Rural Management

The course of Rural Management refers to study of rural economy, agribusiness, planning, organizing and maintaining co-operatives, business in rural areas and related fields. The top most institute in India for rural management is the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA). IRMA is the pioneer of rural management in India.

The course includes various disciplines like Cooperative Management, Social Management, Development Management, Rural Projects Management, Public Policy Management, etc.

Rural Management courses are available at undergraduate, post graduate as well as PhD levels. Some of the courses BA/BSc in Rural Management, MA/MSc in Rural Management and MBA/PGDM in Rural Management.

Rural Management in MBA/PGDM includes field work for a considerable period of time, as it is the bed rock of this programme. Candidates interested in pursuing Rural Management must know that this programme is all about experiential learning.

Apart from IRMA, Anand, the admission process for admission to this course includes, appearing in a common entrance test for management and group discussion and personal interview. IRMA’s admission process include a test on “Issues of Social Concern”, conducted by the institute apart from having a good score of CAT or XAT. 

To excel in rural management, one not only needs have good professional and managerial skills but also a few personal qualities like strong will, empathy, commitment and integrity.

Since Rural Management is all about running a business in rural area, a student aspiring to take up rural management as his field of study must possess the basic skills and traits required for MBA. Some of them are listed below:

• For BA/BSc in Rural Management, the candidate must have completed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university or board
• Candidate applying for rural management programme at post graduate level must have completed Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with minimum score of 50% marks in average or equivalent from a university that is state or centrally recognized
• Minimum aggregate is 45% for SC/ ST/ DAP candidates
• If, in case marks are not assigned, the candidate must have scored CGPA equivalent to the previously mentioned percentages
• Candidates in their final year of graduation are also eligible for the exam

The curriculum of rural management programme includes all aspects of rural economy and business, like microeconomics, finance, research, marketing, development, operations, productions, etc. and field work.

We have listed below the course curriculum of IRMA’s Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management, as it is the best and most exhaustive rural management programme in India.

A rural management degree holder is eligible for every managerial role in various business domains. While a graduate level candidate is hired at executive level, PG/MBA degree holder is hired for managerial and senior posts. Some of the job profiles are listed below

Regional Manager: Regional managers look after, maintain and maximise operational practices of the business in a particular area making sure that each branch is running smoothly, efficiently and meets the revenue target.

Sales Manager: A sales manager’s role is to lead the sales team in bringing maximum clients to the business. The role also includes guiding and training team members, setting goals and assigning territories.

Development Manager: Development manager’s role is to ensure the product is delivered on time and that the best product reaches the customer. Developing a project, a tool or a product is the main responsibility of the development manager.

Marketing Manager: Marketing manager’s role is all about performing marketing activities like product promotion, branding, new product development, market study, customer relationship, PR, etc.

Project Manager: Project manager is responsible for leading and completion of the project in time with least cost. This includes planning, execution and management of resources and day to day activities. The role of a project manager also includes recruiting and building project teams, as well as making projections about risks and uncertainties.

General Manager: The General manager looks after the overall functioning of a business organization, that the business activities are optimum on a given day, are cost effective and comply by the rules.

Supply Chain Manager: The main role of a supply chain manager is movement of goods, from the manufacturing unit to the supplier and eventually, to the customer. It includes, planning, transportation, inventory control, management and analysis.

Operations Manager: The operations manager is a person who is assigned the duty of ensuring that the daily operations of a business are running efficiently and effectively. It is for the operations manager to see that the service or product meets the expectation of customers and clients.

Agri-business firms and banks hire rural management graduates in large numbers for their branches in rural area. Some of the top recruiters for Rural Management degree holders are listed below.