Well-packaged BBA programme not only promises better-paid jobs but also open up a variety of opportunities in the new digital age, writes Nilanjan Banik, Professor at Bennett University. He writes the following piece and explains what Business Courses make students industry-ready.
Subhamoy Dutta, a commerce graduate had a grudge. He feels a thousand others commerce graduate like him are at the receiving end, as Common Admission Test (CAT) exam require expertise in math and analytics — something considered as an Achilles heel for a typical commerce graduate.
But, now we have a piece of good news as a few colleges are starting a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) program with an Ivy League edge. Two such programs that are running successfully are integrated BBA – MBA (5 years program) offered by IIM, Indore. The other one is offered by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi University. Bennett University offers BBA and MBA programs in partnership with Johnson School, Cornell University, USA.
There is a great demand for BBA programs that are validated through the rigor of world-class universities. BBA with an Ivy league edge has a market of its own. In most places, BBA programs cover the same subject that is offered in the MBA but lacks depth. So, a diluted version of subjects such as IT, Operations, HR, Finance, and Economics are included in the BBA curriculum.
This explains why the typical BBA graduates have no taker in the market. Quite naturally, there is no craze for getting into these run-of-the-mill BBA degrees as students now have better alternatives, which is to opt for an engineering degree first, and then enroll for an MBA. Unfortunately, smart commerce undergraduates, like Subhamoy have a less chance to crack CAT and get into MBA, as they have to compete with Engineering graduates.
This will soon change, with the advent of Ivy league type BBA programs meant for students of commerce, arts, and humanities. Students also get an opportunity to learn basic analytics and mathematics, which are quite useful in today’s world. The BBA honors at Bennett is linked with some industry such as Banking and Financial Services, IT, Digital Marketing, etc. We invite industry experts to make students understand the market needs. This is a natural way to groom them for a quality-MBA degree.
For quality business learning, analytical skills matter a lot. This requires knowledge of basic mathematics and statistics. However, many Institutes in the country do not have the faculty. Ivy league BBA degree train students with basics of data analytics so that students can understand, and interpret the data, which they might have to confront while working. Without understanding the concept of a variable it will be difficult for a student to take up market research and live projects. A student from commerce or humanities background can be trained in basic mathematics, as these are an add-on to what is being offered at a secondary level.
At a macro-level, unless we make our graduates more skillful we cannot improve our productivity. A robust BBA program is the only way to move forward in the digital age.
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