PGP in Marketing Colleges, Syllabus and Career

This postgraduate program is designed with an aim to provide students with a complete and cohesive view of the various practical and applicable aspects of marketing and brand management. These include understanding different types of markets, competition, buyer behavior and brand building.

Aspiring candidates need to have studied Accounts, Business Management and Maths at both 10 +2 level and graduation, candidates with a BBA or B. Com. degree are preferred. Successful postgraduates of the course are not only trained to become experts in effective marketing, they are also trained to develop skills in decision making, critical thinking, strategic planning, professionalism and social responsibility.

Lasting up to approximately 2 academic years, the program consists of holistic coursework, seminars, workshops, an optional internship period and a final, research-based master's thesis project.

PGP in Marketing: Course Highlights

Tabulated below are some of the major highlights of the course.

PGP in Marketing: What is it About?

PGP in Marketing builds in enrolled students an effective understanding of fundamental concepts such as segmentation, targeting, positioning differentiating, pricing and branding strategies. These are the primary tools of designing effective marketing of the organization. The program concludes with sessions on integrated communication and digital marketing that are fast gaining popularity in the growing e-world.

Marketing is one of the more diverse areas of business study, featuring experts from across a range of related fields such as management, psychology, strategy, research, sociology, broadcasting, publication, publicity, ethics, distribution, service and more. PGP in Marketing focusses on building students' foundational business knowledge, highlighting the key concepts of marketing such as effectiveness, segmentation, activation, dominance, pricing, service, retail, brand management and more. Further, often the course module allows students to specialize in a certain area or field that is most pertinent to their personal career goals. Such specializations may include International Marketing, Social Media, Publicity, Communication, Strategic Marketing, Sales Management, Interactive Marketing and more.

Many universities and business schools in India promote such skills while maintaining an international standard. Recent graduates from related Bachelor's degree programs, as well as working professionals with years of experience in the field are equally encouraged to apply for Master of Marketing programs in India.

Eligibility for PGP in Marketing

Admission to PGP in Marketing requires a Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from an institute affiliated to the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Candidates appearing for final examinations of a Bachelor's degree course in Marketing or any other discipline are also eligible to apply.

Candidates competent at expressing, assessing, or creating innovative and constructive ideas that move people to action and achieve business results have a better chance of getting shortlisted.

Top Institutes Offering PGP in Marketing

Compiled here is a list of the top institutes in India offering the course along with their respective locations, eligibility conditions, admission processes, and fees charged by each.

PGP in Marketing: Admission Process

The process of selection for admission to the course involves the following steps described below:
1. CAT/ XAT/ GMAT- Aspiring candidates need to appear for and qualify at least 1 of these 3 exams.

2. Admission Test for Individual Universities: Some universities conduct their own entrance tests for pursuing a PG degree in Marketing. It is an additional step in the admission process besides the CAT/ XAT/ GMAT qualification. Performance at both levels of assessment are considered and subseqently final candidates are selected.

Some common university- based tests conducted in India are listed below:

MICAT (Mica Admission Test): MICAT consists of 6 sections: Psychometric (P), Verbal ability (VA), Quantitative ability (QA), General awareness (GA), Divergent-Convergent Reasoning (DCR) and Descriptive Test (DT).

A Psychometric test is conducted as a qualifier for MICAT.
Those who qualify the Psychometric test shall be assessed for MICAT sections based on performance in:

• Verbal ability
• Quantitative ability
• General awareness, and
• Divergent-Convergent Reasoning.

Candidates who qualify the stages listed above are assessed in terms of relative performance on a Scaled Score. The resultant cut-off scored in each of the above sections is evaluated in the Descriptive Test.
Qualifying candidates are considered for short listing for GE and PI. Shortlist is prepared on the basis of performance in MICAT-1and/ or 2, or better of the two scores if a candidate has qualified both MICAT-1 and MICAT-2.
MICAT is usually held in some of the popular cities of the country, namely Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi/ Ernakulam, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Noida, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam.

UPES - MET

Management Entrance Test (UPES MET) - 2 is an offline test conducted by UPES, for students seeking admission to the Industry Aligned MBA programs or seeking Management and Economics Studies (CoMES), at UPES Dehradun. It gives you the advantage of taking the test from any convenient location because of the many choices it offers for exam centers.
To apply for UPES MET, the candidate should have obtained a minimum aggregate score of 50% in classes X, XII and in graduation. Students in their final year can also apply. Candidates whose CAT/ XAT/ MAT/CMAT scores do not exceed the cut off but are still above 50% aggregate marks in classes X and XII and in graduation, may appear for the UPES Management Entrance Test. The syllabus of UPES MET is described below:

• General English - Reading Comprehension, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Ability - 35
• Quantitative - Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency - 35
• General Awareness - General Knowledge, Current Affairs, Business Scenario - 35
• Analytical and Logical Reasoning - 35

IBSAT

ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test (IBSAT) is conducted by ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE). This program is for students seeking admission to MBA/ PGPM programs at 9 IBS campuses, namely Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

Eligible candidates need to score the minimum set cutoff marks to qualify for the next stage of the selection procedure. The cut off score is different for each IBS campus.

Only shortlisted candidates are to appear for further rounds of the selection procedure of IBSAT i.e., Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

Candidates who qualify IBSAT are called for the selection process at IBS Hyderabad. The final selection is based on the overall performance in the rounds of Group Discussion, Personal Interview, besides the past academic record.

The syllabus for FZ is given below:

• Verbal Ability - 50
• Quantitative Aptitude - 30
• Reading Compression - 30
• Data Adequacy & Data Interpretation – 30

PGP in Marketing: Career Prospects 

upon successful completion of the course, postgraduates typically dabble in core marketing concepts such as organizational behavior, brand management, managerial economy, project management, corporate finance, operational management etc. Those interested in higher studies in the discipline may go for pursuing a PhD program in India or abroad. The popular areas of employment for such postgraduates are Publishing Companies, Academic Institutions, Retail Companies, Manufacturing Companies, Advertising Companies, Finance and Insurance companies.

Listed here are some of the popular job positions offered to successful postgraduates of the discipline with the corresponding job descriptions and salaries offered.

PGP in Marketing: Syllabus and Course Description

The course consists of 4 semesters spread over 2 years, and a semester- wise breakup of the course’s syllabus is given here:

Subjects of study for the Course

1.  Management process and Organisation
2. Business communication
3. Services marketing
4.  Business research methods
5. Marketing management 1
6.  Advertising and sales promotion
7. International marketing
8.  Rural marketing
9. B2B marketing
10. Marketing management 2