FAST FACTS
Location: Mesra, Ormanjhi Road, Ranchi
Director: Dr. S K Bose
Approval/Accreditation: AICTE approved, NBA, NAAC and UGC accredited
Flagship programme: MBA
Student intake: 120
Fees (full course): Rs. 118,000
Board & lodging (two years): Rs. 54,000
Admission test cut-offs: CAT: 73
Full-time faculty: 18 (Associate Prof: 6; Sr. Lecturer: 1; Lecturer & Associates: 11)
Faculty with industry experience (over 10 years): 2
Average salary: Rs. 3 lakhs 
Top recruiters: IBM; HCL; GE Money; IDBI Bank; Reliance Infocomm; JSW Steel; Tata Indicom; ICICI Bank; Tata AIG
Student Activities: Samaagam (all India Management Festival); newsletter: ‘Manage-a-BIT’
Web site: www.bitmesra.ac.in
Other programmes: MBA (full-time), 2 years (also at Lalpur, Noida and Jaipur); MBA (part-time) 3 years at Lalpur, Ranchi centre Other programmes offered: ME in Quality Engineering Management and PhD in Management

BETTER known for its undergraduate programme in engineering, BIT Mesra conceptualised its management programme in 1979, nearly 25 years after inception. Having gained Deemed University status in 1986, the institute  has evolved into a multi-location university. It offers a host of programmes in Mesra and its extension centres at Ranchi, Jaipur, Noida and the Middle East. As a department within the university, the management draws  upon central facilities like the library, computer centres and other amenities  of the university.

Professor Dr. SK Bose, Director, informs us that the full-time MBA programme, accredited by the National Board of Accreditation of the AICTE, is structured into six trimesters wherein the last three trimesters offer specialisation and sectoral courses. While marketing is the most sought after functional specialisation, other dual specialisations comprise IT, finance and HR. Insurance & Banking and Operations & Manufacturing are this year’s most popular sectoral courses. Other options consist of hospitality, health care, safety management and agro-business. According to students, internships and placements receive a boost because of the institute’s proximity to Ranchi, an industrial belt.

Interaction with faculty members brings out key aspects. For instance, the MBA programme is one of the most economical programmes in the eastern region. Also, students benefit from the presence of a sizeable number of research scholars in the department and both faculty and researchers look forward to publishing articles in journals, though quality of publishing could do with some improvement. Vice Chancellor, Dr. P K Barhai, a physicist by training, shared his concern over the need for a robust research base in management education. On the flipside, industry-oriented faculty seem fewer in number. Also, open MDPs/executive training programmes are fewer.

The last few years have witnessed MBA students coming from diverse academic backgrounds and from almost all states in India, and the batch ratio of 4:3 though in favour of boys, has gradually improved as the number of women on campus, increases. Apart from the department library, the central library has a digital section where faculty, students and researchers are able to access online and offline electronic resources.

All students reside on campus, located nearly 20 km from Ranchi. On a positive note, the students tend to engage more actively in cultural activities, sports and other events. Samaagam, an All India Management Festival organised each year by management students, invites nationwide B-School participation. Despite its locational disadvantages, the school does manage to place most of its students, though the  quality  of profiles and packages could do with an improvement, claim students.