Why MBA after BTech is the most sought after combination in Industry?

Talking about BTech students opting MBA for post-graduation, experts acclaim that a management degree after BTech bridges skill-gap by inculcating soft skills, leadership skills, and decision-making abilities in the students.

MBA after BTech has become the most sought-after combination for engineering graduates to super-accelerate career growth with great salary packages and job opportunities at top companies. Talking about BTech students opting MBA for post-graduation, experts acclaim that a management degree after BTech bridges skill-gap by inculcating soft skills, leadership skills, and decision-making abilities in the students.

How is MBA beneficial for BTech graduates?

Talking about the benefits of an MBA degree for BTech graduates, Professor and Director at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, Dr Daviender Narang said, “An MBA degree proves to be immensely beneficial for engineering students since it opens up various possibilities for their technical knowledge. It gives an added advantage to their existing technical expertise. Management skills in engineering students make them a more viable option for a better managerial position. Various  management skills such as problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, planning, organizing, and team building can be inculcated by an engineering graduate which in turn help him/her to become a prudent manager.”

Stating that BTech graduates prefer MBA for Job role enhancement, development of a broader managerial perspective, and the ability to switch domains, Professor Shrihari Sohani, Chair – PGP, IIM Indore, said, “MBA provides a diverse perspective in areas not covered in the engineering curriculum, such as finance, marketing, and HR. Engineers can also augment their core domains with managerial courses in IT and Operations. With this, engineering students become capable of taking up leadership roles within organizations, enhancing their career opportunities. MBA also helps engineers switch career paths to one of the new domains mentioned.”

Bachelor in engineering program is a rigorous professional degree of four years in India. Students enrolled under the BTech programme require intensive and disciplined work style including the development of practical skills through lab work, internships and live projects. The course inculcates interdisciplinary knowledge of sciences, technology and humanities in students. An MBA degree provides a platform for BTech graduates to further develop inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary knowledge and skills of business management functions for example finance, operations, marketing, HR and entrepreneurial capabilities. Thus, a BTech graduate with an MBA degree has a complement of technical and managerial knowledge and skills which gives them an advantage over graduates coming from non-engineering backgrounds.

Majority of BTech graduates opt for MBA

According to All India Survey on Higher Education 2019-20, more than 70% of engineers opt for MBA for post-graduation. Meanwhile, the current batch profile of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, i.e. PGPX 2022-23 reveals that out of the batch of 140 students, 122, i.e. 87.14% are engineers and out of them 12.14% have graduated from IITs and NITs. Stating that “Engineers constitute a large proportion of the batch at IIM Indore,” Sohani added, “Engineers look forward to job roles across domains- Marketing, Finance, Consulting, Operations, IT and HR.”

“Getting an MBA after an engineering degree can be a rewarding decision. An engineer with an MBA degree is the most sought-after job prospect in the corporate arena. There are many potential reasons for a B. Tech degree holder to go for an MBA. Firstly, the perks are pretty high for an engineer with MBA. Engineers with MBA nearly get 7 LPA to 8 LPA as freshers themselves. Second, the management degree gives a boost to the existing expertise of an engineer. The skills and abilities gained during the MBA program will prepare you for a better designation and higher salary. It also makes them globally competitive individuals who have a lot to offer to the corporate world,” said Narang.

The Director added, “On average, JIM receives applications from approximately 45 – 60 engineers in a batch of 240 students every year.”

Opportunities for BTech graduates after MBA

BTech graduates are technically proficient with analytical and applied skills that are developed over the course of a professional program. Companies driven by technology /operations/financial engineering/ innovation/consultancies prefer BTech with MBA while recruiting MBAs. IIM Calcutta MBAEx Placement 2021 report revealed that 58.6% of students got placed in the IT sector in Big brands such as Microsoft, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, etc. followed by e-commerce. The highest salary offered during IIM-C placements 2021 stood at INR 87.36 LPA followed by INR 28.75 LPA as the average salary offered.  

“Amazon, Deloitte, Accenture, Genpact, WPRO, Newgen Software,  FMCG companies such as ITC, EdTech Sector like UpGrad, PlanetSpark, Unicops (IT company), Hike Education, Lochan and Co. (Consultancy) offer job for an MBA with Engineering background,” said Narang.

Students Speak

Talking about her decision on opting MBA after completing BTech, Manaswita Shekhar Singh, PGP 2021-23, IIM Indore, said, “In BTech the jobs are mostly offered based on our branch/specializations. Since the opportunities are quite restricted without many options to explore, going for an MBA was a better career choice. MBA opens up gates to multiple professions, which the students can take up based on their interests. It prepares students to deal with the challenges as professionals by equipping them with multiple skillsets, all of which were not a part of the BTech Program.”

Singh further talked about benefits in career growth and added advantages engineers get while opting for MBA. She said, “It depends on the career that you are interested in after your MBA. Engineering will help in areas like the IT sector, but it's not a mandate. MBA offers multiple opportunities and a vast variety of options that the students can explore. They have a multitude of things to choose from and finalize the decision by giving priority to their own interest.”

Roshni Mehra - MBA batch 2021-23, JIM while talking about the advantages of pursuing MBA for an engineer said, “it gives me a win-win situation. It will give me exposure, and flexibility in learning while enhancing my personality. I can sharpen my decision-making skills, creativity, and problem-solving skills while pursuing MBA after engineering. MBA teaches me how to work with people.  It gives me global exposure. I get a platform to showcase my talents and achieve heights in my career.”

“In BTech the jobs are mostly offered based on our branch/specializations. Since the opportunities are quite restricted without many options to explore, going for an MBA was a better career choice. MBA opens up gates to multiple professions which the students can take up based on their interests. It prepares students to deal with the challenges as professionals by equipping them with multiple skillsets, all of which were not a part of the BTech Program,” Mehra added.

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