The Classes In The Basement

The part-time versus full-time debate continues. There’s a proliferation of courses but HR departments are reluctant to give part-time MBA candidates the same advantage as people who grind through a full-time course. "We’ll never say never, but so far we haven’t hired part-time MBAs in big numbers. I think the issue is related to the quality of a course," says the HR head at a leading consumer goods company.

Available courses include part-time, intensive and executive MBAs, often sponsored by the firms. For instance, iim Ahmedabad has a year-long intensive management course and SP Jain Institute of Management & Research offers a 18-month stint and there is a three-year course at institutes such as Jamnalal Bajaj. JBIMS director Dr C.R. Chavan says the part-time MBA allows flexibility and two-way learning—you can study while still getting crucial work experience. "Things are changing and part-time courses are getting the same importance as a full-time course," he says.

Course fees vary dramatically, but the MBA tag doesn’t come cheap. The one-year post-graduate programme for executives at IIM-A, a residential course, costs Rs 19.5 lakh. At SPJIMR, corporate sponsorship is mandatory for an executive MBA programme that costs Rs 4 lakh. But the three-year part-time MBA course at JBIMS costs only Rs 1.53 lakh. "It’s not correct to compare the full-time and part-time courses of even the same institute," says Dr Manesh Shrikant, dean, SPJIMR. Each has different standards of students and radically different selection criteria. Full-time courses require more effort whereas part-time courses are utilitarian, he explained.

Part-time courses where sponsorships are mandatory are, however, a great way for the B-school to network with the corporate sector. Some courses are designed with such needs in mind. "When there is a talent crunch in specific areas, an executive MBA programme can help fill gaps," says an HR consultant. Of course, the quality of the institute and the timing of the course determine its ultimate relevance. Sonal Agrawal, CEO of Accord Group, says, "The more senior a candidate, the less relevant is his MBA. Experience counts for much more than qualification at a senior level." QED.