Rural Management

What is Rural Management

Rural management refers to the study of planning, systemising and controlling rural areas, agricultural businesses, and other closely related fields. This is an application of management studies in rural settings. The courses on rural management teach students how to utilise the knowledge of management studies in real life, through practical application and interactions with those residing in rural areas.

The degrees offered in this field are many. At the Undergraduate levels, the courses offered are B.A. in Rural Management, B.A. (Hons) in Rural Management, as well as BBA and B.Voc. in Rural Management. There is also another course of B.Sc. Rural Development Science.

At the Post Graduate levels, there are several Post Graduate Diplomas in Rural Management (PGDRM), along with other degrees such as MA and MBA in Rural Management.

There are also certain Doctoral Courses offered by colleges, such as M.Phil. and PhD in Rural Management.

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Rural Management

Although each university and autonomous college has different eligibility criteria at times, most of the general ones for rural management course at different level are:

For undergraduate degree in rural management: 

• The aspirant must have completed 10+2 years of education, from a recognised board.

• S/he must have an aggregate of minimum 50% in 12th boards

For post-graduate degree in rural management:

• Candidate needs to hold a Bachelor’s degree in any field.

• S/he also needs to have a minimum aggregate of 45-50% in graduation.

For a Doctoral Degree in rural management:

• The aspirant needs to hold a Master’s degree or a post-graduation research degree/ any equivalent degree from a recognised university or college.

• S/he needs to have an aggregate of minimum 50%

Entrance Exams for Rural Management Course

Some of the popular exams taken by students to get admissions into the Bachelor’s courses of rural management are:

• Delhi University Entrance Exam: This is a university-level entrance which tests the basic knowledge that is required by one to be able to function properly in different fields. It is conducted by the Management school affiliated with Delhi University.

• Banaras Hindu University Undergraduate Entrance Test: Another university level entrance conducted by the BHU for admissions to various courses.

• Indian Institute of Rural Management (IIRM) Entrance Test

For Master’s courses, there are usually just university-level entrances considered, along with other eligibility criteria. The entrance exams that are commonly taken are:

• MAT (Management Aptitude Test): The Management Aptitude Test is conducted to help with the screening processes of candidates that have applied to various Master’s courses in management. It is used for admissions to Postgraduate degrees.

• CAT (Common Admission Test): This is a computer-based entrance exam for post-graduate management courses. It is a three-hour long exam, administered by the Indian Institutes of Management.

• CMAT (Common Management Admission Test): This is another online computer-based test. It is a national level exam conducted by the National Testing Agency of India.

• XAT (Xavier’s Aptitude Test)

• ATMA (AIMS Test for Management Admission)

Required Skillset for Rural Management

The skills required in the rural management field are plenty, as people are faced with novel obstacles each time, and no two places pose the same problems. But the major skills required in rural management are:

• Communication Skills - Like many other fields, this one too requires adequate levels of communication skills. People are usually required to deal with various residents of the rural sectors, and other crew members that they are working with. Telling the residents what is going on and communicating plans and ideas effectively to crew members requires these skills. 

• Leadership Skills – These skills are imperative to this field of work. Instructing those working under one, telling them what to do when faced with obstacles and carrying a whole project on one’s back requires good leadership qualities. Without this, it will be very difficult for one to head a project. 

• Analytical and Reasoning Skills – In this line of work, these skills are also a necessity as paying attention to detail is of utmost importance. One should be able to analyse situations and problems and find a way out of them. 

• Ability to work well with a team – Since managing a whole rural sector requires a full team, anyone working in this field needs to have good team spirit. 

• Driven and strong-willed – These skills are mainly required because the process of managing and developing rural sectors is a long and tiring job. It requires patience, determination and the will to move forward. 

• Innovation – This is required by people because development requires novel ideas, innovation and creativity.