I’m in class X and keen on pursuing a career in biotechnology. Please advise.
Rahul Salve, Pune
In Plus Two you should opt for the science stream with physics, chemistry, biology and maths (see p. 68). After that you should sign up for a four-year B.Tech (biotechnology) or three-year B.Sc (biotechnology, chem-istry, botany, zoology etc) or B.Pharm, B.Sc (agriculture), and MBBS, veter-inary science/allied fields programme. This could be followed by an M.Sc (biotechnology) or a five-year M.Sc (biotechnology) offered by Pune University.
Biotechnology offers excellent pros-pects especially in research and development or in higher education teaching, so a Ph D degree is recomm-ended for long-term career growth. However, it would be advisable to increase your awareness of the various career options available after Plus Two, and understand which of them is in sync with your strengths and perso-nality, and eventually make an informed decision.
What’s the difference between MBA and MMS (Master of management science)? Please also provide information about the Common Admission Test (CAT).
Rina Samuel, Bangalore
The difference between MBA and MMS is in the nomenclature of the certification awarded. The minimum qualification for admission into MBA/MMS or equivalent courses, is completion of a bachelor’s degree (at least 10+2+3). Admission into these study programmes is based on performance in written tests (such as CAT, XAT, etc), group discussion and personal interview with weightage given to academic record, participation in extracurricular activities/achievements, and work experience after graduation.
While choosing your B-school, enroll in institutions recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Moreover, most importantly, check out the campus placement track records of your shortlisted B-schools.
CAT is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and its notification is published in the month of July in all prominent dailies countrywide, with the written exam usually held in November.
I will complete my M.Sc (genetics) degree in 2014. To improve my career prospects, should I opt for an MBA in biotech?
Siddharth Rao, Chennai
If you get admission into an MBA programme of a reputed B-school, you are likely to be campus-recruited by a reputable corporate. However, an M.Sc (genetics) degree per se also opens up numerous opportunities. It will provide you the basis for under-standing genetic diseases to enable counseling to families at risk of prod-ucing children with genetic disorders and for investigating the molecular basis of genetic diseases to find cures. In agriculture, genetics is the basis of breeding new crop plants and livestock.
A rapidly growing biotechnology industry is already using genetics to produce a range of products from pharmaceuticals to microchips. But currently, the private sector isn’t a major employer of scientists. Hence, an MBA or MBA (biotech) is a better idea as it provides greater career development options.
I will complete my BE programme in 2014. Please suggest universities in the US offering the Masters in telecom management degree programme. Do I need to write the GMAT or GRE?
Sachin Bose, Kolkata
Yes, you need to write GRE or GMAT for admission into a Masters in telecom management programme offered by US universities. GRE is recommended because it also qualifies you for admission into networking or wireless postgrad progr-ammes. Reputed universities offering telecom management include University of Southern California and Northeastern in Boston. Other universities you could check out are Arizona State University, University of Minnesota, Boston University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Oklahoma, Maryland and Colorado at Boulder. Academic grades of several semesters, together with GRE and TOEFL scores are the main criteria of admission.
What’s the difference between an MBA in travel and MBA in hospitality and tourism? What are the qualifying entrance exams?
Aarti Chawla, New Delhi
An MBA in travel offers good scope but leaves less room for variety and diversity except within the tourism and hospitality services. The two study programmes aren’t subs-tantially different. Management insti-tutes either conduct their own entrance test or rely on CAT/MAT scores. IITTM (www.iittm.org), Lucknow, Pondicherry, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh universities are well-known institutions offering postgrad diploma programmes in tourism while NITHM, Hyderabad offers an MBA in hospitality.
I’m a B.Com graduate currently employed in a private company. To further my career prospects I want to sign up for an MS in finance. Also does a correspondence course have the same value as a full-time degree programme?
Rahul D’Souza, Mumbai
There isn’t any universally accepted rating or ranking of distance education programmes. A distance education degree of a UGC-recognised university and approved by the Distance Education Council is a valid qualification. However, if you wish to use it for seeking placement then its value would be linked to the relevance of your work experience. Hence if you don’t have any finance-related work experience, the MS finance programme won’t improve your employability.
I would like to pursue an MBA after completing my engineering degree next year but I have an active ATKT (allowed to keep terms i.e. failed subject/s). Will the ATKT affect my placement till I complete my MBA?
Sunil Advani, Mumbai
If you can clear your subjects before entering the final year, you won’t face any discomfort during campus placem-ents from your college. It would neither affect your admission into an MBA programme nor placement, if you have achieved reasonably good grades in school and college. Since the ATKT cannot be undone, you have to ensure you don’t fail any more subjects.