If you are a recent Bachelors graduate and want to pursue a managerial career in banking, insurance or the industrial sector, opting for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) could be the great option. Obtaining an MBA will likely take you closer to your preferred career options with many banks, corporations and insurance companies who are eager to recruit MBA graduates that have completed the advanced degree with good standing.

Banks and insurance companies in the country have of-late started considering MBA graduates as market-ready products because of the standard of teaching-learning system and the practical curricula of the programme. Industry insiders say that fresh MBA graduates are ready to take on important positions in a broad corporate sector. As a result, those taking MBA courses from Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University School of Management have high job placement rates, even before they graduate. Both the universities have a record of over 60 percent placement for students who are in their final year of studies. The scenario is just as good for graduates from other domestic universities and colleges operating in affiliation with international universities.

“We have seen amazing presentation and leadership skills among even in the fresh MBA graduates,” says Gyanendra Dhungana, vice-chairperson of the Bankers’ Association. He claims that MBA graduates also reflect thematic expertise, as well as confidence. The MBA course of study covers three major branches of company and corporation—commerce, entrepreneurship and insurance. The course of study, combined with internships, fit well with the requirement of banks and companies, making students uniquely ready to take up the challenges in the early days of their professional careers.

The leaders from the Banking and Insurance sectors say that MBA graduates have proven themselves through their responsible and mature decisions at their jobs because they have undergone rigorous study and practical experiences during their programmes. The MBA curriculum is designed in a way that 60 percent hinges on practical study, while the theoretical part covers just 40 percent.

Today, a majority of universities and colleges have tie-ups with banks and business houses through which students get to learn about the practical aspects of management that primes them for the job market once they graduate. This makes the hiring process easier as organisations don’t need to spend resources on trainings and orientations. “One can see the difference between MBA graduates from other students through their working style, paper presentation procedures and interaction with clients,” says Bijay Bahadur Shah, former president of Nepal Insurance Association, claiming that MBA graduates are the preferred choice in the insurance sector.

Much of this has to do with the fact that colleges provide students with case-studies to solve during the course of their study, which gives them a solid grounding in the sector even before they join their future jobs. Besides the traditional lecture teaching methodology, MBA focuses on active participation which students’ understanding of the particular subject matter. The students are also required to partake in presentations, group works, field visits and internships which provide them with an experience of the real world. This makes them ready for the market by the time they have a certificate in their hands.

 “This is the reason why MBA graduates seldom complain of being unemployed,” says Rudra Prasad Ghimire, coordinator at the Management Programme of DAV College. He claimed that as MBA courses are of an international standard, Nepali MBA graduates are getting jobs even in the international market, pointing to the number of Nepali graduates who are occupying managerial positions in the various countries in the Gulf and the Middle East.

Apart from the banking and insurance sectors, demand for professional managers is equally strong in other sectors like tourism and hospitality, energy, agriculture, and the public sector. Because MBA courses are designed to help students understand the changing perspectives in business, graduates are expected to understand new definitions and programmes, think strategically, make decisions and have a practical approach to any problem. These aspects make them expert managers and business leaders, regardless of which sector they decide to venture into.