MBA Specialization: Parameters To Choose


Why & how will one choose the MBA specific course of specialization or study? The sure shot answer is the prospect of a secured career & getting potential.

Career goals, with global exposure, play a vital role in the decision making procedure. Going further, the decision to go for a particular specialization will depend on the personality traits & specific concerns of a person. Among other necessary parameters, graduation background or skill set or prior work experience have a big impact on the decision.

The availability of the specific course, say for example if the candidate has to move to another city or country to pursue the course & the associated costs have a huge impact on the decision. The MBA college or University, which is offering the course & its ranking in dominant publications, ROI, alumni feedback are a few inherent parameters.

Also the intention matters…. If the individual seeks to handle the family business, then the finance will be a perfect choice. And, if one likes to travel, then marketing specialization will be ideal. Business school specialty also influences the choice of MBA specialization. For example, one institute is famous for marketing, and the other one is known for finance.

One should also consider the scope of networking as powerful networking helps in career growth and job search. Though one has to select the specification in the 1st year, some institutes give the facility to go for specialization in the 2nd year. In such cases, the candidate could make the decision based upon the subject introduction they have got in their MBA 1st year.

In some instances, candidates give in to family pressure or peer pressure in deciding on the specification, this is, however, not desirable. Seeking the opinion is good, but you should undertake a certain level of research & have clarity as to what he/she demands from the MBA specialization.

What are the benefits of doing PGDM course?


If you talk about the benefits of doing PGDM course, there are so many and while companies lay off people for cost-cutting purposes, it the candidates with the higher qualification that remain where they are. In a recent survey, it was discovered that while there was a recession period faced by companies all over people decided to opt for PGDM programs to further their chances of getting employed. This helped people boost their career and aided in their managerial skills.

PGDM expands to Post Graduate Diploma in Management, the confusion starts when you see the term Diploma. Many students are of the view that it is a Diploma course and not a Degree; you are right to an extent that it is a Diploma.

The main reason why postgraduate courses are named as PGDM is that when an institute is an autonomous body (meaning it is not affiliated to any University) and conducts management courses then such Institutes cannot offer MBA degree. Even IIMs, XLRI’s doesn’t offer MBA degrees they only give PGP Diploma or PGDM since they are autonomous and independent bodies.

On similar lines, AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) is allowing approved colleges to run a PGDM course. Some Business Schools offering this AICTE PGDM course need not be autonomous, the PGDM course will be autonomous given by the Institute & directly approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD, and Govt of India.

Thus, the benefits of doing PGDM course are many and you will get to read about each one of these benefits below. Let’s take a look.

Various benefits of doing PGDM course

While understanding the program is not very tough, it gives you the capability of handling roles that are at a senior level. This is just one of the benefits of doing PGDM course, other advantages are:

  • Builds confidence level: The benefits of doing PGDM course helps you build your confidence level as you face challenges every day in the classroom and beyond it. Depending on the specialization opted by you, there are tasks which give you practical training lined up by professors to help you understand concepts. This makes you confident about your solutions and problem-solving skills.
  • Managerial skills: The other benefits of doing PGDM course is that it helps you with your managerial skills. Since you already have an idea about an organization as a working professional and understand how firms operate you would only need to enhance your managerial skills to attain responsibilities of higher designations.
  • Aids practical learning: The practical learning aspect is not covered under graduation and as such you would remain clueless when you enroll for placements after graduation so if you plan to opt for PGDM after it you would get to learn a lot about industrial culture, corporate environment and working as a team. This is another benefit of doing PGDM course.
  • Helps with higher salary package and promotion: One of the main benefits of doing PGDM course is that it helps with getting a good hike and promotion opportunities. Colleges aid you in getting placed with good firms so that you can get a fresh start to your career. They prepare you for questionnaire and group discussion rounds so that you are able to qualify for top firms.

These are all the benefits of doing PGDM course which you can also get just by enrolling into a good college that offers a specialization of your choice. Keep an eye out for fraudulent universities and fake degrees because many colleges which are not AICTE recognized will try to dupe you into believing they are the best colleges. Thus, you should make sure that you get admission into an accredited college. Create your own destiny and opportunities when you enroll for PGDM courses, this would enhance your chances to get better designations and promotions easily. You would be able to lead a life of choices rather than compromises and as such you can easily enhance your standard of living just by enrolling for post graduation studies.

How to Select the PGDM Course Specialization?

Understanding the Types of Specialization

When you are determined for pursuing PGDM diploma program, the next step will be opting for the specialization. It’s one important decision for the management aspirant to select a particular stream. It is because you need to spend your 2 years studying on the subjects that are related to the specialization that you will choose. The recruiters can hire you only on your specialization. Let’s say, if you’ve pursued PGDM diploma in HR, you are hired by the recruitment company for the role of HR.

Know different kinds of specializations for the PGDM course?

Finance

PGDM in Finance generally covers financial management, mergers and acquisition, cost accounting, and more. Finance is a lifeblood for any company irrespective of their location, size, and nature of the business. The degree in finance can open a lot of doors for you and can be very rewarding.

HR Management

It’s said that the manpower is a backbone of each organization. HR is one person in an organization who will hire employees according to the requirement or deals with their development and work. Being an HR, you need to deal with talent acquisition, industry trends, payroll, performance management, government regulations, organization insights and more.

Operations

PGDM course in operations will be more focused on technical subjects. You are going to learn 6 sigma principles, logistics, quality management, etc. Concepts of efficiency and effectiveness of any firm revolve over their operation management.

Marketing

Marketing is one highly dynamic field and it involves marketing strategies, brand management, business patterns, and trends and advertising.

Conclusion

Nowadays, there’re many other specializations as well, like supply chain management, tourism, retail, and many more. All these specializations are mainly taken up by the professionals that have gained huge experience in a particular field.