Know all about MICA: Interview with Prof. Subrat Sarangi (Associate Professor)

In this exclusive interview with Careers360, Prof. Subrat Sarangi (Associate Professor), MICA discusses what sets MICA apart from other bschools, eligibility and other admission parameters, summer internships, placements and more. Check the entire article for the complete interview.

During the interview, Prof Subrat was joined by Nisha, a PGP student at MICA. Nisha, who is a member of the brand interface team of MICA, addressed some of the student queries.

About: MICA is a private institution established in the year 1991. MICA courses include PGDM-C/ PGDM with specialisations like Advertising and Brand Management, Digital Communication Management, Data Science and Business Analytics and Media and Entertainment Management. MICA admissions are based on the candidate's performance in the CAT/ XAT/ GMAT/ MICAT followed by a group exercise and personal interview.

Careers360: Most consider MICA on par with a regular MBA college/ bschool. Can you explain why MICA is different?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA “The School of Ideas”, was set up in 1991. MICA is the first bschool to get into media and entertainment. The institute aimed to contribute to the media industry and to cover the gap in this area in the industry then. MICA’s curriculum brings a huge amount of differentiation and we always try to stay ahead of the times. It has been more than 7 to 8 years that MICA has been into digital space - digital marketing, digital transformation, social media, etc.

When people started talking about large language modules, chat GPT and Metaverse, MICA was the first campus in the country to have a metaverse lab. We started building future faculty on generative AI teaching and others by conducting faculty programmes.

We have different specialisations like Advertising and Brand Management called ABM, and Digital Communication Management which talks about digital transformation platforms etc. MICA is the first institution to have Data Science and Business Analytics. Then we have Media & Entertainment Management. MICA talks about the media in sports, sports media specialisation and gaming in media. These are some ways that sets MICA apart from the others..

Careers360: Could you elaborate on the vision and mission of MICA?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: The vision of the MICA is to stand out as a globally benchmarked holistic, empathetic, and creative management school that will build competencies in digital transformation, marketing and communications through a cutting-edge and contemporary curriculum, innovative pedagogy, multidisciplinary research and learning outcomes relevant to emerging industry trends in technology, analytics, governance, innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal impact.

The mission of the MICA is to develop empathetic leaders and thinkers who are creative and adaptive problem-solvers in a rapidly changing world. The mission of the MICA PGDM (C) programme is to develop ethical, empathetic, holistic, and resourceful professionals who would manage and lead organisations using analytical, innovative, and creative approaches that are rooted in societal and cultural contexts.

Careers360: Why is Strategic Marketing and Communication important in today’s world and what is the scope?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: The majority of the CEOs come from the sales and marketing functions because they are responsible for revenue in the top and bottom lines. Strategic Marketing has one to two credit scores. Today it's all about marketing gimmicks, marketing strategy and how fast candidates in the market, startups, firms etc. Hence it's important to be well versed in strategic marketing and communication.

Careers360: What are the programmes offered by MICA and what are the eligibility criteria?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA admission to both PGDM (C) and PGDM requires a bachelor's degree (10 + 2 + 3 system) or equivalent qualification in any discipline recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). A candidate appearing for the final year bachelor’s degree examination and those who have completed the degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.

Our entrance examination MICAT is held in two phases - MICAT I and MICAT II. Qualifiers get to participate in a Group Exercise and a Personal Interview before being offered admissions..

Careers360: Why MICAT if CAT/ XAT/ GMAT (CAT 2023 / XAT 2024 / GMAT (2022 onwards) scores are also accepted?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA is a school of ideas and we need empathetic leaders, leaders with a consciousness of the environment in addition to other goals. MICAT is designed to test the creative aspect of the students because we believe that it is important for the students to pursue the programmes we offer.

Careers360: Is there any preference for shortlisting or cutoffs based on the entrance exam?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: There is no preference given for shortlisting or cutoffs. A flat 20% weightage is given to any entrance examination used to shortlist.

Careers360: Please give details about the MICAT exam.

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: We keep changing the format of the MICAT exams every year. The questions asked will test the creative side of the students; have a quantitative and qualitative side too.

Careers360: What are the parameters considered for admissions? Is there any weightage given?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: 20% weightage is given to the CAT/ XAT/ GMAT examinations, 30% is for MICAT, 20% for Group Exercise and 30% for Personal Interview.

Careers360: What are the new initiatives introduced by MICA to make its admission and selection process more robust?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA admissions are internally controlled and managed by faculty and a management committee that changes according to the year. This by itself allows the process to be robust because the faculty are aware of the changing trends and have a better idea of the requirements.

Careers360: Communication is something that needs practical experience and training. How is this incorporated into the teaching methodology?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: Communication is a big aspect of marketing. We have about 6 to 7 faculty members who have specialised in different aspects of communication ranging from semiotics, strategic, business, and leadership. Communication doesn't end with courses, we have applied communication to even look into the theatrics, grammar to logical aspects, pedagogy, language, colour, sentiment, emotions etc.

