Humanities & Social Sciences

I studied my PGDM in Bangalore at GIBS, and there were opportunities to get exposure beyond the usual classroom learning. We had industry visits, interactions with professionals, guest sessions and opportunities to learn about how businesses work in different markets. GIBS also conducts international-oriented activities and exposure programmes from time to time. 

For me, the international exposure was more about getting a broader business perspective and interacting with people from different backgrounds, rather than just going on a foreign trip. Overall, GIBS gives students opportunities to understand business from a wider perspective along with regular academics.

Yes, definitely. In fact, I'm beginning to understand that an English Literature background can be quite relevant to marketing, although there is a learning curve when you enter an MBA.

I come from an English Literature background, and before starting my MBA at IMI Kolkata, I was unsure about how much my previous academic experience would translate into a business environment. Marketing, however, is one area where I can already see the connection.

Literature teaches you to understand people, analyse different perspectives, communicate ideas clearly and pay attention to how language influences the way something is perceived. These skills have a natural connection with areas of marketing such as consumer behaviour, communication, branding, content and storytelling.

At the same time, an MBA brings in the business side that a humanities degree may not cover. Concepts related to market research, analytics, finance, strategy and understanding business performance require additional learning and practice. So having a humanities background doesn't mean you can skip the quantitative or business-oriented parts of marketing.

For me, the biggest advantage has been learning to combine what I already know with what I'm learning now. I don't see my English Literature degree as something I need to move away from; rather, I'm trying to understand where those skills fit within a business context.

I'm still early in my MBA journey, so I'm not claiming to have figured out my career path completely. But based on what I've experienced so far, I don't think your undergraduate degree should stop you from pursuing marketing. What matters more is being willing to learn the business side, develop analytical skills and understand how customers and markets actually work.

For students from humanities backgrounds considering marketing, I'd say the transition is very possible — you just need to be prepared to build the business skills alongside the strengths you already bring.