
MBA stands for Masters of Business Administration. Distance MBA is a course that is affordable and flexible for students. It is a two-year distance postgraduate course in management. Distance MBA is one of the best career options for students who cannot take admission in a regular MBA course due to various reasons such as lack of money. The distance MBA programme does not require students to attend regular classes instead students are supposed to take classes once or twice a week on weekends when they are free from other work. In India, MBA distance education is one of the best-preferred options for students. MBA distance learning courses are recognized by AICTE/UG.
In addition to campus facilities and mode of study, distance and regular MBA have parallel course duration and curriculum. There are some institutions and universities in India that provide MBA distance courses. These days most of the top universities in India providing MBA degree courses have started placements cells to place the students in government jobs and multinational companies.
There are three types of MBA distance education courses which are mentioned below:
1 year of PGD in Business Administration (PGDBA)
This is the 1-year diploma course, and it is divided into two semesters which deals with business study management, marketing and general operations, finance, administration etc.
3 to 6 months Certificate Course in Business Management
This is the basic management course that imparts the knowledge of how students can optimize resource utilization to maximize wealth and the basics of business functions as well.
2 years of PGDM/MBA
This course type is the most common in distance MBA which is pursued by the candidates. Its course curriculum is similar to the regular MBA.
The course is allocated into four semesters. The subjects and syllabus of distance MBA include various specializations. The first and second semesters emphasized core subjects whereas the third and fourth semester allows students to choose specializations. To understand the syllabus and subjects of distance MBA, aspirants can read the table given below:
Semester 1
Principles and Practice of Management |
Organizational Behavior |
Management Accounting |
Management Economics |
Management Law |
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|
|
Semester 2
Financial Management |
Production Management |
Marketing Management |
Human Resource Management |
Management Information System |
|
Semester 3
Required Specialization 1 |
Required Specialization 2 |
Required specialization 3 |
Elective 1 |
Elective 2 |
Elective 3 |
Semester 4
Required Specialization 4 |
Required specialization 5 |
Project |
Elective 4 |
Elective 5 |
Elective 6 |
The process of distance MBA admission is similar to the regular admission process of MBA. Candidates need to appear for the entrance exam like XAT, CAT, MAT and etc. There are various institutes and universities that conduct entrance exams and some do not have any entrance exams.
Candidates who have completed their graduation from any recognized university with the experience of three years are eligible to apply for MBA distance education.
There are various institutes and universities that conduct entrance exams and some do not have any entrance exams. For instance, NMIMS Global Acces School for Continuing Education provides MBA course admission basis on eligibility (Undergraduate degree from well-recognized university and institution in any course with 50% aggregate and 2 years of work experience). There are also some centres for distance MBA that accepts management exam s scores such as XAT, CAT, ATMA, MAT, etc.
IGNOU offers admission to aspirants based on IGNOU OPENMAT, which conducts twice a year and it requires some key skills like Good Communication skills, Management skills, Leadership skills and Analytical skills.
The main specializations of MBA distance education are accounting, finance, marketing, human resource, retail, global or international commercialization etc. Given below is the proper list of popular MBA Distance specializations.
Human Resource |
International Business |
Finance |
Retail |
Sales and Marketing |
IT and Systems |
Operations |
Healthcare and Hospital |
Import and Export |
General Management |
Corporate Management |
Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
Agriculture Business Management |
Hospital Management |
From the above specializations, there are some in-demand specializations in India like MBA in Finance, Human Resource Management, MBA in IT, MBA in Logistic Management, MBA in Marketing Management, MBA in Business Management, MBA in Rural Management, MBA in Healthcare Management, and MBA in Event and Operation Management.
Given below is the table which comprises the list of best MBA distance education universities/colleges/institutes in India with the courses and fee structure.
Universities/Institutes |
Courses |
Fee Structure (annually) |
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun |
MBA |
Rs. 72,500 |
Chandigarh University |
MBA |
Rs. 27,650 |
Lovely Professional University |
PGDM/MBA |
Rs. 50,000 |
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) |
MBA (IGNOU – OPENMAT Entrance Exam) |
Rs. 31,500 |
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai |
PGDMB (two-year course) |
Rs. 43,000 |
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning |
PGDM (two-year course) |
Rs. 37,000 |
IMT Ghaziabad |
PGDM (two-year course) |
Rs. 88.000 |
SRM University, Chennai |
MBA |
Rs. 30,000 |
Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak |
MBA |
Rs. 30,000 |
Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu |
MBA |
Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 35,000 |
Amity University |
MBA/PGDM |
Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1,00,000 |
GITAM- Centre for Distance Learning, Visakhapatnam (Institute of Eminence) |
MBA |
Rs. 30,000 |
Bharathidasan University Centre for Distance Leaning |
MBA |
Rs. 30,000 |
Andhra University (CDL) |
MBA |
Rs. 25,000 – Rs. 30,000 |
Jain University, Bangalore |
1 year PGDM |
Rs. 16,800 |
Jagannath University, Jaipur |
MBA |
Rs. 25,000 |
Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh |
MBA |
Rs. 25,000 |
After completing the post-graduation in MBA, students can work in public, private or government sectors in several domains which are given below:
Finance- After completing the distance MBA programme in finance, students can work in broking and trading firms, credit rating agencies and insurance companies.
