Study Abroad: Research thoroughly before applying

Dear Madam,

I am a Mechanical Engineer with around 7 years of work experience in Quality Management. I wish to do MBA in General Management or in International Business in a foreign university. I am currently preparing for IELTS. Please suggest some good universities with a reasonable fee and good quality of education. What will be the approximate living expenses?

Pramod

Dear Pramod,

I would recommend the UK, New Zealand or Australia for your MBA since all other countries require GMAT or GRE in addition to an English test. MBA in the UK and New Zealand is for a duration of 1 year. UK offers 2 years stay-back option while New Zealand offers 3 years post-study work visa.
Both countries allow you to work part-time during the course of your study — for 20 hours during weekdays and 40 hours during holidays. Tuition and living expenses put together in both these countries is around 20 to 25 lakhs.

A few of the good UK universities for MBA are Warwick, Durham, Cranfield, Westminster and Nottingham Trent University. In New Zealand, I would recommend University of Canterbury.
Australian universities that are reputed for MBA are University of Melbourne, Monash and University of Sydney.

Dear Madam,

My son has completed his BE in Civil Engineering and has worked for three years. He is interested in doing short term courses or diploma in the UK or Singapore. How should he go about it? Kindly suggest some good universities offering these courses.

Sunitha Arun Kumar

Dear Sunitha,

Nanyang Technological University offers International Construction Management which is a one-year course. The National University of Singapore offers Master of Urban Planning, Master of Arts (Urban Design), Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Science (Integrated Sustainable Design), Master of Science (Project Management), Master of Science (Environmental Management) and Master of Science (Building Performance and Sustainability). Some of these courses are one year programmes while others are two-year programmes.

All master’s degrees in the UK are one-year programmes. Most UK universities offer master’s in civil engineering, construction management, architecture, interior design and project management. The entry requirement for all the courses mentioned above is only an IELTS exam. Do not pick a course that is shorter than a one-year course. It may affect your visa. Most short courses will need only a tourist visa. To qualify for a student visa and avail of the benefits of working part-time while studying and working full time during weekends and holidays you need to pick a one-year course.

Dear Madam,

I have completed my BE in Mechanical Engineering with 9.11 CGPA. I am confused about what to do next. I am keen on doing MS and also wish to prepare for Civil Services Exam and GATE as well. Please suggest the best option based on current trends. Which are the good universities offering MS in Mechanical Engineering?

Vishal Kasyap S

Dear Vishal,

You have a good GPA and can certainly choose to do whatever you want. Decide if you want to go abroad or stay in India. If it is the former, drop your plans of Civil Services Exam and GATE. Focus instead on GRE and TOEFL iBT. Once you have decided on your MS, pick a specialisation, get a GRE score of 327 and above, prepare an impressive resume, write a personal statement on what you wish to study and why. Research universities thoroughly before you shortlist a few and apply to them. I would recommend master’s in Mechanical Engineering in the US or Germany.

Stanford, Northwestern, U C Berkeley, Cornel, University of Michigan and Georgia Tech are among the best in the US while Technical University of Munich, RWTH Aachen, University of Stuttgart and Ludwig Maximillians University Munich are the well-known ones in Germany.
The tuition fee is close to nothing or very nominal for both international and domestic students in Germany. Admission to German Universities are highly competitive. If possible, register for German language course and try to clear at least two levels before heading there. Although the entire programme is taught in English, knowledge of the local language will strengthen your application and your chances in the job market.