For the first time, the public can have a say in the Bangalore University (BU) curriculum for Master of Business Administration (MBA). The Post-graduate Department of Management has decided to overhaul the MBA curriculum based on responses to a survey by various stakeholders. The university’s MBA curriculum was last revised in 2007.
The survey process started on December 5 and more than 650 respondents have taken the online survey so far, said Prof M K Sridhar, dean of management and director of the BU Canara Bank School of Management Studies. The Board of Studies took this ‘refreshing’ approach to curriculum design to involve various stakeholders of management education, he said.
“We have decided to overhaul the MBA curriculum for the next academic year. At this stage, it was decided to go in for an evidence-based revision of the curriculum. The evidence here is the expectations of stakeholders — students, alumni, entrepreneurs, civil society organisations and so on,” Prof Sridhar said.
The questionnaire has been framed in a manner that does not reflect on the present curriculum. “We have not asked respondents questions on what is existing and their expectations. It is really a white paper approach in curriculum revision,” he said.
Apart from an online survey, the university has roped in PhD scholars for data collection in 64 affiliated colleges that offer MBA programmes. Teams have been formed and nodal centres have been designated. “Each nodal centre (college) has around 3-4 colleges attached. About 50 questionnaires have been prepared for each nodal centre and our scholars will collect the data and feed it online. We have a tool ready to analyse the responses,” Prof Sridhar said.
This exercise will provide a broad direction in which the new curriculum should head, he said. “The minute details, such as removing of certain subjects, will be done by experts. To do that, we need a broad perspective and we are relying on this survey for that. Once the results are analysed, it will be placed before the Board of Studies and a course matrix will be prepared.”
Those interested in having a say in the MBA curriculum review can take the online survey by visiting the Canara Bank School of Management Studies website www.cbsms.co.in