MBA: List of First-Year subjects (A Quick 2 Min Read)

MBA: List of First-Year subjects (A Quick 2 Min Read)

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MBA: List of First-Year subjects (A Quick 2 Min Read)

Master of Business Administration or MBA is one of India’s most popular and common postgraduate courses and abroad. It is s two-year course and opens a lot of new opportunity in the corporate world.

The fact that makes the MBA very popular is that students from all backgrounds, including science, commerce, and arts, can pursue this program.

MBA is usually divided into four or six semesters depending upon the university offering the course. Some private institutions also offer a one-year program of the same as well.

Admission to this course is through entrance exams and a series of interviews. Top entrance exams for MBA are CAT, XAT, CMAT, SNAP, NMAT and GMAT, to name a few.

What is the Right Time for Pursuing MBA?

Subjects in the 1st and 2nd semester are usually common, and then from 3rd semester onwards, subjects of specialization are included.

Below are the mentioned subjects of the 1st semester for MBA program offered by universities:

  1. Organizational Behavior
  2.  Marketing Management
  3. Quantitative Methods
  4. Human Resource Management
  5. Managerial Economics
  6. Business Communication
  7. Financial Accounting
  8. Information Technology Management

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Included in the first semester of MBA course, this subject consists of 5 units.

  1. Introduction
  2. Planning and Organization  
  3. Motivation and Leadership
  4. Communication and Control
  5. Organizational Behaviour, Change and Development

Reference books for this subject are as below:

  1. L.M.Prasad, Principles and Practice of Management, 7Ed, S.Chand Publishers, 2007.
  2. Weihrich & Koonty, Essentials of Management, TMH, 1990.
  3. Robbins. P, Essential of Organizational Behaviour, 10 Ed, PHI, 2010.
  4. Fred Luthans, Organizational Behaviour, 11Ed, TMH, 2006.

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Although marketing is a specialization, this subject is compulsory in the 1st semester of this program.

5 units are covered in this subject which are as follows:

  1. Marketing
  2. Market Segmentation
  3. Product and Pricing
  4. Physical Distribution and Promotion
  5. Marketing Control and Consumer Behaviour

Reference books available for this subject:

  1. Kotler Philip & Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, PHI, 1997.
  2. W.J.Stanton, Fundamentals of Marketing, TMH, 2000.
  3. A.Sherlekhar, Marketing Management, Himalaya, Publishers, 2001.
  4. Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, PHI, -2001.

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QUANTITATIVE METHODS

Depending on the university, this subject is either in the 1st semester or in the 2nd semester, but is a compulsory subject.

It has 8 units namely:

  1. Introduction to operations research
  2. Linear programming problem
  3. Transportation models
  4. Network analysis
  5. Theory of games
  6. Sequence
  7. Queuing models
  8. Simulation of management systems

Reference books which can be used:

  1. R. Panneerselvam – Operations Research (PHI, 2nd Edition)
  2. Sharma J K – Operations Research (Pearson, 3rd Edition)
  3. Natarajan- Operation Research (Pearson)
  4. Singh & Kumar—Operation Research (UDH Publisher edition 2013)

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

This is a compulsory subject for MBA program and it has the following units-

  1. Introduction (Essentials of HRM)
  2. HR planning and employee hiring
  3. Employee training and development
  4. Compensation management and employee relations
  5. Employee safety and international HRM

References:

  1. V.S.P.Rao, Human Resource Management (Text and Cases) Himalaya Publications, Thirteenth Edition.
  2. Durai Praveen, Human Resource Management Pearson Publication, 2nd Edition.
  3. Gary Dessler and BijuVarkkey Human Resource Management, Person Publication, 2013, 14th Edition.
  4. Seema Sanghi, Human Resource Management, Vikas Publications, 2014, 5th Edition.
  5. K. Aswathappa, Human Resource Management, McGraw Hill Education, 2013, 7th Edition.

MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

Being a compulsory subject in the first year of the MBA program, it consists of the following units.

  1. Introduction to Managerial Economics
  2. Demand Analysis and Forecasting
  3. Cost and Production Analysis
  4. Theory of Pricing
  5. Macro Economics and Business

Reference books:

  1. Mote Paul, Gupta, Managerial Economics, TMH, 1977.
  2. H.Craig Peterson, W.Cris Lewis, Managerial Economics, PHI, 1994.
  3. Gupta G.S., Managerial Economics, TMH, 1988.
  4. P.L. Mehta, Managerial Economics, PHI, 2001.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

This is a subject bent more towards practical usage rather than theoretical knowledge.

It has the following units:

  1. Communication Basics
  2. Listening Process
  3. Interview
  4. Negotiation and Presentation
  5. Written and Oral Communication Process

Reference books:

  1. Ken Robert W., A short guide to successful Writing in Management, HBS,1986
  2. Matthukutty MM, Business Communication Strategies, TMH, 2001.
  3. Lessikar, Basic Communication, TMH-2001.
  4. Mudd Cs and SillersMd, Speech and Content and Communication, Thomas Crowell Company,1985

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

The main objective of this subject is to provide a comprehensive treatment of accounting principles, technique and practices.

This subject is divided in 5 units which are as follows:

  1. Meaning and Scope of Accounting
  2. Accounting Standards and IFRS
  3. Mechanics of Accounting
  4. Analysis of financial statement
  5. Funds Flow Statement

Reference books that are available:

  1. Maheshwari S.N & Maheshwari S K – A textbook of Accounting for Management (Vikas, 10th Edition)
  2. Essentials of Financial Accounting (based on IFRS), Bhattacharya (PHI,3rd Ed)
  3. Ramachandran Kakani- Financial Accounting for Management( TMH,3rd Edition).
  4. PC Tulsian- Financial Accounting (Pearson, 2016)
  5. Dhamija – Financial Accounting for managers: (Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition).

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

The objective of this course is to provide knowledge about basic components of a computer and their significance and to provide hands on learning of applications of MS Office and Internet in businesses.

This subject is covered in 5 units.

  1. Conceptual Framework
  2. Communication Technology
  3. Office tools for Business
  4. Information System Classification
  5. Information Systems for Business

 Reference books available:

  1. Shrivastava-Fundamental of Computer& Information Systems (Wiley Dreamtech)
  2. Leon A and Leon M – Introduction to Computers ( Vikas, 1st Edition).
  3. ITL ESL – Introduction to Information Technology (Pearson, 2nd Edition).
  4. ITL ESL – Introduction to Computer science (Pearson, 2nd Edition).

This was a list of subjects included in the 1st or 2nd semester of MBA program offered by universities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What subjects are covered in the first year of an MBA?

A. In India, first year of MBA courses and syllabus are almost same for all MBA specialties. It covers a broad array of topics, including business law, entrepreneurship, and others.

Q. Which MBA earns the most revenue?

A. The best highest-paying MBA specialisations are as under:

  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Information Technology 
  • Human Resource
  • Information security
  • Healthcare Resources
  • Real Estate
  • International Trade

Q. Which MBA program is ideal for aspiring CEOs?

A. A general MBA from a leading business institution is a smart route for ambitious CEOs to follow. If you have a viable business degree, completing an MBA in finance or other similar subject might be a reasonable solution.

Q. Do we need work experience before getting my MBA?

A. Since many MBA universities and programs need work experience, it is preferable to obtain necessary job experience while registering in an MBA program. Online MBA programmes follow the same curriculum framework as traditional full-time courses.

Q. When can we begin preparations for the MBA?

A. The MBA preparation path begins in the final semester of under-graduation courses. The majority of management candidates begin their MBA test preparation after entering their third year of bachelor’s degree, as it takes many months to study for the entrance examinations.