Many times students who are willing to get into business studies after their XII grade or Higher secondary school get confused with whether to opt for BBA or to choose the Integrated Program in Management. So let’s discuss which is better and the reasons why it overpowers the other one. Even if we conclude that one of these is better than others, it still lies in the hands of students which field to choose for themselves, but yes this passage will make you clear on discussion and let you discover which is better. Many times people think that MBA is equivalent to IPM but no, let’s break the ice now:

BBA or BMS is a 3 years’ undergraduate degree course taken right after XII grade or higher secondary school students, and as the name BBA stands for Bachelor in Business Administration it includes the study about management and business skills.

IPM as the full form, Integrated Program in Management, is a 5 years’ dual degree course provided by some specific colleges including 2 IIMs i.e IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak. It is a course right after XII grade for students whose ultimate career goal is to hold a degree in MBA. This program is quite a fascinating one as it trains the students in overall leadership qualities and managerial skills.

Firstly, let’s make it clear that even if the students do BBA and then opt for MBA, it will take them 5 years in all to get certified as a management student and even IPM students take 5 years to complete their degree of MBA, so this is the only similarities between these two.

CHANGE IN INSTITUTES: If a student decides to do BBA from one college and MBA from the other institute, the student gets the opportunity to learn from two different institutes and their teaching methodologies. Whereas if the student joins the IPM program, he/she has a chance to either complete their 5 years course from the same institute or to opt-out from the institute holding a bachelorette degree. But these institutes are worth taking MBA degrees because the IPM program is provided by IIM I, IIM R, NIRMA, etc who are famous for providing world-class education.

DIFFERENCE IN CORE TOPICS: If the student takes BBA and MBA from different institutes there is a high chance that some of the topics of BBA course might be the same in MBA whereas in IPM the course structure is designed such that no subjects or topics get revised in the term of 5 years.

INTERNSHIP SCOPE: Students of the BBA program have to do one internship at the end of 3 years whereas, in IPM, students have internships after completion of every academic year which gives immense scope to get practical knowledge that is-a field experience.

ENTRANCE EXAM: Students who wish to do MBA after their BBA have to undergo entrance exams for MBAs that are CAT, CET, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc, and then face interviews and WAT round to get final admission in the reputed MBA colleges. This is not the case for IPM students, once they get admitted to this program, if they fulfill a given CGPA/TGPA they get direct seats for the PG program without giving any screening test.

WORK EXPERIENCE: Some of the MBA colleges demand work experience from students before enrolling them for the course whereas IPM students don’t need work experience to maintain their seats.

STRICTNESS AND AGE LIMIT: Some of the BBA courses allow students above 20 years of age as well but that might be a problem for another student as the sincerity, of course, is not maintained whereas IPM is strict with its age limits because they want great managers right after XII examination. They don’t take students that are aged above 20 years (exceptions for reserved category).

COURSE FEES: If one considers opting for BBA, the course fees will be lesser than that of an IPM course.

RESIDENTIAL COURSE: BBA is not a residential course, students can stay out of campus as well. On the other hand, IPM is a residential course and in-out campus movement is only allowed after taking due permission

IPM is a fascinating course for students who aspire to take Business Management as their career path. It is a five years dual degree course wherein the initial three years will be about building the foundation of each field of management and the later two years are purely for the MBA program.

The special thing about this course is that when students are in their foundation years, they are given education on every topic and subject that they’ll be facing when they enter into the management sector. The course is designed keeping in mind all the fields of management. Students who manage to get a seat in this program will have complete knowledge about management and leadership skills.

The first 3 years, as mentioned above will be a mix of all sectors. PGP students get a chance to choose their specialization, similarly, IPM students follow the same set of courses as PGP and will get a chance to choose their specialization in MBA.

Talking about the specialization that IPM offers are psychology, philosophy, information technology, statistics, accounting, sociology, presentation skills, humanity, literature, fine arts, and many more.

As we know, one can choose a specialization like Marketing, Human Resource, Finance, Information System, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Operations Management. Similarly IPM students are free to choose their specialization in PGP degree.

Now what will you gain in the first 3 years:

• How to have good oral communication
• Understanding physical well being
• Have good language skills
• Know subjects that help in the management foundation

Now what will you gain in the last 2 years:

• Know the critical skills required in the management
• Learn how to work in an organization effectively
• Have a good understanding of ethics that are required in the management
• And finally, prepare students to take actions as a manager

Candidates can fill in the application form by following the below-mentioned steps:

• Step 1: Registration to get User Id and Password for IPMAT 2020 · Visit the URL: https://cdn.digialm.com//EForms/configuredHtml/1329/63600/Registration.html

 The candidate needs to generate a User ID and password

 This User ID and password will also be sent to the candidate through registered email and SMS

• Step 2 – Log in to fill and submit IPM AT 2020 application form · Visit the URL: https://g01.digialm.com/EForms/configuredHtml/1329/63600/login.htmlR
• E-login using the User ID and password received in step 1
• Enter the required details in the application form. Candidates must ensure that they enter the correct details as the same cannot be changed later
• Upload the Necessary documents
• Pay the registration fee through Credit/Debit Card or Net Banking
• How to Upload Photo and Signature:
• Take a picture of your passport size photo using mobile and edit it and crop it to remove the unwanted area
• · Then mail the photo and download it on your computer
•  Then right-click on the photo and “Open with Paint”
•  Then click on Resize and select Pixel. Enter 200 in horizontal and click ok.

