Management education has seen a tremendous growth and created milestone in the recent years. Increasing need of professional managers in all sectors of the society, inside and outside the country, has contributed to the increased demand of management professionals and subsequently that of management education providers- both academic and non-academic institutions.

 

Responding to the demands for management professionals, not only regular students but working managers who are working in the management field but are not from management background or have not received any formal or informal management trainings or courses, have been enrolling for management courses to upgrade their professional capacity and performance. 

 

Plenty of institutions tapping this trend have been offering short-term diploma courses where interested working managers can pursue practitioners-friendly formal university management education that fit to their learning requirements.

Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) offers innovative short term post-experience and application-oriented management education programmes that links management knowledge with the real world of work. It is currently running two diploma courses: Diploma in Post Management (DIPM) and Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). “We have targeted these courses for the working managers who are working in the management field but have received no formal management education,” Prof Dr Subas KC, dean at KUSOM, said.

 

DIPM is a one-trimester program stretched over 14 weeks. The course provides a broad-based, practical introduction to key management ideas, techniques, and overall competencies needed in order to manage effectively and productively in any enterprises.  Students are required to take a total of 10 credit hours course comprising of foundation management courses. The credits earned in DIPM are transferable to PGDM if students successfully completing DIPM want to enrol for PGDM. KUSOM is running these programmes since 2008.

 

PGDM is an intensive one-year study program spread over three trimesters of 14 weeks each. It is an advance study programme that builds on and extends the learning contents and experience of the DIPM programme.  Students are required to take a total course load of 28 credit hours that includes foundation courses (offered in DIPM), core management courses, and an integrated project work.  Credits earned in the PGDM program are transferable into executive MBA programme of the school. The university is running this programme since 2009.

 

KC says that both of the courses are somehow related to Executive MBA. However, he says, “EMBA is a graduate level programme which requires certain criteria, these courses are for them who don’t meet these criteria and are unable to do the two years rigorous MBA for various reasons.”As the credits earned in DIPM can be transferred in PGDM and credits of PGDM can be transferred to EMBA, it provides students with a good alternative. They can gradually choose to do EMBA at ease if they’re interested. “These courses are designed with a motive to provide fundamental management competencies to the working managers,” KC added. 

 

Likewise, International School for Tourism and Hotel Management (IST) is also running two Diploma courses: Higher Diploma in Hotel\Tourism Management and Diploma in Hotel/Tourism Management.

 

The Higher Diploma Programme is of three years full time, which includes two years of full time study and one year of internship. The programme requires students to cover 120 credit hours including on the job training and internship.Students who have successfully completed high school diploma, PCL, 'A' Level or equivalent are eligible to enrol for this program. Likewise, the Diploma in Hotel / Tourism Management programme is a two year full time course. This program requires students to cover 72 credit hours including on the job training.Students who have successfully completed School Leaving Certificate, ‘O’ Level or equivalent are eligible to enrol for this programme.IST is running these programmes under the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and technologies, Austria.