The basics of One year full time MBA in India #7 – One year MBA vs two year pgp

Appeared first in Business Standard, Rediff.com, Indian Management

The key benefit offered by the one-year full time MBA, we believe, is that the course gives you time to discover yourself before you manage others. In Indian society the pressure to rise above the neighbour’s kid is a constant one. The one-year full time MBA at business schools in India such as XLRI, SP Jain, MDI, IIMs, ISB, IMT and IMI, by adhering to the original mission statement of an MBA as defined by the Association of MBAs – to “enhance and develop previous relevant experience” – gives you on an average five years to pursue what your heart desires and will accept you with open arms whether you chose to spend those years becoming a Ranji cricket player or a DJ at a club. Diversity and experience is respected and encouraged in a one-year full time MBA.

Secondly, as discussed earlier in the series, the learning environment offered by the course is incredible. The class pursuing a one year MBA is full of people who have seen work life inside out. With close to 1000 years of collective corporate wisdom available in a typical class of 100 candidates in a batch of a one year MBA, the peer learning that the course offers is amazing.

Students at Great lakes institute of management, Chennai

Third, from a pure economics view, the opportunity cost of a one-year full time MBA is half that of a two-year PGP programme. You save one year’s post qualification salary and join work faster.

Fourth, the one-year full time MBA’s placement process is better equipped to place experienced professionals as opposed to the placement process of the two-year PGP at business schools in India. Since the bulk of the two-year PGP students, on an average, have less than one-year of work experience and almost forty percent of the students have zero work experience, most of the companies that come to recruit two-years PGP students offer them management trainee profiles – an entry level position. Many two-year PGP candidates with 4-5 years experience struggle to find suitable profiles.

Such candidates with greater than three year’s experience may be better of pursuing the one-year course after gaining some more work experience.

Fifth, candidates pursuing a one-year MBA receive a qualification that is recognized globally as an MBA as opposed to the qualification earned through the two-year PGP course which is recognized as a Masters in Management internationally – a course for candidates without work-experience.

As discussed in depth in earlier articles in the series, at certain business schools, the one-year course offers global exposure for the entire batch through an international immersion, a higher salary and senior roles after graduation as opposed to those gained from a two-year PGP course and the academic rigour of a global two-year MBA in a year’s time.

However, in case you are interested in pursuing management education right after college, without gathering any work experience, the two year course will probably serve you better as the extra year will give you more time to absorb concepts.

Also, because the one year course crunches a significant portion of the two year syllabus into a year, it becomes a bit heavy. Extra-curricular activities take a hit and students find it difficult to participate in festivals on campus or indulge in sports. I hope that going ahead the contact hours for the one-year course are reduced in line with those of its counterparts in Europe so as to give students more time to appreciate the nuances of their subjects.

A clear advantage the two-year course enjoys over the one-year course in India is that it has been in existence far longer. The industry in India has well established frameworks such as the Management Trainee programme to induct the graduates of the two year course into the workplace – this makes the placement process smoother.

As opposed to this, many companies here are still figuring out how to best utilize the experienced talent coming out of the one-year full time MBA at the IIMs and are establishing new frameworks for absorbing MBAs at senior positions. These frameworks have existed in companies abroad from the day the MBA degree was created. A student at an international B-school is simply not awarded an MBA degree unless he has substantial work experience – HR processes at companies abroad therefore have well developed processes to induct these senior hires.

The cost of the course is also a factor to consider when deciding which MBA to go for. The fees for the one-year course at the IIMs, for instance, ranges between Rs 14 lakh and Rs 21.5 lakh. The two-year course is subsidized by the government and the average fee across the IIMs ranges between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 14.5 lakh.

Lastly, in case you are planning to pursue an MBA at an IIM, be informed that there is no reservation in the one-year full time MBA as the course is wholly financed by the candidates. The two year course on the other hand reserves approximately 50% of the seats for OBCs, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. In case a candidate is applying under a reserved category he should keep this in mind when planning his applications.

Click Here to read the original article in Business Standard

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The basics of One year full time MBA in India #7 - One year MBA vs two year pgp
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The key benefit offered by the one-year full time MBA, we believe, is that the course gives you time to discover yourself before you manage others. In Indian society the pressure to rise above the neighbour’s kid is a constant one. The one-year full time MBA at business schools in India such as XLRI, SP Jain, MDI, IIMs, ISB, IMT and IMI, by adhering to the original mission statement of an MBA as defined by the Association of MBAs – to “enhance and develop previous relevant experience” – gives you on an average five years to pursue what your heart desires and will accept you with open arms whether you chose to spend those years becoming a Ranji cricket player or a DJ at a club.
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One Year MBA
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  • I will jone one year mba. but what is free?

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    • None are free. Or maybe we didn't understand your question :-)

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  • which are good institutes other than IIM where
    one year MBA is offered , please let me know

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    • Hi Sky,

      In India Some premier B-schools besides IIMs you can look at are:

      1. ISB
      2. SP Jain, Mumbai
      3. XLRI

      You can also consider Great Lakes, SOIL, IMT, MDI. Have a look at a comprehensive list at MENU > B-schools.

      Also just in case you might not be aware- IIM Udaipur and IIM Shillong also offer a One Year MBA.

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  • Hi admin can you please send me the list of best b schools for 1 year mba program, alongwith their admission procedure and fee detail.

