BBA set for facelift to make course more valuable

NEW DELHI|MUMBAI: The Bachelor of Business Administration, a not-so aspirational degree in India, is getting a facelift to become a more attractive proposition for students. Some new-age universities in particular are changing the way the course is structured.

Most BBA courses in India usually get students who have failed to make it to BTech. Experts say the BBA curriculum has not been very well thought through thus far. Piecemeal, disjointed chunks of the MBA syllabus make for neither an interesting nor valuable experience for students. Additionally, BBA courses are designed as shorter versions of MBAs in India.

However, the current economy, and the opportunities it presents, is encouraging institutions to rethink the course. For instance, there’s the Bennett tie-up with Johnson Cornell.

Bennett University’s five-year BBA+LLB honours programme will have a competitive edge over others as it will provide students with an international interface.

Bennett University vice chancellor Yaj Medury said the BBA will help students gain the knowledge and experience required to make a positive impact in the world of business.

“We combine business and liberal arts studies in association with an Ivy League School,” he said. “Bennett’s BBA students will explore today’s challenging social and economic issues, taking learning beyond the classroom, learning leadership and teamwork through group projects and leadership ventures.”

BML Munjal University has made an effort from the outset to align the BBA programme with contemporary professional world. Students spend up to 20% of their time on hands-on learning through workshops, live projects, and industry internships.

SP Jain Global's president Nitish Jain told ET that the diminishing numbers for the traditional Indian programme is proof that conventional graduates aren’t adding much value at the workplace. "Rote learning has little value these days. Our BBA requires students to study in Singapore, Dubai and Sydney so they become global citizens with multicultural global social skills," he said.

He adds that the focus has shifted from knowledge to critical skills like creative and complex decision making, analytical skills, global social skills, real world skills and effective communication.

"Students are introduced to areas like business analytics, design thinking, critical reasoning and system thinking etc., which are typically part of an MBA student's curriculum," said Akshay Munjal, president of BML Munjal University. “Students can also opt for a module developed and delivered entirely by KPMG, getting them up to speed in the latest developments in the space of finance and accounting.” For most students, BBA as a course offers a number of options to pursue various professional streams or higher studies. "It is the perfect stepping stone for students who are eyeing enrollment in prestigious MBA programmes in India and overseas,” Munjal said.

"Foreign tie-ups further boost the popularity of these BBA programmes," said Rohin Kapoor, director at Deloitte in India. “Earlier, at the undergraduate level, such tie-ups were few and far between. Now, more of these are happening, leading to these courses becoming more attractive in students’ perceptions.” University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) focuses on domain specific specialisations. Its three-year BBA programme grooms a student for serious academic pursuits.

“Internationalisation of curriculum and the pedagogy has added a lot of value to these programmes," said Dayanand Pandey, professor and director, college of management and economic studies (CoMES), UPES. “Curriculum of these programmes is updated as per industry requirements.” IMI Delhi's director general Debashis Chatterjee said, "The fact that the BBA has been gaining in popularity is a fallout of the popularity of the MBA. People want to have an early start. Tie-ups that a lot of the institutes go into help it gain relevance."

Founded by The Times of India Group, the multi-faculty, researchled Bennett University started operations in July 2016 with the promise of making students ‘life and career ready’. The university offers programmes across engineering, management, media and law. ET is part of the Times of India Group.