Great Lakes PGPM & PGDM 2025
ApplyAdmissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 1st Dec 2024
Choosing between doing an MBA or an Integrated MBA can be difficult at times as both come with their significant advantages and disadvantages. Candidates can choose either one depending on their career goals, educational background, and personal preferences in terms of long-term career aspirations. The one significant thing to note about an Integrated MBA is that candidates do not have many options to choose from while candidates wanting to pursue an MBA have a lot more options. This article provides a comparative analysis of MBA and Integrated MBA for candidates to help make a more sound decision.
An Integrated MBA is a combined undergraduate and postgraduate program that typically has a duration of 5 years. Out of the total 5 years duration, the first three years are for the undergraduate part while the latter two years are for the postgraduate management part of the program. On the other hand, a regular or traditional MBA is a postgraduate management program with a duration of two years. It can be either part-time or full-time. Integrated MBA can be pursued right after school but a traditional MBA requires the candidate to finish a Bachelor’s degree first.
The key differentiating factors between a regular MBA and an Integrated MBA are presented in the table given below.
Differentiating Factor | MBA | Integrated MBA |
Duration | 2 Years | 5 Years |
Program Structure | A standalone postgraduate program in management and business administration. | Combines an undergraduate program along with a postgraduate management program. |
Eligibility Criteria | A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university. | 10+2 schooling in any stream. |
Focus | Focuses on advanced business concepts and specializations. | Broad business education. Specialization comes in the later part. |
Cost | Varies from college to college. | Generally lower cost due to being a combined program. |
Financial Aid | Scholarships and educational loans are readily available. | Have fewer scholarship options. |
Work Experience | Not mandatory but often having significant work experience might prove better. | No work experience is required. |
Career Path | Typically leads to advanced role leveraging prior work experience. | Entry into the workforce with an MBA directly after. |
Program Examples | MBA program by IIM Bangalore. | Integrated Program in Management (IPM) by IIM Rohtak |
Entrance Exams |
The pros and cons of each MBA and integrated MBA are given in the table below.
MBA
Pros | Cons |
Offers Flexibility | Higher Cost |
Gives Specialization | Ultra competitive entrance exams |
Networking Opportunities | Can create a gap between the UG and PG |
Practical Experience | Lower number of seats in top colleges |
Work Experience | High Cutoff |
Great Placements |
Pros | Cons |
Seamless transition from UG to PG | Limited Flexibility |
Cost Efficient | Lack of Industry Experience |
Early start to career | Fewer specializations |
Focused Curriculum | Big lock-in period |
Easier to get into | Fewer options for financial aid |
Fewer college options |
The decision to choose between an MBA or an integrated MBA will largely depend on how a candidate wants to address their respective career path. Candidates with a firm decision to build a career in the management space right after school should go for an integrated MBA as it will save them from all the hassle later on. But, candidates who are still figuring out their career stream can explore while their graduation goes on they can keep the traditional MBA as their go-to choice in case they wish to finally go into the field of management.
Both MBA and integrated MBA have their pros and cons. Candidates can look out for both programs and decide which suits them better as per their career goals and interests.
The salary for an integrated MBA in India ranges anywhere between Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 lakhs per annum. The salary for an integrated MBA depends on factors like job role, job location, specialization, etc.
IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM Ranchi, IIM Jammu, and IIM Bodh Gaya offer an integrated program in management. Interested candidates can take the IPMAT or JIPMAT entrance test to seek admission to the IPM programs designed for candidates who have just passed the 12th standard.
The 5-year course offered by IIM after the 12th is the Integrated Program in Management (IPM). Admission to these courses is based on the JIPMAT and IPMAT exams. Both are management entrance examinations that can be given right after school.
A score of 64 marks in CAT would likely fall around the 85th percentile depending on the difficulty of the exam and the overall performance of candidates in this year.
So,it is highly unlikely that you will receive a call from any of the IIMs as the required percentile for an IIM call is typically much higher, usually ranging from 90% and above, especially for top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta.
If you are looking for MBA programs, consider exploring other B-schools that may have lower cut-offs for admission.
Here are some B-schools that may have lower cutoffs for admission:
SOIL Institute of Management: Has a CAT cut-off of 75 percentile
T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal: Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM): Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
MICA: Has an expected CAT cut-off of 85+
S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai: Has a CAT cut-off of 85 percentile
Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), Mumbai: Has a CAT cut-off of 97.5 percentile
Others are IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, JBIMS, XIMB, and GIM.
Now coming to your academic background which often calculated as a weighted average based on the importance of each component different b school has different criteria for it.
You can use predictor tool for prediction of most accurate information of col
leges
To get admission into the NAARM MBA program , which is officially called a PGDM-ABM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management - Agri Business Management), candidates need to apply online, take the CAT or CMAT entrance exam, followed by a shortlisting based on their scores, and then appear for a Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) on campus; the final selection is based on a combination of their entrance exam score, performance in GD/PI, and academic record, with a strong emphasis on agricultural business related skills and experience.
