AICTE shuts down 5-year integrated BBA + MBA; B-Schools clueless

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has reportedly asked universities and independent management schools to shut down five-year integrated Masters of Business Administration courses (BBA-cum-MBA courses) and dual degree management courses from the current academic session.

Candidates already pursuing such courses will be given an exit option. However, fresh admissions will be discontinued.

AICTE has issued a circular in this regard. The circular reads:

"According to the official notice, AICTE constituted a Committee to examine the continuation of Five Years Dual Degree Programme (s) in Management (lntegrated) introduced in the AY 2012-13 by AICTE with the nomenclature as BM/BAM/MAM, since the same were not in line with UGC-approved programme (s).

2. AICTE has decided the following:-

(i) -The Dual Degree Course (s) have been closed and no fresh admission should be permitted from the AY 2016-17

(ii) The institutions who were running dual degree course (s) are given Extension of Approval for five years Integrated MBA courses in lieu of five years dual degree courses of MBA/MAM introduced by AICTE."

The AICTE explains that these courses are not in line with the UGC's approved programs.

Catch spoke to a Ministry of Human Resource Development spokesperson, who denied having any knowledge of the order.

Catch also tried to get in touch with various institutes offering these integrated programmes. However, the majority said they were not aware of this decision.

Representatives at IIM Indore, one of the institutes that offer the five-year integrated programme, said they were not aware of this development.

IIM Indore spokesperson Dr Parvez Akhtar told Catch, "I am not aware of such thing. However, IIMs do not come under the purview of AICTE. So I think, this won't apply to us."

The AICTE has apparently promised to safeguard the interests of the students enrolled in such courses since 2012-13. It said,

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"As regards, safeguarding the interest of the existing students, already admitted in the BM/BAM/MAM programme (s) during 2012-13 to 2015-16, AICTE has decided the following in line with the UGC notification:

a. There would be an exit option at the end of the three (03) years for the students, who have joined the dual degree courses in 2015-16 and prior to that, by awarding a BBA degree instead of BM degree.

b. The students who had completed 04 (four) should be asked to complete onemore year and will be awarded BBA/MBA degree after completion of five (05) years. Since there is no exit option at the end of fourth year.

c. The Students who would be completing five (05) years under MBA/MAMdual degree course (s) may be awarded BBA/MBA degree."

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