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FMS
A Capital Choice
Sunil Shejwalkar

Management education has

been the most sought after
educational option as it leads
the way to lucrative careers
and opens the gates to a life
of high social standing. While
one cannot but mention the
IIMs when one talks of
B-Schools, the Faculty of
Management Studies (FMS),
New Delhi, has also earned a
reputation of being one of
India's leading institutions for
management education.

20 Advanc'edge MBA September 2005

FMS stands apart from other top ranking

management institutions. While the
latter's success can be attributed to
their autonomous status, FMS, New
Delhi has imparted top class education
despite being part of a university set up.
It focuses on management education
more than on just business management.
FMS has the unique privilege of being
part of one of the premier universities
in the world - the University of Delhi with some of the finest departments in
Economics, Law, Sociology, Commerce
and Operations Research. In fact, it is
the collaborative effort of these
university departments that has helped
FMS groom students into becoming
industrial stalwarts. Today, the FMS
alumni base stands at a formidable 9000
and is growing. FMS prides itself on
being the best in Finance or Marketing,
Strategy or Human Resources,

Technology or Organisational Behaviour

and provides its students with
opportunities to evolve into leaders,
managers, team players, entrepreneurs
and above all responsible corporate
citizens.
An Overview
The seeds for FMS were sown in the
Delhi School of Economics in 1954 by
Professor Ajit Dasgupta and rapidly
attained a separate status of a
Department of Industrial Management
and Business Administration and later
into an independent Faculty of
Management Studies. Initially, it started
by offering Diploma and Certificate
programmes to working executives and
bureaucrats. It also started a Certificate
Course in Office Supervision for Women
(CCOSW).
FMS in 1967, almost concomitantly

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instrumented feedback on psychometric
tests, critical analysis of the Chairman's
speech reported in the morning
newspaper, an animated PowerPoint
presentation on Harry Potter
underscoring the application of sound
management principles that work like
magic, or a 4-hour lecture session on
Financial Derivatives punctuated only
with some jottings on the whiteboard."

Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi

with the IIMs, began offering the twoyear full time flagship MBA programme.
It has founded the Association of Indian
Management Schools (AIMS),
Association
of
Management
Development in South Asia (AMDISA),
and the Euro-India Cooperation and
Exchange Programme (EICEP). As if to
acknowledge the yeoman's service, Prof
V K Bhalla was chosen Chairman of the
UGC Committee that drafts the model
syllabus in Management Programmes in
India.
Spurred by this success, FMS also
launched a full-time MBA programme in
Services Management in its golden
jubilee year.
A Lifetime's Experience
FMS with its small batch size, lower
programme cost, and best choice of jobs
on offer has always caught the
fascination of the best brains in the
country. The institution offers its
students the creamiest jobs in the
country. According to Prof J K Mitra,
Advisor, Management Science
Association, FMS is one of the best
educational investments an individual
can make in life. "The returns," says
Prof Mitra, "in terms of material and

intellectual returns are beyond

comparison."
At FMS, there is no fixed pedagogical
model. In fact, it has many firsts to its
credit including the entrance test pattern
that it has pioneered. FMS was the first
B-School in India to have conducted a
workshop on the 'Case Method of
Teaching' in association with Harvard
faculties.
Prof Abad Ahmed of FMS is the
founding member of the Indian Society
of Applied Behavioural Sciences
(ISABS). At a time when no institution
dedicated to management education
even thought of it, he conducted an
arduous course in
Interpersonal Dynamics
using the Laboratory
Training Methodology. To
cut a long story short, Prof.
Mitra says "We have
always tried to follow a
multi-sensory pedagogyanything that makes a deep
lasting impression is
suitable for us, be it live
incident
analyses,
computerised business
game
simulation,

There is a strong belief at FMS that,

rather than the courses, the teachers
need to upgrade themselves. Everything
that is taught in class is contemporary
and sometimes quite ahead of its times.
FMS is perhaps the only B-School that
offers an elective on Airport
Management or Management of Civil
Aviation. Such electives are introduced
depending on the changes in the
economic scenario. FMS nurtures a spirit
of alertness in students enabling them
to adapt quickly to the demands of the
future.
FMS has always availed of the
services of legendary faculty members
who have trained and mentored many
star faculties who are rendering services
at other B-Schools. FMS teachers are
invited to conduct 'Faculty Development
Selection Process

90 Admits
Personal Interview
Extempore
Group Discussion
Interview Shortlist
(647 in 2005)
FMS Entrance Exam
(33456 Applicants in 2005)
Source: www.fms.edu