Be it IPMAT Indore or Rohtak, the paper can broadly be divided into two parts: quantitative ability and verbal reasoning.

For solving quantitative ability questions, basics are imperative. So, you must be thorough with the basics first. They should be practiced regularly. This section is a mix of questions having different levels of difficulty. It must be noted that the best strategy is to focus on the easier and less time taking questions first and then go to the next level of questions.

For the verbal ability section, you will be able to answer the questions only if you have a hold on English. Everyday newspaper reading is a must. The more vocabulary you know, the better it is.

The main aim of any exam is to solve the maximum number of questions quickly and with accuracy.

Mocks are very important for both sections to achieve this aim. Regular practice will not only help you know about the different questions asked but will also help you to manage time.

Taking mocks is not sufficient. The analysis of the mocks that you have taken is also important. This way you will be able to know about your strong and weak areas. Weak areas will need extra time and strong areas should be revised regularly

Integrated program in Management(IPM) is a five years integrated course for management that includes BBA+MBA or BMS+MBA. These courses can be taken up by the students who want to pursue leadership and managerial field as their career option right after XII std or higher secondary school. Only students who are clear with their aim and interest in management should take up this integrated course because in these five years course they’ll be taught only about business management and will be made to learn how to groom as a perfect manager. This course doesn’t believe in training one particular skill as IT, Finance but IIM trains their students in all the fields of management so that later on they take up their course of interest. Since very few reputed colleges take up integrated MBA, so a student should be choosing their college and field wisely and with utter care and foresight.

Moreover, these integrated programs are special because they are dual degree courses and we do not have to give a second entrance exam to enter into a PG program. Only one entrance is conducted to get enrolled in the course.

Choosing a college wisely has become a need of the hour, so the students should not only focus on the infrastructure of the college but also should learn about the curriculum that the college will follow for their semesters. This gives students a clear picture of what they’ll be studying in that particular college. One important point while going through the curriculum is that the courses of UG shouldn’t repeat in the PG course, which would reduce the authenticity of the course, and a student would see evolution in them.

Some of the best colleges in India for IPM are listed below, along with their admission process and criteria

1. INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT INDORE(IIM I)

• IIM Indore started the IPM program in 2011 for young students who had an aspiration to become a future manager or a leader right after their XII class

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  The admission process includes a special screening test named IPMAT exam and normally it starts during MAY month, following the result declaration by JUNE and WAT and PI in July

•  To opt for IPMAT exam
• Age: Candidate should be born on or after AUG 01,2000(relaxation of 5 years for candidates from SC/ST/PWD category)
• Qualification: Candidate should have passed their XII std or higher secondary school from any recognized board o Eligible candidates have to submit their application online at (www.iimidr.ac.in) along with a non-refundable application fee.
•  Cut off for the second round will be mentioned on the official site and students who clear all sectional cut-offs will get a call for WAT AND PI
•  All the requirements should be fulfilled by the candidate to get a seat in the program and only 120 seats are available of IPM IIM Indore

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ROHTAK

IIM R started the IPM program recently in 2019 and was successful in having 150 seats being filled with ease

The entrance exam for IPM is IPMAT (different from IPMAT of IIMI) and exam pattern and marking scheme is also different from that of IIM I

 The second round follows WAT and Interview at allotted locations by IIM R

 Admission criteria

Minimum 60% in std X/SSC and std XII/HSC or equivalent examination (55% for candidates with SC/ST/PwD category)

 Maximum 20 years of age as on July 31, 2019

 Reservation will be applicable as per GOI norms after meeting eligibility criteria

The selection process will be the same for domestic as well as international participants

· NIRMA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

 Another best college after IIM to provide an integrated course in management is NIRMA UNIVERSITY

 Admission process: All the candidates (domestic as well as international) are required to apply and appear IPMAT exam that is conducted by IIMI (normally takes place in MAY)

 In addition to IPMAT, candidates also have to apply online NIRMA APPLICATION FORM from the Institute of Management, Nirma University along with online payment of INR 1500

 Candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in IPMAT of IIMI and will get a call for an interview

 The final selection is done by reviewing the performance of the candidate in the admission test, personal interview, and academic performance

 MUMBAI UNIVERSITY

 Mumbai university is the oldest established university (1857) and is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra

It provides an integrated program in management dividing the first three years in BMS degree while the last two years in an MBA degree, having 60 seats in total for the course

 Admission process: Visit their website and fill the admission form to register yourself by paying online fees

Age: Candidate should be below 20 years of age on or after 7th June 2020(considering the selection process for the 2020 year) and 22 years in case of reserved category and PwD candidates

 Qualification: Candidate should have passed their higher secondary school or 10+2 from an equivalent recognized board with min 45% marks for general category and 40%marks for reserved category

 Mumbai university has a MUCMET exam as their screening test

 Selection criteria: It will be based upon All India Merit Rank of MUCMET for an integrated program

JINDAL GLOBAL BUSINESS SCHOOL

 Jindal global business school have come up with this innovative and unique course of an integrated program that includes BBA(HONS)+MBA having 5 years’ duration period right after class 12th

 It is a program that trains students to have a global perspective through a unique method of learning and interaction

 Eligibility: Minimum 60% aggregate marks in 10+2 examination under any recognized board

Securing marks in SAT (1100 MARKS), ACT (27), UGAT (60 PERCENTILE) are exempted from JSAT (JINDAL SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST) entrance exam will fetch the candidate a seat in this program

 Normally the last date to apply is kept till JULY end and the course starts in August