Dear Sir
This is regarding my sister who is pursuing her final year B.Com. She wants to study abroad preferably in Australia after the completion of her degree which will be in May 2008. What course offered there is equivalent to our Indian MBA? Could you mention the universities that offer such courses and the scholarships offered? Will she be able to take up a part time job to meet her education fees and living expenses?

Priya Maria D'souza

Dear Priya,
It is good that your sister has high goals for her future and has started working on that. Management studies in Australia are gaining popularity and are equivalent to some of the courses offered here in India. However, it all depends upon what kind of course one pursues. After a three year degree in India some universities offer a three semester programme whereas some universities offer a four semester programme. You may log on to these websites for selection and more detailed and specific information: www.studyaustralia..gov.au, www.ttsaustraliavisa.com, www.idp.com.
She definitely can take up a part time job as Australia allows 20 hours of work per week and full time work during the summer vacation, for any full time student.
Please be aware that management studies are generally more expensive than other studies and very little, if any, financial assistance is available. One may have the opportunity, after one semester, to land in a student teacher, tutorial instructor or research assistant job depending on the academic performance. But in management studies even these kind of jobs are very rare. Being prepared to finance from family sources or educational loans from India would be the best option. For your information roughly it costs about Rs. 10 to 12 lakh per year.

Dear Sir,
I am a daily reader of Deccan Herald. I am doing my 2nd PUC i.e. my 12th. I want to do my aeronautical engineering in US. Can you suggest any university offering the same? Can you give me some information about the subjects as well as the total expenditure?

A student

Dear Student,
Aeronautical Engineering is an emerging and fast growing stream of Engineering studies. There are many Universities in USA that offer courses in this subject. Most universities have courses at the graduate level than at the undergraduate level. Having an undergraduate degree in the basic stream of Engineering such as Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics, Computer Science, Instrumentation etc. as foundation and taking up Aeronautical Engineering at the Masters level would lead you to pursue your career in this stream. Much before anything check out for yourself or by doing an aptitude test about the capability to pursue Engineering and Technology related studies and decide whether you want to do your undergraduate course here in India or abroad.

Indian Engineering studies lay a very strong foundation. Typically undergraduate education in the USA costs about Rs. 10 to 12 lakh per year.

Dear Sir,
I am doing my B.Com in an autonomous college in Bangalore. I want to do my MBA abroad. I wish to do it either in Australia or the US.  Can you please instruct me regarding this?

Sam

Dear Sam,
Having a three year degree that is affiliated to a University qualifies you to seek admission for an MBA course in Australia. The Australian educational system has MBA programmes for fresh graduates without any work experience also. There are three semester and four semester programmes in various Universities of Australia. You may log on to these websites for selection and more detailed and specific information: www.studyaustralia..gov.au, www.ttsaustraliavisa.com, www.idp.com.

USA insists on 16 years of education to qualify for an MBA programme, though there are talks of liberalising this rule and allowing those with 15 years of education also. As at the moment it is still not official.
In order to get good management education anywhere abroad it would be worth while to have some work experience and to identify your area of interest in a specific management field and then pursuing an appropriate MBA programme would give you a good start to your career.

Dear Sir,
I am a BSc graduate (Chemistry). I also have two years of Marketing experience. What is the eligibility to do an MBA abroad, the detailed procedure for application and also the benefits of the course?

Manoj

Dear Manoj,
You have the necessary qualification to pursue an MBA programme anywhere in the UK or Australia and other countries that accept 15 years of education. For USA 16 years of education is necessary.

Your two years of marketing experience counts to get into a good MBA programme of either 3 semesters or 4 semesters.

Browse through the following websites for more detailed information: Australia: www.studyaustralia..gov.au, www.idp.com. And for UK: www.postgrad.hobsons.com, www.britishcouncil.org/eis

Dear Sir,
I am interested in nano technology. I am currently doing my 1st PUC. Can you inform me about the universities in India that offer graduation courses in nanotech? If not, which subject should I study in India that would help me take up a course in nanotechnology abroad?

A student

Dear Student,
I appreciate your interest in the emerging scientific and technology area such as Nanotechnology. You may have identified that it is an interdisciplinary technology area involving Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Engineering. There are no courses at the undergraduate level that are being offered in this field. Most courses are at the master's level. At present the minimum qualification is B Tech, BE or an MSc with specialisation (Project thesis) in the area of nanotechnology and science. Hence identify your aptitude and capability and take the next step of pursuing an undergraduate programme either in engineering or in Science fields after which you can take the actual step towards Nanotechnology area. Anywhere abroad also this subject is offered at the Master's level and it needs a good academic record. Focus on the undergraduate course suitable to you and then you can think of going abroad.