Post-MBA career: Types of jobs after an MBA in India
Discover the different types of jobs available to MBA grads in India that can increase your salary.
MBA Specializations in India: Which One Should You Choose?
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The Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme is designed to equip students with a broad understanding of all aspects of operating a business, thereby allowing them to comprehensively upgrade their professional acumen and managerial ability. During the first few months of the MBA, students sit through courses covering a wide range of business functions, from finance to human resources. After acquiring this fundamental knowledge, you are then allowed to pursue specializations wherein students take dedicated courses in one or two domains and develop deep expertise in the process.
Although choosing an MBA specialization is majorly driven by your professional interests and career goals, students should also take into account factors such as the number of full-time and internships opportunities in that domain, salary packages, the business school's reputation for that field, and the quality of faculty and pedagogy on offer. Thus, despite not needing to make a final decision on their preferred MBA specialization until the later stages of the programme, prospective candidates are recommended to evaluate all the above criteria even before joining a business school.
So which MBA specialization is the best choice for you? Let's dig a bit deeper into the popular specializations on offer at Indian business schools.
MBA in Finance
The MBA in Finance is one of the most in-demand MBA specializations among students. A highly quantitative domain, the finance specialization equips you with knowledge of analysing company financial performance, understanding the economic trends, carrying out due diligence, and making investment decisions. This field offers highly lucrative post-MBA career opportunities, in terms of not only money but also visibility and impact of your work.
Under an MBA in Finance specialization, students will pursue courses on accounting, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, banking, portfolio management, international finance, private equity, and venture capital, among others. Employers for MBA graduates with a finance specialization include investment banks, asset management companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, consulting companies, and corporates.
Given the huge appeal of an MBA in Finance, almost all business schools in India offer the specialization. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, ISB, and XLRI, would be the most prominent names on a list of such schools. Also, some business schools like IIM Kozhikode, IMT Ghaziabad, KJ Somaiya, and IMI Delhi even have MBA programmes solely dedicated to finance from the outset.
MBA in Marketing
An MBA in Marketing is another specialization that is highly sought after in India. In contrast to finance, the field of marketing is one filled with more creativity and flair. It is also the most outward-facing role, placing you directly between your company and its customers. A specialization in this domain will teach students about market analysis, consumer behaviour, product development, advertising, branding, and sales strategy. This field also focuses heavily on soft skills such as communication and relationship management.
Students pursuing an MBA in Marketing specialization will undertake courses like marketing management, brand management, digital marketing, consumer insights, product management, B2B marketing, pricing strategy, salesforce management, and customer relationship management. Marketing is the essence of any business, which means every company in every industry will be looking for such talent. Thus, there is a wealth of opportunities available for marketing specialists. FMCG companies, retail companies, technology firms, and industrial companies remain the primary destinations for MBA graduates.
Similar to the Finance specialization, the MBA in Marketing is also offered by a vast majority of Indian business schools. The IIMs, ISB, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS, SPJIMR, and IMT Ghaziabad are some of the best choices for an MBA in Marketing. Another top choice for marketing purists would MICA, which solely focuses on MBA programmes in marketing.
MBA in Operations
Operations form the backbone of any business, thus making an MBA in Operations highly relevant for professionals. You will learn how to optimize company resources, design process flows, plan production, establish supply chain and logistics, manage vendors, oversee quality control, and achieve continuous improvement in operational efficiency, for both manufacturing and service businesses. Since operations professionals act as a focal point within an organization, such roles are also a major test of your managerial and leadership ability, something which an MBA helps students develop.
Courses in an MBA in Operations specialization could include operations management, service and production planning, inventory management, supply chain management, and quality management. Given the technical nature of this domain, students with an engineering background actively take up this MBA specialization, with even recruiters often specifying this as a requirement. Industries hiring graduates with an Operations specialization usually include construction, industrial equipment, manufacturing and retail, information technology, supply chain and logistics, e-commerce, and even consulting.
Though most programmes in India offer courses or specializations in operations, some business schools that are especially strong for MBA in Operations are XLRI, IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow, and NITIE Mumbai.
MBA in Human Resources
Businesses need people like cars need engines. A company's workforce is its most essential component and effectively managing this workforce falls under the purview of human resources managers. Students opting for the MBA in Human Resources specialization develop skills in talent acquisition, workforce training and development, compensation structuring, organizational culture development, employer branding, employee welfare management and compliance, and industrial relations. This is a field with an extensive need for soft skills in people management.
Some courses that you will take up while pursuing an MBA in Human Resources are strategic human resource/talent management, human resource economics, cross-cultural human resource management, performance management, compensation and reward management, business ethics, and industrial relations management. Since every company needs human resources managers, MBA in Human Resources specialists will find opportunities at small firms as well as multinational organizations across all industries.
XLRI, which started as an institute offering courses on managing trade unions, is now the leading Indian business school for an MBA in Human Resources. Other renowned schools that have an MBA programme in this field include TISS Mumbai, XIMB, and MDI.
Other popular MBA specializations
With the booming technology industry in India, an MBA in Information Technology has also grown in popularity among students. You learn how to strategize and manage the technological transformation of various business functions like sales and marketing, procurement, project operations, finance, and human resources within an organization. Major post-MBA recruiters for this specialization are IT companies like IBM, Accenture, TCS, Dell, and Google, though all major corporates and technology firms also target students with an MBA in Information Technology.
Another by-product of the global technological revolution is the field of data analytics. Knowing how to gather data and derive insights from it to drive business growth has become a key competitive advantage for companies, thus making graduates of an MBA in Business Analytics attractive propositions. Students are taught how to use data and make managerial decisions with regards to optimizing operations, improving resource allocation, developing marketing insights, minimizing risk, and predicting outcomes of strategic initiatives. Graduates from the MBA in Business Analytics specialization are hired by organizations for their internal analytics operations as well as by analytics consulting companies like Accenture and Mu Sigma.
Businesses today are becoming increasingly globalized, with operations spanning multiple countries. This has resulted in a demand for talent that can effectively handle such operations across geographical boundaries, making an MBA in International Business a highly relevant specialization. You acquire skills in international supply chain management, international trade, global marketing and branding, and international human resource management. Any major multinational corporation or companies looking to expand abroad are target recruiters for graduates with an MBA in International Business.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur is the dream of many professionals and an MBA in Entrepreneurship can be a way to achieve that. Through this MBA specialization, students learn how to create business ideas, translate them into a commercially viable service or product, and then take that to market. Developing an aptitude for innovation is at the heart of this course, while you also work on other skills such as leadership, networking, and fundraising.
Are you ready to elevate your career with an MBA? Check out our best advice for managing the MBA application process for India’s top business schools.