AICTE to Approve One Year MBA

Following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom (UK), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to amend its Act (drawn up in 1987) to give approval to the one year MBA programme. Presently, the one year MBA courses offered by B-Schools are unrecognized by the AICTE.

Despite this, prominent B-Schools like the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, Great Lakes School of Business, Chennai etc. offer a one-year full-time postgraduate programme in management. These institutions have been declared as unrecognized by the AICTE. Now, these institutes have applied to the AICTE for recognition.

Authorities at AICTE said that they have started framing rules to legitimize the one year MBA programme. Apparently, some industrial houses had also approached the Prime Minister's Office stating that the one-year management course was popular across the world and that the government should amend the AICTE Act with the changing times. As per guidelines released by AICTE for two years MBA Course, it is obligatory for B- Schools to provide a minimum of 1,050 to 1,200 hours of classroom teaching. And it should be half (600 hours) for colleges offering the year- long programme with a minimum of 100 hours spent on project work or industry based assignment. Apart from this, the student wanting to enroll for part time management courses will require work experience of a minimum of two years.