Offbeat MBA options for those who prefer non-traditional careers!

Still think MBA is all about HR, Operations and Marketing and Finance? Think again. In today's rapidly evolving world, MBA has become a thriving field with loads of growth opportunities and prospects. With numerous lucrative avenues coming up, the list of offbeat MBA options too has augmented like never before.

MBA, a coveted stream, has gained prominence in a country like India in no time. Being on the wish-list of many, MBA has become a popular route to success. Graduates with their MBA degree want to stand out from the crowd. For this, they are ready to step forward and choose from a list of various offbeat MBA options. Discussed below are a few prominent career paths for non-traditional students.

Rural Management:

Students with management degrees have realised the tremendous scope that lies in our country's rural economy. Hence, they as creative managers and strategists have decided to explore and contribute towards our nation's sprouting rural economy. Students with Rural Management degree are assured of hands-on experience, research and the right kind of placements within this industry. Most institutes offering this programme have sound coalitions with big corporates. For instance, Institute of Rural Management (IRMA) and KJ Somaiya have developed active ties with organisations like Amul and the National Diary Development Board (NDDB).

According to experts, students after doing MBA such as the PG Diploma in Agri-business Management can become techno-commercial individuals with solid technical knowledge and commercial expertise. Such promising individuals are then easily hired by leading organisations at hefty packages and perks. A remuneration of anything around Rs five to ten lakhs per annum can become a regular feature for a potentially sound student.

Disaster Management:

Calamities, whether natural or manmade, don't come knocking on one's door. Hence, one needs to have a strategy, a plan to tackle the same at the need of the hour. Disaster management, a highly responsible yet challenging field, requires in-depth planning and managing in terms of controlling chaos and bringing things back to normal at a speedy momentum post the adversity.
Government understands and appreciates the job of a Disaster Management cell and hence has a group of experts working diligently towards averting any kind of disasters. Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai is one such institute offering courses in disaster management. Companies and organisations willing to get involved in disaster management hire students from this stream. Be it NGOs, agencies funding these NGOs or corporates who might like to pursue disaster management as a function of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cell, different domains hire students with this skill. Government and semi-government agencies too have been employing students with disaster management degree.

Forest Management:

In order to bridge the gap between demand and supply of managerial human resources in forest and allied sectors, Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) came up with a full-time two-year course in management. Incorporated in 1982, IIFM is an autonomous management institute situated in Bhopal. Students who take up this course usually get placed in environment and development sector with reputed NGOs.
By participating in campus placements, various sectors have been offering impressive average salaries ranging from rupees six to seven lakhs on an annual basis.

Hospital or Healthcare Management:

Hospital or Healthcare management is ideal for all those who wish making a professional career in the sphere of healthcare domain. Offered by numerous institutes, hospital or healthcare management aims at developing a cadre of professional managers. This programme in particular focuses upon sharpening a student's managerial capacity with regard to the NGO sector and community-based health programmes. Students who undertake the same get an opportunity to develop their skills in:

• Planning
• Implementing
• Monitoring and
• Evaluating these programmes

Design Management:

Students willing to enter the field of management with a taste of fashion industry can pursue MBA in Design Management programme. A two-year long programme, MBA in Design Management is offered by INIFD, a leading name in fashion design.

At a reasonable fees of Rs 40,000 per annum, students can learn the basic traits and intricacies of the design industry. Graduates aspiring to enroll for this course are judged on the basis of their aptitude via personal interview and group discussion round.

While the first year of the course remains common for all the students, the second year allows them to choose from a spectrum of options for specialisation. Students get to choose from options namely:

• Fashion retailing and
• Visual merchandising
• Real space management

Pupils are given an opportunity to intern in an area of their interest. Moreover, on successful completion of the course, learners get to kick-start their career in fields like:

• Fashion
• Brands
• Marketing
• Events
• Malls

Aviation Management:

Aviation being an ever-changing yet dynamic field has been attracting students nationwide. Students who undertake this MBA in Aviation Management programme develop core managerial skills required for flourishing in this field at both national and international level. Topics like Airport Terminal Operations, Strategic Management, Aviation law & Insurance and Airlines operations management form this programme's core essence thereby allowing students to gain a total grasp of the subject. Students pursuing this robust programme are trained via personality development sessions, presentations as well as project work and internship/ training. Through real-time training methodology, students are imparted the key necessary skills.

Family Business & Entrepreneurship:

In a diverse country like India, family business has always been integral to the country's economy. Be it retail trade, small scale industry or the service sector, most of them predominantly feature under the family business category. Moreover, as a matter of fact, family managed businesses are responsible for employing half the world's workforce and for generating well above half of the world's GDP.

However, the flip side of the story is that keeping family business intact for long isn't a cakewalk. As per facts, only 13% of the family businesses have managed to survive till the 3rd generation and a mere 4% have gone beyond the third generation. This decline has been due to the difference in attitude and aspiration of family members.

Nonetheless, it's a family's close knit structure fostering teamwork coupled with respect, that accounts for a family businesses success.

From the pool of offbeat MBA options, MBA in Entrepreneurship & Family Business has emerged as a solid programme with an endeavour to assist family owned firms to be in sync with professional organisations.

A programme with a difference, MBA in Entrepreneurship & Family Business isn't just another specialisation. Since it doesn't focus on churning specialists for corporates, it aims at moulding professionals willing to infuse their managerial skills productively towards the family business.

Offered as a diploma, this two-year long programme helps learners to identify family dynamics that affect most business decisions. How to overcome daily operational hurdles to maintain profitability is this programme's main concern. Students are mentored and groomed through classroom lectures, guest lectures, project assignments and case studies.

Thus to conclude, with changing times, the face of MBA too has transformed. With numerous offbeat MBA options surfacing, non-traditional students can find a plethora of opportunities before them, welcoming them with open arms.

Compiled by Priyanka Wali