to start and run own ventures with good business knowledge.
• To facilitate the development of students to take up growing challenges and find and implement solutions that are environmentally viable, ethically correct and socially acceptable.
• To provide for job opportunities at different levels of management within organizations starting at supervisory level in small and medium enterprises and middle level management in large PSUs and MNCs.

The five-year programmes at the IIMs would not be affected as these institutions are not under the purview of the AICTE.

Among the Universities and private institutions offering five-years integrated programmes are Nirma University Institute of Management (integrated BBA-MBA), IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Mumbai (integrated B.Tech-MBA), Narsee Monjee Institute of Management & Higher Studies (MBA Tech, MBA Pharm. tech) and University of Lucknow (integrated MBA). (Image Courtesy : www.itnnews.lk)