If you have just cleared your undergraduate degree and are now looking forward to doing an MBA, or if have worked for a few years, gained a fair amount of work experience and now wish to advance your career to higher levels in management – then you will most certainly come across another name of MBA courses being offered by some of the business schools you are aspiring for. The name of this course is the PGDM course, which is basically a Diploma program in Management, whereas what you primarily seek is an MBA degree. The name might just make you wonder if it is really equivalent to an MBA or not. Hence, let us first understand what is PGDM and just how is it different (or similar) to an MBA degree.
About PGDM course
PGDM is an abbreviation that stands for Post Graduate Diploma in Management. This is a two-year business management program that caters to industry requirements and helps management aspirants develop relevant hard skills and soft skills to transform themselves into an industry-ready management professional. The primary reason why it is a Diploma program and not a Degree is the fact that Degrees are awarded by Universities governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) while standalone business schools are mainly governed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and award diplomas instead of degrees. Is it as valuable as an MBA? The answer is – Yes, it is! In fact, we can safely say that PGDM programs really adds value beyond the regular MBA curriculum, and that is precisely what highly demanding recruiters look for today.
Things that MBA/PGDM aspirants look for
What most MBA/PGDM aspirants generally aspire for is a high-profile management job in a global organization. A majority of them want jobs that would present ample opportunities to showcase their talent and skills, challenge their intellect and knowledge, and satisfy their ambitious streak. It is here that the PGDM program prepares them for this with courses on different business functions such as Marketing, Operations, Finance, Business Analytics, HR & Organizational Behavior. Additionally, the program focuses on shaping progressive and mature leaders and therefore, also trains them in soft skills, team building and communication.
Key parameters to choose the right PGDM program
As a management aspirant, it is absolutely critical that you pick the right program and the right B-school that ideally suits your career needs. Moreover, in order to derive the maximum ROI from the two years, you spend there, it is all the more important that you aim to get into a top B-school. This is because, going for a full-time PGDM course is a huge investment and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hence, it is quite imperative that you make a well informed decision. Discussed below are 7 key parameters that you must consider for choosing the best PGDM or MBA course for yourself:
(1) The institute’s curriculum & faculty
Ideally, a top notch PGDM program is best known for its industry oriented curriculum. This is because businesses nowadays are heavily data-driven and demand knowledge in emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Business Analytics, and Design Thinking. Hence, to stay ahead in the competitive and agile business environment, any management professional must have a good amount of knowledge in these areas.
Normally, faculty who are actively involved in research and have a deep understanding of the industry through experience offer a promising value proposition to students in the form of relevance and innovative teaching techniques. So, it is advised that you should definitely explore the online faculty directory of various b-schools to access this information.
(2) The institute’s alumni & peer group
Another key component of the PGDM journey is the peer group. Generally speaking, a good peer group must have students from diverse backgrounds so that they can bring different perspectives in the classroom. Hence, you must look at class profiles of the current PGDM students of b-schools that you are considering and understand the different avenues available for you to learn.
In addition, you must look up the alumni on the websites of these institutions or simply search for them on LinkedIn and see what they are doing, connect with them and understand how the program has benefited them. It is any day a good idea to get in touch with a few alumni and students to get a first-hand review of their experience.
(3) The institute’s summer internship & live project opportunities
A high-quality PGDM course will always have summer Internships and live projects as its intrinsic components. As things stand, corporates hire students as interns and students get to work on real-life business problems under the mentorship of experienced industry professionals. This hands-on experience provides the students a good understanding of business processes and acts as a platform for them to apply and implement management concepts and models.
As an option, students can also approach diverse companies, volunteer to work on a live consulting project and develop solutions to their business problem. Overall, the value proposition is two-fold – (i) The students get a practical hands-on experience at performing necessary research, processing information and presenting a viable solution to the company, and (ii) The company gets an innovative out-of-the-box solution to their business needs, with fresh perspectives infused.
(4) The institute’s international immersion/student exchange programs
The value to your PGDM qualification gets greatly enhanced by international exposure. Hence, a B-school that offers International Immersion or Student Exchange programs increases the value proposition of its PGDM program manifold by providing an avenue for its students to experience the culture of a foreign land, interact with people from different countries, understand their behavior and thereby add a global perspective to their management skills.
(5) The course’s unique proposition
It will help, if you identify what factors make the b-school stand out. A particular institute, for example, may be a go-to institute for those who wish to pursue a PGDM in strategic marketing and communications, while others may specialize in Foreign Trade or offer a complete specialization in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Analytics and Blockchain to major in. It is here that aspirants with specific goals in mind should shortlist b-schools as per their considerations. You must look out for such value propositions that will benefit your career objectives the in the long run.
(6) The institute’s placement records
The most sought-after parameter while choosing a PGDM course offered by a particular b-school happens to be its placement record. Frequently, aspirants first look for the average, highest and lowest salaries offered. And, for many, the search stops there. However, though this is important in calculating the return on investment, but it is not the only factor that needs to be taken into account. One must look at the companies that visit, the industries they represent, and the roles they bring for the students. Also, students must go back to their alumni research and see where they have reached after a few years of graduating. This will draw a long-term picture of how the program will actually benefit you.
A word about Asian Business School (ABS) PGDM
Asian Business School (ABS) – which is ranked 7th amongst ‘Top B-Schools of Excellence’ by CSR-GHRDC and awarded “Business School of the Year” by Academic Insights – offers a two year, full time PGDM course in Delhi NCR. The programme is approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of HRD and Govt. of India.
A key objective of ABS’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management programme is to provide students with a strong theoretical and conceptual base through an international curriculum and effective pedagogy. The PGDM course is compiled from latest industry practices and probing business case studies.
All ABS PGDM students receive Dual Specialization from the electives Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management and Information Technology.
With a view to provide students an exposure to the international business scenario, this top PGDM institution in Noida has a unique Student Exchange Programme with Oxford Business College (United Kingdom) – an independent education institution accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent further and Higher Education.
Clearly understanding the requirement of the market, Asian Business School imparts its students several necessary tools that will have value additions for them in present as well as in future. So it is that, all ABS students also get a unique opportunity to earn the following 7 Diplomas & Certifications along with the regular PGDM:
· Executive Diploma in International Business from Oxford Business College, Oxford – London (U.K.)
· Executive Certification in Digital Marketing from NIIT
· Executive Certification in Big Data Analytics & Business Intelligence from NIIT
· Diploma in Media & Entertainment from Asian Academy of Film & TV
· Certification in Entrepreneurship from EDIC
· Certification in Business Gaming from AIMA BizLab
· Certification in Corporate Communication
For admission into its PGDM program, Asian Business School accepts GMAT/CAT/XAT/CMAT scores and shortlists on the merits of the overall profile of a candidate.
Click here to learn more about the PGDM course at Asian Business School and wish you all the best for your PGDM Journey!