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  • Hello admin, i wanted to ask is it ok if i want to change my field, do a one year mba and then go ahead in that area. I am currently working in the field of supply chain and want to change to marketing. Im 26 now so doing the regular two year mba is a little frightening. As you mentioned that the one year program is opted by those who have years of experience in their field and need a boost in their career, do you think it would be wise to change the field now. I am more of a marketing person rather than supply chain.

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    • Hi vinay,

      changing your field drastically is a challenge for anyone with 5-6 years work experience. This will not change whether you pursue a one year MBA or two year PGP/ PGDM programme. It is advisable to have an overlap between the old role you tackled and the new role you are seeking post MBA.

      So shifting from supply chain to marketing will be difficult. That said, it is not impossible: one way to do it is to rejoin supply chain heavy companies and slowly transition to marketing roles within the company over time.

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  • Hai, I have over all 6+ years experience in sale, marketing etc in Dubai and now working as a CRM in Trivandrum. Settled back in India now. I have BBA & MBA through distant education. I want to reach higher. Many times, I get sidelined when considered for a better job or for promotion as I have taken PG through distant education. I want to have a valuable PG in my hand, need a career growth. Please guide me of the various options of one year MBA. I'am now 31 and wants to reach a good position in a few years.

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  • I was inclined for 1 year MBA program in some top Indian colleges.

    What i want to know is that whether working at a MLM organization for 7 years will be considered as work experience by these colleges?

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    • Hi aniket,

      By MLM, we assume you are reffering to multi-level marketing companies such as Amway and Herbalife etc.
      Depends completely on the kind of profile you held - if this was a full time position, there is absolutely no issue. In case this was part-time work,
      most B-schools will not accept it.

      Sample this section from IIM A's FAQ's for PGPX-

      What about the Work Experience requirement?

      Adhering to a minimum age of 27 years at the start of the
      programme, a normal graduate should have 6 to 7 years of post-qualification, full time work
      experience. Similarly, a post graduate should have 5 to 6 years of experience. A PhD/MPhil can
      be evaluated on case to case basis. We do not consider any part-time work experience.
      However, since the PGPX is a ‘get-ready-for-top-management’ programme the Admissions
      Committee looks for relevant work experience in the candidates who would be a good fit for
      top management roles.

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      • hello admin.. hope you doing gud
        may i know some of the best college of 1year mba plan in india...

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    • Hi, I am presently looking to shift from manual testing in IT to some other field. Would business analytics course to become a business analyst be a better option for me? Kindly suggest good colleges providing one year MBA for the same in Chennai and also good placement post completion. Distance mode is also preferred.

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  • Hi Admin,
    I am not sure if this is the correct post to ask this question but anyway:
    Is it true that all B - schools demand that the candidate should have had given the GMAT in the same year as the year of application? Or anytime during the validity period is fine?
    If yes, then which schools have this demand and which do not?

    Thanks in advance!

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    • Hi Yugandhar,

      Different B-schools have different policies for how fresh your GMAT score needs to be - some accept scores that are 5 years old (Stanford, Wharton, Harvard) while some others will only accept scores that are at max 3 years old. Which schools are you targeting? Our team can help you with information on specific schools.

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  • Hi Admin,

    I'm currently working in IT sector and possess around 4 years of experience in development. I want to get into HR profile but the thought of appearing for CAT and getting into 2 year MBA frightens me. I can go for 1 year MBA, considered SOIL for the same but the fee structure is too much. Please suggest. Thanks!

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    • Hi Jess,

      There are a host of one-year MBA options in India that you can consider and you'll find most of them listed under B-Schools in India in the main menu. If you share your GMAT score, we can advise you on courses that will be suitable for you. As far as fee is concerned, unfortunately most One-year MBA courses in India cost upwards of what SOIL charges for its one-year Business Leadership programme. Have you explored SOIL's need based & merit based scholarships?

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  • Hi Admin,
    I have 4.9 years of experience in IT, working as a technical consultant. I have done my M.Tech in Computers. But i found that the masters does'nt give any benefit in IT. So to enhance my skills, i am targeting 1 yr full time MBA. If i do a MBA, will i be able to change my area or work? Also what are the specializations that 1 yr MBA's provide ? is there a preference for engineers/masters in tech, in certain colleges?

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    • Hi Rohan what quantum of change are you looking for? Do you want to move from a technical role to a managerial one or do you want to shift your line altogether?

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      • I want to shift my line of work.. but to get the admission, I had asked for any specific area that I can move to, given my experience.. Even if that does not count, then will the colleges, which prefer diversity in students, give a slight edge for my education as well?

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        • Hi Rohan shifting to allied fields is certainly possible. For instance IT consulting could be a potential area for you. As far as advantage goes at admission stage, given your IT background you would infact face substantial competition from your peers as IT professionals form the biggest applicant pool for mba courses.

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          • Thanks a lot Admin, for clearing my doubts and giving your time...

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  • Hii Admin,

    I am a Engineer Officer working in a Ship Management Company, professionally in Merchant Navy.
    I am working in this field since 2008 end, but, as a normal practice in merchant navy, I work in contracts of 4 months duration approximately and then I get 3 months of vacation although I am on a continuous payroll in company records. I want to ask you, whether the full time work experience as required by B-schools would count my experience till now as continuous work experience?

    Further, since my work profile is quite different from a normal MBA aspirant, if you were to evaluate my job prospects taking in to account a field change from merchant navy, which MBA would suit me- a 1 year Executive MBA or a 2 year full time MBA?

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