September 2005 Advanc'edge MBA 21

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that students have at IIMs
will be unfair because FMS
is part of a university set
up. However, it has the
distinct advantage of a
diverse atmosphere that
may not be available at the
Campus Corner
IIMs. It is located close to
Delhi University campuses are
the Delhi School of
intellectually stimulating. FMS has
Economics and the Prof. J K Mitra, Advisor, Management
hostel facilities in both the north as well
Department of Sociology. Science Association, FMS
as the south campuses. There is a very
Says Prof J K Mitra, "When
high probability that a student finds
students at FMS pay a fraction of what
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
accommodation in any of these hostels.
IIM students do.
taught at DSE, his lectures were also
The facilities for students are rather
attended by students of FMS. Today,
Extra-Curriculars and Placements
reasonable and are good value for
when Padma Bhushan laureate Andrei
FMS students are provided
money. FMS has always thrown open
Betille teaches at the Department of
opportunities to solve real life problems
its doors to students from all parts of
Sociology, FMS students have the
instead of simulated ones. This provides
the country. There is no reservation or
opportunity to benefit from his lectures."
them with a valuable hands-on
preference for Delhiites. Classrooms and
Not limited to sociology, the students
experience pertaining to industry.
hostels at FMS have a computerised
at FMS can also attend lectures in
Management Science Association, the
environment and have a 24-hour
economics, and even applied psychology.
FMS students' body, hosts several
broadband connectivity. FMS, Delhi, has
As compared to other insulated B-School
workshops, conferences, conventions,
advanced computer systems and wi-fi
campuses, the atmosphere at FMS is
guest lectures, and cultural events. It
enabled campuses. Students have also
pluralistic and is a true reflection of the
also manages websites, networks and
started switching over to laptops.
real world. The comparison to the IIMs
placements. Even the FMS website is
may also sound redundant because the
Any comparison with the facilities
managed entirely by the students' body.
Barring the processes of admissions and
examinations, students are encouraged
Placement Statistics
to manage almost every aspect of the
Total Number of Candidates
89
programme on their own.
Total Number of Offers
180
The placements at FMS are in no way
inferior to those of the other top rung
Students with placement offers at graduation
100%
management schools in India. It has
No. of companies that confirmed participation
72
traditionally been a stronghold for
No. of companies on placement day
46
recruiters looking out for marketing
professionals. Almost all major FMCG
No. of lateral offers for eligible candidates
18/18
companies visit the FMS campus for
No. of pre-placement interviews
36/89
recruitment. However, there has been a
rise in the placements within the
No. of pre-placement offers
22/36
financial services sector. The banking
Average domestic salary
Rs.8.1 lacs p.a
sector has found FMS graduates useful
Maximum domestic salary offered on campus
Rs.13 lacs.
for even niche jobs like treasury and risk
(HSBC Bank)
management.
Workshops' for other Business Schools.
The guest faculty are selected on the
basis of their reputation and their areas
of specialisation. Internationally
renowned faculty regularly visit FMS
and interact with the students.

22 Advanc'edge MBA September 2005

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month.
The intake for the
flagship MBA programme is 90
of which 9 are reserved for
foreign
candidates.
Admissions for this programme
are through the FMS entrance
test (33,456 candidates
appeared for the entrance test
in 2005). Foreign candidates
aspiring for a seat at FMS have
to apply with their GMAT
scores.
FMS is among the few B-Schools
where every permanent faculty member
has a PhD. FMS boasts of 27 permanent
full-time faculty - one of the highest
student faculty ratio in the country of
about 3:1.The pedagogy is determined
by the faculty which is a mixture of case
studies , lectures and role plays making
learning interactive and intense .The
faculty is also involved in various
consultancy programmes and MDPs.
FMS has its main library at North
Campus of Delhi University. It has airconditioned reading rooms housing over
50,000 books and over 100 online

As batch profiles at FMS become

increasingly richer in work experience,
placements in the IT sector and in
Consultancy have also become top
draw. Concisely, the placement trend at
FMS is in consonance with that of other
top-notch campuses.
What You Need to Know
The flagship MBA programme at
FMS costs a trifle of what other premier
B-Schools charge. The tuition fees for
the first year is Rs 9,600 while that for
the second year is Rs 8,950. The hostel
charges add to around Rs 430 per

FMS Luminaries
1.Mr. A.K.Puri
CMD, BHEL
2. Mr.D . S .Brar
Former C.E.O - Ranbaxy
3.Ms.Neelam Dhawan
MD, Microsoft (India).
4. Mr Ajay Shukla (FMS '88)
Publishing Director - Readers Digest
5. Mr.Rahul Malhotra (FMS '95)
Country Marketing Manager , P&G
Journals (including 60 foreign journals).
There is a branch library with a
sprawling reading room at S.P.Jain
Advanced Management Research
Centre, South Campus. Both the libraries
are well stocked with textbooks,
reference books and other documents.
Along with this, the students have
access to the Ratan Tata Library that
has a collection of over 200,000 books
and over 1,000 journals on management
and economics. The students can also
access the University library as well as
study rooms.

Management Science Association

The Management Science Association, the students' body is the heartbeat of FMS. Envisioned by the founders of FMS
to give a participatory role to students in the institute activities, it is a registered body that comprises C.R.A.P (Corporate
Relations and Placements), Marcus (Media Relations), Marketing Society, Finance Society, H.R and O.B Society, Systems
Society, Culsoc, Sportsoc and Convention Team. The Entrepreneurship Cell and the Consulting Club are the new initiatives
that were started this year.
Each Student in FMS is a member of MSA and the election to MSA bodies is through 'SOP BOX' where candidates are
subjected to a grilling session by their peers about their vision for the function they are contesting for.
Learning by doing in MSA enables students to surmount real life challenges- dealing with changes in situations as and
when they arise, budgeting and other aspects of practical life.
All these societies work in sync for MSA. For instance, alumni contacts obtained from the Alumni Association can be
used by the Placement team to organize a Guest Lecture. Once this has happened, Media Relations can make efforts to
have the event covered in the press.
To benefit from theoretical insights, to manage resources, to manage people are skills all corporates look for. In each
society, students work as a team to produce results; just as they will do for the corporates they will eventually join.
Professor J K Mitra, MSA Advisor says, " It is a laboratory for FMS students, a place where they can apply the management
principles learnt in class."
24 Advanc'edge MBA September 2005