Careers360: What is the minimum cutoff percentage for shortlisting of students?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: It varies from year to year based on the number of applicants, performance, and toughness of the question paper. It is decided by the admission committee.

Careers360: How is technology inculcated in the curriculum and teaching?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA includes courses on SDG corporate sustainability, semiotics, consumer etc. We have a rural immersion project where students connect with rural areas by solving various problems. There is a radio and MI impact immersion project where we try to have a holistic impact on the students.

Careers360: How does the curriculum of MICA evolve with the constantly changing world of communication?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: We have an advisory board that constantly evaluates and provides industry input and insights into the curriculum. MICA invites industrial professionals who come and take 4 to 5 sessions and bring in the relevant parts into the curriculum.

MICA has metaverse labs and research centres named KEIC, MICORE, CMES, MICASE, SCRM, CLIP and CREM which contribute to the content, curriculum and research focus as well. We introduced a pedagogy centre 3 years ago. This year MICA had a conference on immersive technologies like AI. Our alums represent the governing constant and form the panel at the time of the selection process.

Careers360: How would you advise a student to choose a specialisation based on their areas of interest?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: The students generally choose the electives based on their background, strengths, and areas of their interest at the initial point of time. After completion of term 1, students understand how to choose specialisation based on their strengths. Students form their own minds by taking suggestions from seniors, industry executives and online programmes.

Careers360: How are the practical training and internships facilitated at MICA?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: Summer internships start after the completion of term 3. The duration of the summer internship is 2 months (April-June) and the selection process starts in November or December. Companies have different criteria for the various internships. Students work in a variety of companies in the fields of e-commerce, startups to tech, startups to media companies and so on. This year MICA got the highest number of PPOs.

Careers360: Could you give details about the placement processes and the latest statistics?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: MICA students manage the MICA placement process. We intend to bring in holistic education and train managers. Our placement support includes a 2-year workshop where a student is well-trained and is ready to face the corporate world.

Nisha (MICA Student): Everything in MICA is run by the students. Specifically, the placements are run by the placement committee and this happens in a very transparent manner.

Careers360: Finally, what would your message be to management aspirants?

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: If a candidate is looking for a career in communication and management. One needs to upskill their knowledge according to the time. The key factors that recruiters look into a candidate for hiring are flexibility, attitude, attention to detail and contest are the four things students should come out with.

Careers360: You have already undergone the MICA admission process. What should one expect when they go for group exercise and personal interview?

Nisha (Student): Group Exercise is a deciding factor and a fun experience. The question I was asked during my GE was “How do you explain politics to a bunch of kindergarten students”? The questions asked in these rounds are unpredictable and unexpected. The personal interview is just an evaluation and very much interactive.

Careers360: What is the difficulty level of the MICAT exam?

Nisha (Student): The pattern and the difficulty levels keep changing. Be prepared with the concepts for CAT/ XAT/ GMAT. However, students need to practise descriptive writing as this is mostly not existent in other entrance exams.

Careers360: Is there any weightage given to work experience for MICAT? What kind of exposure students can expect in MICA?

Nisha (Student): There is no weightage given to work experience for admissions. The exposure you get from MICA is really good pedagogy, industrial exposure, interaction, and classes with CMOs and CXOs of the industry. For example: this term we had Mr. Joy Bhattacharya ( he manages KKR) visiting us. Some people ended their studies by starting their own startup.

Careers360: What is the minimum CAT percentile required to get a call from MICA?

Nisha (Student): It totally depends on the batches and pool of people who are applying. The evaluation criteria uses CAT/ XAT/ GMAT/ MICAT scores followed by a GE and PI. It is an overall process and a separate weightage is given to each. For example: If a candidate has not done well in CAT they can do well in MICAT as well. We have a very diverse range of CAT scores. So, there is no cutoff score; it's just overall candidature that matters.

Careers360: What is the difference between MICAT I and MICAT II? What is the difference between the difficulty level of these two exams?

Nisha (Student): The difficulty level is the same for both exams. You will have more time for MICAT II in terms of preparation and a better idea of the exam pattern if you have appeared for MICAT I.

Careers360: What is your favourite thing in MICA in terms of campus? What would you carry when you leave MICA?

Nisha (Student): My favourite thing about MICA is the good alumni network and the very collaborative and interactive people at the campus.

Careers360: How did you prepare for the MICAT examination?

Nisha (Student): I did not take any coaching. I tried to focus more on descriptive writing as I lost touch with writing and focused on CAT which includes the aptitude etc.

About the Interviewer

Prof. Subrat Sarangi: Prof. Subrat comes with more than 24 years of industry, management consulting, teaching, and research experience, of which the last ten years have been in academia. Prof. Subrat has worked with Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., (Raigarh, Chattisgarh); Avalon Consulting (Mumbai and Chennai), IBM Global Services (Supply Chain and Industrial vertical), Wipro Consulting (Bengaluru), iGATE-Patni (Bengaluru), and Beroe Inc. as Vice President, Market Intelligence (a boutique KPO in Procurement Market Intelligence) with about close to 500 direct and indirect reports, and annual revenue responsibility of about 20 million USD.