Marketing- Marketing is a specialization in MBA that opens various opportunities for students in sales and marketing, advertising agencies, marketing departments etc.
Human Resource Management- Students that have completed the MBA in HRM can work in HR departments in several national and multinational organizations, career development, counselling, training agencies etc.
Operations Management- Candidates can choose to work either in production and distribution and logistics after completing the MBA in operations management.
Wipro, Vodafone, Axis Bank, IBM, Hindustan Unilever, Capgemini, TCS, Bosch Ltd, Tata Sky, Jindal Steel and Power, HCL and Accenture are some of the top companies that provide employment to MBA aspirants.
There are various skills that a candidate requires to possess in order to pursue MBA. Given below are some required skills to pursue MBA:
Communication Skills: It is important for aspirants to possess efficient and effective communication skills if they want to work in top recruiting and reputed companies. Good communication helps people to leave a better impression.
Leadership Skills: There is no doubt that leadership skill is one of the top skills for MBA candidates. If candidates want to have a position of authority in their companies then they must possess this skill as it can allow them to lead people.
Decision Making Skills: This skill is required to become fair-minded when there are complicated situations. It helps candidates to take the right decision which cannot harm other people in the organization.
Presentation Skills: MBA candidates need to strengthen their presentation and analytical skills as it allows them to present well-structured projects when it comes to presentation.
Creativity and Innovation: Aspirant needs to be creative and must have to possess thinking the ideas out of the box, and candidates are good at it, it can help them to be innovative.
Yes, it is completely worth pursuing the distance MBA if a candidate pursues it from top colleges of India that offers a correspondence MBA course. If you are someone who is a working professional, in that case, a distance MBA can help you to improve your job profile by giving your most of the time in it. This course is designed by universities for working professionals, people who cannot afford the money and for people who are pursuing other professional courses. If it is done from reputed colleges, it helps students in management and business skills, which allows them to become future entrepreneurs. MBA can give students opportunities to boost their career as this course has potential to provide best career options to candidates in various reputed fields like marketing and sales, logistics, finance and accounting, information technology, retail, healthcare and hospitality, operations, petroleum and natural gas management and entrepreneurship and leadership.
MBA distance learning courses help students to learn various skills like management skills, leadership skills, marketing skills etc.
Distance MBA is flexible, affordable, one can earn side by side and it is tech-friendly by which one can study by taking online classes.
Distance MBA has its own value as students can spend their time on other areas of their interest.
Low cost is another advantage of distance MBA, unlike the regular MBA course, the fee structure of distance MBA is comparatively low which makes it available and affordable for millions of management candidates.
MBA allows students to judge analytically and think constructively. It inculcates the skills which are in demand for a career in management.
It provides chances to expertise and intensifies knowledge in the specific business department or area.
MBA has various fields in which candidates can set their career which is the fundamental goal of any course to provide best career options to their candidates.
It has convenient payment option with loan facilities which can be good for the candidates having any kind of financial issues.
Distance MBA course by top universities focuses
No Direct Interaction with Faculties: As people know that due to the Covid-19 pandemic things has changed and everything changed from offline to online. So recently due to pandemics, online classes are given to students in which they hardly interact with faculty.
Less recognition by employers: There are still MBA employers who prefer regular MBA aspirants rather than distance MBA aspirants; the reason behind it is that they think that regular aspirants during the time of their course have possessed all essential skills which are required to become an effective and good employee with a growth mindset.
Lack of Disciplinary Training: Discipline is one of the most essential management aspects. Disciplinary training is a crucial part of a regular MBA. On the other hand, in distance MBA there is no particular rule if the candidates will be given the disciplinary training or not and that is why in distance MBA it is essential for students to prepare themselves in the areas where the university is not paying much attention. Candidates pursuing distance MBA need to focus on discipline and they need to teach themselves things that are not taught by university faculties.
Less College Availability: There is no doubt that MBA is the core management and business based subject which requires the pedagogical approach, and that is why many colleges offer only regular MBA programs. The number of colleges providing distance MBA is extremely less.
Yes, Distance MBA has an equal value like a regular MBA degree.
Yes, one can opt for specializations in Distance MBA. Several B Schools provide specializations in Finance, HR etc.
No, IIM does not provide Distance MBA degree. What they provide are short term career enhancement programs known as ePGP.
Pursuing MBA can be hectic or tough at times but after successful completion one can secure high-paying jobs, making an MBA one of the most famous post-graduate degrees.