Points to be considered before joining an MBA program

A master’s degree in business administration can open several doors to a top management position and other outstanding career opportunities.
India is a home to more than 5,000 business schools offering different MBA programs.
And, researching options for MBA programs can be really intimidating laced with a myriad of queries and considerations.

Here we provide you some points to consider as you prepare to pick and join an MBA program.

Post-MBA goals: Define your goals clearly according to your passion and answering to the question of why you are pursuing an MBA. Not all applicants want a leadership role or have a career in investment banking; some may want to start their own business. Detailed analysis will lend you greater insight into picking the programs that will be most fitting for you.

Approval by AICTE: Any MBA program by any college or university should be approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). So, check very well, because there might be some institutes which are offering MBA or similar courses which are not approved by AICTE.

Affiliation with university or not: The institutions you have zeroed down may either be associated to a university or are autonomous;
both of which, have their own benefits and drawbacks.
While universities usually have a strong foundation, autonomous colleges have the benefit of updating their curriculum and syllabus as per the standards of the industry, on a regular basis.

Faculty reputation: Try to find out whether the program in question has eminent faculty to provide mentoring to students. Consider the ratio between the full-time faculty members and the guest faculty. Have a look at the kind of guest lectures at the institute. Look at how their experiences and backgrounds can match with your future goals and bring out the best in you.

Placement options: Go through the placement record not just by checking their website but also by reaching out to the alumni, and finding out about the number of recruiting companies, profile and sectors of recruitment, average package and so on. When you want to specialize in a stream and work in that field (say, marketing or finance), there should be enough reputed companies from that field that have employed students from your shortlisted school in the past.

International exposure: You can find out about the international exchange program that the school provides for that program by looking at their websites or personally visiting the administration. It’s highly imperative as this exposure helps you diversify your skill-set, expands your perspective, and improves career opportunities abroad.

Think about the ROI: Though this idea may seem intimidating, you should evaluate the long-term payoff of various MBA programs you are taking into consideration. Getting an idea of the ROI will help you land up in an MBA program that pays off in the way you need it to. Because, obviously, no one gets into a b-school just for the love of it.

Remember, your dream MBA is right there. All you need to do is just look out wisely and get the right program for a successful leap into the business world.