One Year MBA In India – Rankings, Placements, Eligibility, Deadlines, Fee

A host of top management institutes in India offer a One Year MBA. The admissions process, eligibility, fee, placements, application format, and fee involved are very different from that of the two year management degree (PGP/ PGDM) that most Indians are familiar with. It can all be quite a bit confusing!  To sort this for good, in this page, we provide an overview of everything you need to know about One Year MBA in India.

The credit for popularizing the one year full-time MBA programme in India goes to the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad that started the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) in the year 2001. 

Today, one year MBA programmes in India are offered by a number of private institutes. In some cases, the programme duration could extend to 15 months.

IIM Ahmedabad was the first among the IIMs to launch its Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) in the year 2006. Later, IIM Bangalore introduced Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management’ (EPGP).

IIM Calcutta has the PGPEX (Post Graduate Programme for Executives), IIM Indore, The Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP) and IIM Lucknow, International Programme in Management for Executives (IPMX).

Why the ‘Executive’ Tag?

All these one-year management programs only take in candidates with work experience. Since most of the institutes had been offering Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in management to fresh graduates with little or no work experience, they affixed the ‘executive’ tag to differentiate between the two programmes catering to a different type of clientele.

MUST READ – One Year MBA In India Decoded, a comprehensive 8 articles series authored by the Founder of OneYearMBA.co.in, Mr. Shikhar Mohan originally for Business Standard

However, in the United States, Europe, China and Singapore, Executive MBA does not have the same weight as the MBA, being a part-time programme for working executives with none of the in-depth learning that a full-time MBA entails. Such programmes are listed under the Executive MBA or EMBA category in the FT Rankings or QS Rankings of Business Schools/Programmes.

Adding to the confusion is that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the statutory body and national-level council for technical education, allowed the institutes to offer the Executive PGDM, a full-time residential 15-months MBA equivalent programme.

Thus, XLRI has the PGDM (General Management), MDI, the National management Programme and IMI, the Executive Post Graduate Programme.  SPJIMR Mumbai has the 15-month PGPM and Great Lakes Chennai, Gurgaon the 12-month PGPM. All these programmes are for those with work experience.

Difference Between One year MBA in India and Executive MBA (EMBA)

Admission Eligibility

You should possess a Graduate degree with minimum 4-5 Years of professional work experience. The higher your GMAT/GRE score, your better your chances of securing admission.

Admission Process

Candidates are shortlisted by institutes on the basis of the qualifying test score such as GMAT/GRE and the overall profile. As part of the application package, most B-Schools require you to submit a statement of purpose, undertake an alternate written ability & verbal ability test in case they have their own admissions exam, and submit letters of recommendation from previous employers or mentors.Shortlisted candidates have to undergo a personal interview,

For the one year MBA at IIMs, you have to register on the IIM’s website. Shortlist of the candidates is based on the overall profile & entrance test exam score. Evaluation of Personal Interview, SOP, Letter of Recommendation etc. takes place before the release of the final shortlist.

Important information about top One Year MBA Courses