This management programme of Tribhuvan University aims to enhance business management skills of the students.
Shradha Koirala, senior programme coordinator at the National Campaign for Education Nepal (NCE Nepal), a network of around 340 I/NGOs, was looking for a master’s degree programme that would provide her such professional skills that she could start a career immediately after completing the course. Then she came to know about the Master of Business Management (MBM) programme, a master's degree course introduced for the first time in Nepal by Tribhuvan University (TU) in 2014.
The features of MBM such as risk management, analytic skills and specialist knowledge in a short period attracted Koirala and she joined the course. “I had lots of expectations from the course right from the start and I wasn't disappointed as my expectations were met,” recalls Koirala.
Ever since it was launched, MBM has emerged as an advanced integrated course, a combination of MBA and MBS, in business management. “The programmes of conventional business schools are more focused only on particular subject matters, either on business, finance or marketing. But MBM is a programme which includes all subject matters including banking and finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, information technology etc,” shares Dr Raj Kumar Bhattarai, associate professor at Nepal Commerce Campus (NCC).
Koirala, one of the graduates of the first batch of MBM from NCC is today holds a senior managerial position a reputed organisation. This, according to her, shows that the skills which students learn from the course are applicable to sectors beyond banking and finance, such as trading, social enterprises, small businesses and industries, government jobs, and jobs at I/NGOs.
According to Bhatarai, students completing the MBM programme acquire knowledge on broader issues of business management along with appropriate skills, tools and techniques. "The programme delivers in-depth knowledge about the subject matters with global perspectives using modern technologies," he says.
Koirala agrees. “The major reason behind my career growth is the knowledge I acquired through the MBM course. I learnt the way of analyzing cases, analytical solutions to problems as well as the organizational dynamics that helped me to tackle the managerial challenges arising in my organization”.
The Beginning
The increasing number of students and the growing demand for a new programme at the master's level of business studies was the reason behind TU starting the course, according to Bhattarai, who says TU being the country's oldest and biggest university has the responsibility of developing new courses and upgrading the existing ones. "The need for MBM was realized when the output from the regular MBA and MBS programmes in management fell short of meeting the requirements of today’s growing businesses of Nepal," says Bhattarai.
He adds that though there are about a dozen universities in Nepal, 79% of the master's level students are studying under Tribhuvan University. "Among these students, half are management students. We had regular programme such as MBS and MBA at the post-graduate level while MBM was the trend in the international education system. So, TU felt the need for introducing it in Nepal," explains Bhattarai.
The Course
Bhattarai claims that unlike other master's degree programmes, MBM provides core management skills to students that help in their career in any field. According to Bhattarai, MBM graduates have many career choices to pursue as managers or leaders in any kind of organisation. "MBM is designed with greater flexibility which allows the incorporation of the latest developments in theory and practice of management. The course emphasizes self-discovery and self-development," says Bhhatarai.
The course module of MBM includes Emerging Concepts in Management, Managerial Economics, Organisational Behavior among others. Likewise, the concentration course modules of the programme include Small Business and Entrepreneurship, IT Management, Applied Marketing, and Banking and Finance. Similarly, sectoral management courses where students have two choices of course modules include Agribusiness Management, E-Business, NGO Management and Development, Insurance and Risk Management, and Foreign Trade Management and Practices among others.
Objectives
Bhattarai says the main objective of the MBM course is to enable the students to concentrate on the area of their choice with management knowledge and skills. The course aims to increase competencies, business skills and interest to pursue their career in any sector.
According to Bhattarai, MBM increases the theoretical foundation of the students needed in any business by making them aware about business theory, business process, business model, and opportunities. MBM students are taken to field visits to businesses and industries to make them realize how theory is applied into practice. So, the learning process is not just limited to the classroom.
“We let them prepare projects based on the field visits to implement their knowledge practically,” says Bhattarai adding, “Other programmes teach about case analysis only but MBM teaches students to create and write cases as well”.The course is highly focused on small businesses. “Even today's giant companies of the world like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Toyota etc were developed to their present states with the idea of small business,” he explains.
MBM also encourages the students to go for entrepreneurship, addressing the social problems. Other focus areas of MBM are banking and finance, marketing and information and technology. “Other progarammes seem to be missing marketing and information and technology while MBM includes all these,” says Bhattarai.
Scope
Bhattarai claims that the MBM course bridges the gap between universities/colleges and the corporate world. "The progrmme grooms the students with skills which businesses and industries look for in fresh entrants, narrowing the gap between the knowledge seekers (businesses and industries) and knowledge creators (universities)."
According to him, the first batch of MBM students has passed out from the colleges. “More than 90 percent of the passed-out graduates are engaged in various professions in the job market in sectors like banking, insurance, industries, embassies and consultancies while some of them are running their own businesses.”
Bhattarai says that enhancing the communication skills of the students is also a part of the MBM course. “It is found that management graduates find it difficult to compose even simple letters or applications. MBM enables them to communicate better," says Bhattarai.
Students can get access to various education materials at the huge library of NCC. MBM is taught by qualified professionals with M-Phil and PhD degrees. MBM students of the college carry out joint projects through online networking with the students of Malaysian Universiti Teknologi MARA. Bhattarai shares, “The international exposure helps the students in rapport building, knowledge and culture sharing."
Admission Criteria
To study MBM, one should have passed the bachelor's degree in any discipline from Tribhuvan University or any other university recognized by Tribhuvan University with minimum second division marks. The programme is open for Nepali as well as foreign students.
As per the directives of the Dean's Office, the college announces the admission in the autumn. Students need to take an entrance exam for enrollment. The selection process includes a written test based on GMAT and GRE formats, individual presentation and personal interview. NCC takes admission for a maximum 44 seats in each intake.
Fee Structures and Scholarships
The total fee for the two-year MBM programme is Rs 298,000. Students securing the top position in each semester get 100 percent tuition fee waiver. Likewise, other four students can receive 50 percent tuition fee waiver as per the provision of the Faculty of Management, Dean Office at TU.
Class Hour
NCC located at Min Bhawan, Kathmandu runs the MBM classes in the morning from 7 am to 12 pm.