Reservation criteria is same here as other MBA colleges set by government of india i.e
Scheduled Caste (SC): 15% of seats
Scheduled Tribe (ST): 7.5% of seats
Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 10% of seats
Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC): 27% of seats for candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer
The CAT cutoff percentiles for the 2024-26 PGDM-ABM batch at the ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research and Management (NAARM) are as follows:
General: 75.14
EWS: 38.00
NC-OBC: 44.16
SC: 72.980
for a NAARM MBA PREPARATION interview (specifically their PGDM Agri-Business Management program), focus on thoroughly researching NAARM's curriculum, emphasizing your agricultural background and business acumen, practicing answers to common MBA interview questions, and showcasing your passion for the agri-business sector, while also being ready to discuss your career goals aligned with NAARM's focus on rural development and sustainable agriculture practices.be genuine with your answers.
Hello Varun,
Based on your CAT raw score and profile, here's a breakdown of your potential calls and your chances for different institutes:
1. GIM Goa, GLIM Chennai, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi:
Overall, you can expect a call from institutes that weigh work experience and academic performance heavily, but you should also be prepared for lower-tier institutes in terms of CAT score cutoffs. Ensure you target institutes that match your profile for better chances.
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
Hello,
Some of the popular coaching institutes in Pune for CAT preparation include:
TIME (Triumphant Institute of Management Education)
The institute is well known for its structured approach, expert faculty, and comprehensive study material. Offers both classroom and online programs. It has a very good success record and also provides several mock tests, workshops, and test series.
Career Launcher
Provides both online and offline courses for CAT preparation. The institute is known for its focused approach and quality study material. Personalized mentoring and mock tests.
IMS Learning Resources
BYJU's (Pune Center)
Mentors' Academy
Excel Academy
These institutes, both classroom coaching and online options, will vary, so it's all up to you. Some points to be kept in mind before one selects the institute are faculty experience, success rate, mock tests available, and if they offer personal support or not.
Hello aspirant,
Here below I am providing you the name of some of the top CAT coaching institutes in Pune:
Thank you
Hope it helps you
A career as Marketing Director is also known as a marketing expert who is responsible for the overall marketing aspect of the company. He or she oversees plans and develops the company's budget. The marketing Director collaborates with the business team to plan and develop the marketing and branding strategies for the company's products or services.
A Business Development Executive (BDE) is a professional responsible for identifying growth opportunities and fostering strategic partnerships to enhance a company's market position. Typically, a BDE conducts market research, analyses industry trends, and identifies potential clients or business prospects. He or she plays a crucial role in developing and implementing sales strategies to achieve revenue targets.
A BDE often collaborates with cross-functional teams, including marketing and product development, to align business objectives. Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills are essential for success in this role. BDE strives to expand the company's customer base, drive sales, and contribute to overall organisational growth in a dynamic and competitive business environment.
Content Marketing Specialists are also known as Content Specialists. They are responsible for crafting content, editing and developing it to meet the requirements of digital marketing campaigns. To ensure that the material created is consistent with the overall aims of a digital marketing campaign, content marketing specialists work closely with SEO and digital marketing professionals.
A sales manager is a revenue-generating source for a company. Any organisation or company which sells a commodity or service requires sales to generate revenue. A Sales manager is a professional responsible for supervising the sales team. An Individual as a sales manager works closely with salespeople, assigns sales territories, sets quotas, mentors the members of the sales, assigns sales training, and builds a sales plan.
The Sales Manager work also includes hiring and laying off sales personnel after evaluating his or her work performance. In bigger entities, sales quotas and plans are usually set at the executive level. He or she is responsible for overseeing the set target or quotas met by salespeople or upholding any policy. He or she guides his or her fellow salespeople and allows them to sell.
Individuals who opt for a career as a business analyst look at how a company operates. He or she conducts research and analyses data to improve his or her knowledge about the company. This is required so that an individual can suggest the company strategies for improving their operations and processes.
In a business analyst job role a lot of analysis is done, things are learned from past mistakes and the successful strategies are enhanced further. A business analyst goes through real-world data in order to provide the most feasible solutions to an organisation. Students can pursue Business Analytics to become Business Analysts.
A marketing manager is a person who oversees a company or product marketing. He or she can be in charge of multiple programmes or goods or can be in charge of one product. He or she is enthusiastic, organised, and very diligent in meeting financial constraints. He or she works with other team members to produce advertising campaigns and decides if a new product or service is marketable.
A Marketing manager plans and executes marketing initiatives to create demand for goods and services and increase consumer awareness of them. A marketing manager prevents unauthorised statements and informs the public that the business is doing everything to investigate and fix the line of products. Students can pursue an MBA in Marketing Management courses to become marketing managers.
An SEO Analyst is a web professional who is proficient in the implementation of SEO strategies to target more keywords to improve the reach of the content on search engines. He or she provides support to acquire the goals and success of the client’s campaigns.
Digital marketing is growing, diverse, and is covering a wide variety of career paths. Each job function aids in the development of effective digital marketing strategies and techniques. The aims and objectives of the individuals who opt for a career as a digital marketing executive are similar to those of a marketing professional: to build brand awareness, promote company services or products, and increase conversions. Individuals who opt for a career as Digital Marketing Executives, unlike traditional marketing companies, communicate effectively through suitable technology platforms.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 1st Dec 2024
67 Years of Established Legacy | Ranked #79 in India by NIRF | Among the only few top 100 B-Schools currently accepting applications
Recruiters: Godrej, HCL, Genpact, IBM etc
180+ Companies | Highest CTC 15 LPA | Average CTC 8 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
A++ Grade by NAAC | Recognized as Category-1 University by UGC | 100% Placement, 60 LPA Highest CTC, 400+ Recruiters
9 IBS Campuses | Scholarships Worth Rs 10 CR