MBA in Rural Management is a postgraduate course of 2-year offered by several universities pan India. The importance of rural management in India is self-suggestive. As India is an agrarian nation where about one-half of the populace lives in rural areas, Rural Management has much importance in the country. Management Degree in Rural Management aims to manage rural resources in such a way that it benefits the rural life. During the 2-year postgraduate course, candidates are educated about the history of rural development in India, its present scenario and its role in the Indian economy today and in the times to come.
Indian government hires rural managers to help Indian villages grow with the modern world. MBA in Rural Management is an ideal course for candidates looking to work towards the growth and betterment of Indian villages. In addition to government opportunities, Rural Management graduates are hired by private organisations and NGOs. The rural populace living in over 650,000 Indian villages contribute to half of the Indian GDP. With the ever-increasing spending and consumption capacity of rural India, it is becoming a potential factor to boost the Indian economy.
Candidates interested in pursuing an MBA in Rural Management need to be proficient in management and conversational skills. They should be good at managing a limited number of resources as per the requirements. Superior leadership and team planning are also important skills required for pursuing a master of business administration degree in rural management successfully.
Following list enumerates various skills that an MBA in Operations Management candidates should have:
Analytical Ability
Decision Making
Effective Communication
Interpersonal Skills
Problem Decomposing and Solving
Resource Optimisation & Management
Strong Inference Ability
Team Management
Time Management
There are several career opportunities for candidates with MBA in Rural Management. Rural Managers with MBA degree are responsible for working towards the growth of the rural life by analysing and devising appropriate projects. Rural executives and rural project managers work in line to provide the best services and knowledge to rural people with the responsibility of researching, analysing the market potential of rural locations and working towards the development of the same. Several job opportunities available for candidates with MBA in Rural Management require them to be well aware of the rural life and the scenario associated with it.
Rural management graduates must be adept at analysing the concerned rural environment precisely and drawing out the best strategies possible for the development of various rural communities living in the location. Government hires postgraduates in Rural Management as Rural Ministers to work as the top-tier managers of specific rural locations. Some of the most promising career avenues for postgraduates in Rural Management are briefed up as follows:
Candidates with MBA in Rural Management work as Rural Managers and are responsible for helping out several rural sector institutions and organisations for carrying out their operations more professionally as well as efficiently. The organisations include cooperative firms, educational institutions, farming organisations, handicraft units, healthcare firms and rural development organisations. Rural managers aid such institutions in understanding the traditional marketing, successfully running production process, managing human resources and devising systems required to facilitate services.
Understanding the culture and ethos of the rural locations assigned to rural managers are very important to be able to work towards the betterment of the same. It is the responsibility of rural managers to come up with effective methodologies to make rural people aware of the knowledge of micro organisations, which are household organisations working in the rural sector. Comprehending the rural resources including land, water, forest, animal husbandry and dairy is important for forming efficient methodologies. Rural managers are paid handsomely for their laborious effort.
Another potential career option for candidates with MBA in Rural Management is Research Officer. Also known as Research Director or Chief Research Officer (CRO), Research Officers are responsible for conducting research work required by an organisation to grow and reach new potential markets. Typically, a CRO reports into the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operations Officer or the Chief Financial Officer. Research managers are responsible for overseeing various research projects led by an organisation from the very start to the completion.
During the planning stages of projects, Research Managers work with associated personnel to identify project goals and variables in addition to testing parameters related to projects. Research managers select recommendations on the evaluation strategies and data collection techniques. A proper schedule is prepared to monitor activities of research teams, known as research schedules. In some cases, research officers are also responsible for the security of information and databases.
Candidates who have successfully completed MBA in Rural Management can also look forward to work as Senior Program Officers. Senior Program Officers are in charge of the top-level organisation and strategic planning. They communicate with top-tier personnel in the organisation and collaborate to accomplish a number of tasks. Some of these tasks include developing grantees and key partners, building program capacity requirements, development of relevant knowledge within the organisation, planning organisation events and providing support to officers and program directors associated with the organisation.
It is a normal routine of senior program officers to meet clients and staff members for discussing and managing in-progress programs. Travelling is an important part of a senior program officer’s job. Senior program officers are required to have expertise in the grant making, project development, project management and other fields of interest. They should be proficient in computers and able to resolve interpersonal issues with ease.
Project Coordinator is another career venture that candidates with MBA in Rural Management can choose. Project Coordinators are responsible for administering and overseeing various types of projects, ranging from simple activities to complex research projects. They assist Project Manager in the preparation of well-defined action plans optimising the timeframe and budget assigned by the organisation. Project coordinators are also in charge of administrative duties, ranging from handling financial queries to maintaining project documentation.
Excellent time management and interpersonal skills are necessary for the role of project coordinators. They have to collaborate with organisational teams and clients to provide results while meeting deadlines. Ultimately, they have to ensure that projects are carried out in time while meeting all requisites of quality standards.
Candidates with an MBA in Rural Management degree can also provide their services as Rural Ministers, Trainers, Researchers, Consultants, Rural Sales Executives, Rural Marketing Managers and Project Managers.
MBA in Rural Management requires candidates with a successful undergraduate degree in any stream or specialisation. Different institutions ask for a different percentage of marks scored in the undergraduate degree. Usually, there is no age limit for pursuing the postgraduate course but some exceptional institutions might impose an age limit for candidates.
Complete eligibility criteria for this degree are described as follows:
A Bachelor’s degree in any specialisation or an equivalent course from any recognised educational institution with a minimum of 55 percent (50% for non-General candidates) aggregate marks or an equivalent CGPA.
The undergraduate course or equivalent course needs to be at least of 3-year duration and pursued after a successful completion of higher secondary education or +2.
A GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) or GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) score which should be more than the cut-off score required by the institution offering MBA in Rural Management.
2-year or 3-year industry work experience as a manager or executive.
Some institutions offering Master of Business Administration in Rural Management might not require GMAT or GRE score either but to undergo an entrance examination conducted by the institution itself.
Rural Management is a diverse field that deals with the study of controlling, directing, planning and organisation of agribusiness, cooperatives and allied fields. The specialisation enables candidates to apply knowledge of management studies in the rural scenario. MBA in Rural Management involves training in the rural areas to get hands-on experience of working in the rural conditions that differ from one location to another. Rural Development and Rural Management are closely related fields. Rural Development is the collection of activities aimed at improving the standard of living in rural areas.
For candidates interested in improving the rural conditions in India along with working toward the economic growth of the country, MBA in Rural Management is the ideal opportunity to do so. The course helps candidates in understanding behavioural patterns of rural India and facilitates them in connection with the market. Several Indian e-commerce giants like Flipkart and Snapdeal have signed MoUs with the Indian government to reach rural areas. This is achieved by connecting with the CSCs (Common Service Centres) that are being set up in villages under the Digital India initiative.