The grandma of all B-schools
T. RAMACHANDRAN
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Delhi University's Faculty of Management Studies is among the country's top notch B-Schools. Here is what makes it tick.
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TOP ON THE LIST: Faculty of Management Studies., the University of Delhi.
TALK OF a B-School and the names that pop up first in one's mind invariably are those of the Indian Institutes of Management. But if one were to go by age, the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, should be right at the top of the list, for it is India's oldest business school.
The institute was started in 1954 at the Delhi School of Economics under the leadership of A. Dasgupta and it initially offered a three-year part-time Postgraduate Management Programme in Business Administration for senior and middle-level executives.
Courses
Much water has flowed in the Yamuna since then, and these days, the flagship course of the institution is MBA (full-time), which was launched in 1967 and has an intake of 90 seats. Nine other seats are reserved for international students.
The other courses include:
MBA (Part-time) - 140 seats
MBA (Management of Services) - 40 seats plus four seats reserved for foreign students
MBA (Healthcare Administration - part-time) - 15 seats
Test and curriculum
The FMS conducts its own entrance test for admission to all its courses, usually in January. And the notifications are issued in September every year.
The entrance test measures the quantitative, verbal and comprehension skills of applicants.
The course curriculum includes a range of topics. The first year comprises the core subjects of marketing, human resource, finance, production, and systems. In the second year, students can specialise in a particular discipline such as finance, marketing or systems. However, courses in strategy and business law are compulsory. "What is taught in the class is not only contemporary, but sometimes even ahead of time. For example, which business school in the country offers an elective on airport management or management of civil aviation," asks Jay K. Mitra, Placement Coordinator in FMS.
Top one
So then, what makes FMS one of the country's top B-Schools?
For one the atmosphere is stimulating, say the campus inmates. Students from different parts of the world with backgrounds as diverse as law, architecture, medicine and literature learn from each other. Some of them have work experience, while others do not. Lijo Isac, second year FMS student with two years of work experience in Cognizant, who is from Kochi, believes that "the class participation by freshers helps those of us who have work experience think in out-of-the-box terms and adds vitality to the course. We also contribute with instances from our work life, where, in retrospect, we feel that we could have applied the theories we learn here."
That apart, there is the Delhi University atmosphere to keep one going. Students can take non-credit courses in the other university institutions on the same campus such as Delhi School of Economics, Law Faculty and Arts Faculty.
Teaching and learning
And this is what the FMS authorities have to say about the teaching and learning process there, "Students are encouraged to use cutting edge technology to come up with more than just one right solution. Lectures, case analyses, simulation games and exercises, pop quizzes, group discussions and practical project work are used to prepare the students to face the challenges of the complex business and organizational environment." They also have corporate exposure through live projects.
And the FMS- Management Science Association gives students an opportunity to hone their management and soft-skills by organising the various activities of the institution.
Track record
According to school authorities, FMS has had a good track record in placements. The placement process is student friendly - managed by students; with most candidates securing a job of their choice. "FMS has always had equitable placements across sectors, a sign of a mature and evolved process, without heavy dependence on a particular sector. The placements across sectors and multiple offers this year is an indication of the quality of students in FMS and the reputation the institute has in the country." says Madhu Vij, professor-in-charge, Placements. More than 40 per cent of the students in the batch had an offer on hand even before the placement day through a pre placement offer or a lateral offer. The average domestic salary on offer during the last round of placements was Rs.8.1 lakhs per annum, with the maximum salary on offer being Rs.12 lakhs (HSBC Bank).
And FMS also boasts of alumni who are part of the who's who of the corporate world. Like Neelam Dhawan -MD, Microsoft (India), N K S Swamy - President, R.K.Swamy/BBDO, Rahul Malhotra - Country Marketing Manager, P&G, Ajay Mahajan - Group President, YES Bank, Vishal Pandit - CEO, GE Money, Sarvesh Swaroop- Global Head (Cards), Citibank and D S Brar - Former CEO (Ranbaxy).
"FMS- MBA is open to bright students from any background, from any part of India, though an impression has gone around that we attract mainly engineering, economics and commerce graduates from reputed institutes only. Yes, many such students do finally make the grade, but it is not due to the reasons of the nature of selection test or the process, but because they are bright and we allow the brightness to be displayed," says Prof Mitra.
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