Alagappa varsity launches 14 programmes
Alagappa University has launched a variety of sector-specific MBA programmes through distance education from the current academic year, Vice-Chancellor, Dr P Kanniappan, has said. These programmes include MBA (International Business), MBA (Investment Management), MBA (Banking and Finance), MBA (Corporate Secretaryship), MBA (Project Management), MBA (Shipping and Port Management) and MBA (Hospital Management).
Dr P Kanniappan further said the NAAC accredited Alagappa University with 'A' grade status recently. With this grading the university is placed as one of the premier institutions in Tamil Nadu. NAAC has lauded the university for its thrust on research and extension activities followed by teaching and evaluation in its report.
The university was selected by the University Grants Commission under PIHEAD scheme to offer its academic programmes overseas. In relation to this, the Vice-Chancellor plans to visit China and other South-East Asian countries shortly.
Already the distance education programmes of the Alagappa University are offered in Middle-East countries such as Bahrain and Qatar, and also in Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The university has established a Department of English and Foreign Languages and Centre for Rural Development, he added.
Dr P Kanniappan explained the rationale for offering such a wide variety of MBA programmes. He said general MBA can provide knowledge and insight into the general aspect of management and other functional areas such as production, finance, personnel and marketing. These specialised MBA programmes are now designed to provide specialised knowledge and skill to corporate professionals working in different organisations and to prepare young graduates to take up suitable positions in different sectors, which has vast potential in the fast changing economic and industrial environment.
While outlining the MBA Programme on International Business, the Vice-Chancellor said the objective of the programme was to develop professional managers with international perspective in business operations. The programme provides a comprehensive coverage of all important subject areas relevant to international business environment.
On MBA (Banking and Finance) and MBA (Investment Management), the Vice-Chancellor added that these programmes assume significance in the present-day context as India was one of the emerging markets for multinational banks. The programme has been designed to produce competent banking professionals. Further, this programme facilitates youngsters to cash in on the booming job prospects in the services sector, particularly in banking and finance.
On MBA (Investment Management) Programme he said the aim was to produce professional managers to meet the requirements of capital market which has a tremendous potential for growth thanks to the surge in the number of corporate
organisations.
India has more than five lakh companies which require professionally-trained company secretaries. To meet this huge demand, mainly in medium-sized companies, the university has launched MBA (Corporate Secretaryship) programme with a view to producing professionally-competent company secretaries with adequate knowledge on corporate laws and administration. These graduates can well fit in as company secretaries in companies with a paid-up capital of less than Rs 2
crore.
While speaking on MBA (Project Management), the Vice-Chancellor said the aim of the programme was to produce managers with professional skill to plan, take and execute projects successfully with minimum cost and maximum benefit. The programme assumes significance in the wake of growing number of international projects India was getting now.
A large number of corporate hospitals are coming up throughout the country now. They require professionally-skilled competent managers. The curriculum of MBA (Hospital Management) includes hospital planning and designing, health economics, hospital support services, hospital records management, hospital hazards management, hospital-related laws and hospital marketing services. The employees of hospitals and the young job aspirants can avail of the benefit of taking up this programme to upgrade their knowledge and skill.
Similarly, the transport industry, particularly shipping industry, has a vast potential for growth and development in the context of domestic and international trade. This industry is greatly in need of vast manpower with good exposure on different dimensions of management of shipping industry. To meet the requirements of this segment, the programme on MBA (Shipping and Port Management) has been launched. The curriculum focuses on economics of sea transportation, shipping laws and marine insurance, chartering, liner trade and multimodel transportation, and port management.
The Vice-Chancellor further said besides the above programmes, to provide computation skills to the commerce graduates, a separate degree programme in B.Com. (Computer Application) is launched.
To equip the students to have self-employment in their own place, utilising the locally available raw materials and technology, a separate BBA (Rural Industries) programme is also launched. B.Sc. (Psychology) and M.Phil. (English) are other programmes to be offered in this academic year. Further, a more specialised diploma programme on Energy Auditing Management with adequate laboratory skill is offered exclusively at the university campus.
The university has entered into collaborative academic programmes with institutions like Apollo Hospitals to offer paramedical courses, with NIFT-TEA, Tirupur, to offer fashion designing-related programmes, and Shevroys College of Hotel Management, Yercaud, in offering hotel management-related
programmes.
The university, located in the backward district of Sivaganga, is determined to take up development of villages in a big way, the Vice-Chancellor said. Already the university has trained more than 4,200 members belonging to 267 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and provides all kinds of technical and professional help to them. To create awareness and provide required knowledge on professional management to the members of the SHGs, the university has contemplated a certificate course in SHG management. To create awareness among young students the need for developing rural villages and to imbibe the culture of working with them, Alagappa University has made a provision within the curriculum, a five-day compulsory programme for students and faculty members to move to villages and live with the people there.
To take up rural development in a more systematic way the university established a separate Centre for Rural Development this year. The centre has entered into an agreement with the Sivaganga district administration and will act as a nodal agency to coordinate with the various agencies of the state government and to channelise the benefits reaching the rural villages. The university has also entered into an agreement with Colorado State University in the area of rural development.
Alagappa Up!versity has launched 14 new programmes during the current academic year in addition to 43 programmes offered already.
