by Siva Ram Mallela - Tue, Jan 25, 10:58 PM

A whole new breed of colleges have come up in the recent years, where in they tie-up with a
university to offer its MBA programme as a study/ learning/ partner centre. These are, despite all the
tall claims, correspondence degrees and the status of the institute is that of a coaching centre.

So when you attempt to study in such a institute take active interest in the following factors, so the you
get the desired results.

MAKE SURE that the university or institution whose distance education programmes you wish to
pursue is approved by the Distance Education Council of India (DEC). This approval is required both
for your employment and further study purposes.

DO CHECK if the programmes you desire to pursue is also offered by the university or institution in
full-time mode. Also compare the curriculum of the programmes offered through the distance
education mode, vis-à-vis the full-time programme.

TRY AND VERIFY how the distance education programmes you have in mind is perceived by the
employers. Ultimately you will derive the benefits from the programme only when it is respected by the
employers.

SPEAK TO STUDENTS who have undergone the programme in the past and understand their
experiences. This will help you to assess its benefits in your specific circumstances.

REVIEW THE COURSEWARE that is provided by the University/Institution. Superior content in the
Courseware and the delivery methodology would give you an advantage in terms of knowledge and
positive consideration you will receive at your work place.

ASSESS THE RIGOUR of the programme before you enroll and see if you can cope up with the
expectations in terms of the number of hours of study the programme requires per week. This is
where most students make a mistake in taking up very difficult programmes through distance
education because the general perception is that tougher courses have better value. If you are unable
to match the expectations, you will lose interest quickly and discontinue the programme.

UNDERSTAND the support the university or institution provides by way of study centres, contact
classes, online classes, study-material and so on. In addition verify if the university or institution is
able to provide access to online libraries, case studies, project work, etc.

Sometimes universities prescribe compulsory attendance at the study centres or contact classes.
Check if you are able to spare the required time for such instruction. Try and network with students at
the study centres to obtain a feedback on how good the instruction is.

Exams for distance education students will be conducted by the university or institution separately and
the process of holding exams will be communicated to the students. Check if the university will
conduct the exams, or the study centre. You must choose a programme for which exams are directly
held by the university or institution.

The alumni network is one of the strongest backbones to the university system. Alumni add value in
terms of taking part in the academics, placement of students and also in forging collaborations with
other universities and the industry. A good alumni network helps you in many ways.

MOST IMPORTANT, understand the total fee structure and match it with your affordability. Also,
understand the total costs associated with the programmes so that there are no surprises.
Siva Ram Mallela is an independent advisor to B-Schools.

This article is related to: MBA, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS)