Vital Statistics

• WHAT IS IT? A college for management studies. • WHO’S THE BOSS? Prof. Dr A.K. Sen Gupta is the director. • How cheap is it? The tuition fees range from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1,20,000 per year. • WHAT ABOUT JOBS? They have a placement cell. • WHERE TO STAY? They have an arrangement with hostels outside the campus for girls. Boys have to make their own arrangements. • WHERE IS IT? SIES College of Management Studies,Navi Mumbai. Phone: 22-27713841 Website: www.siescoms.edu, www.siesnetcampus.org

The SIES College of Management Studies (SIESCOMS) is part of the South Indian Education Society?s group of academic institutions. It was set up in 1995 on SIES? seven-acre Nerul complex in Navi Mumbai along with a host of other institutes like the SIES Indian Institute of Environment Management, SIES School of Packaging, SIES Graduate School of Technology, etc.

SIESCOMS is reputed for its academic excellence. It was ranked 28th in a national survey on B-Schools conducted by Outlook-CFore and 40th in the country in a survey conducted by Cosmode and Business World.

The South Indian Education Society (SIES) is also one of the few institutes to encourage blind students to apply. The president of Mumbai?s National Association of the Blind is an SIES alumnus.

Class apart

What distinguishes SIESCOMS from the rest of the B-schools in Mumbai is that it was one of the pioneers to start an exclusive MBA programme for the pharmaceutical industry. It was also the first school to offer electives in non-management subjects like journalism, social enterprise management and Indian culture and heritage.

SIESCOMS? courses include the master of management studies (MMS) affiliated to the Mumbai University. This two-year full-time postgraduate course in management studies approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) offers specialisation in the functional areas of marketing, finance, operations and HRD and systems. What?s more, it comes quite cheap at only Rs 70,000 per year.

The postgraduate diploma in business administration (PGDBA) is a 21-month full-time four semester autonomous course. Then there is the postgraduate diploma in pharmaceutical management offered in collaboration with the Indian Drug Manufacturers? Association. This is a 21-month full-time course.

The institute also offers an executive postgraduate diploma in business management for executives. It is an 18-month, weekend course and costs about Rs 85,000 per year. They also have a postgraduate programme for the scions of family managed business.

Amiable faculty

Says Dr A.K. Sen Gupta, director, ?At SIESCOMS the relationship between the teacher and the student is fraternal and not hierarchical. We have a large faculty and the morning classes begin with five minutes of meditation.?

The institute has an arrangement with the Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, to enable students to pursue a PhD. The students applying for the PhD programme will have a joint guide, one from Calcutta and one from Mumbai. The topics for research include strategy marketing, finance, etc.

Making the grade

For the masters in management studies and the masters in computer applications, the criterion is the Common Entrance Test (CAT) conducted by the Department of Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra. SIESCOMS also has its own parameters for selection, which include performance in the group discussion and the personal interview.

The institute encourages students to take the initiative. Says Shivraj Kadu, who passed out last year. ?They gave us responsibilities in most areas. For instance, our batch introduced the laptops wherein we got the best vendors with student discounts. We also organised the fest and got guest lecturers from all walks of life, including Mumbai?s famous dabbawallahs.?

Velly Thevar

OLD MEMORIES

Gomathi Kaliappan, project manager, Tata Interactive Systems, on her college days

The best thing about SIESCOMS is that it allows you to pursue a dual specialisation. After I did my engineering in textiles from Veermata Jeejabai Technological Institute, Mumbai, I wanted to do something more practical. So I did my MBA in marketing with systems from SIESCOMS.

And today, when I manage a large project on e-learning at Tata Interactive Systems, I realise the contribution that SIESCOMS has made to my growth. At SIESCOMS, education was never one-dimensional. The programme was multifaceted and helped me grow as a person.

We were allowed a lot of freedom and nothing was ever imposed on us. The campus recruitment was completely left to us and we organised it without any interference from the college authorities.

As told to Velly Thevar