The last decade witnessed a boom in aspirants desiring an MBA degree and this boom has lately inflated to a full sized balloon. According to the IIM Review Committee report, published on September 25, 2008, the number of CAT takers increased from 2,500 in 1990 to 250,000 in 2008. A large number of middle and low rung MBA schools have been mushrooming all over India, particularly in the metros.

Indian Institute Foreign Trade (IIFT) New Delhi inaugurated the new batch of International Business program (2009-11) with 158 students on July 2, 2009. At the inaugural function, held at the IIFT campus at New Delhi, the new MBA program students got an opportunity to interact with Lieutenant-Governor of New Delhi Tejendra Khanna.

Mumbai based SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) welcomed 180 participants to its PGDM batch of 2009-2011, which includes 75 girls. SPJIMR has informed that the selections were made from over 18000 applications through rigorous admission process, which included weight-age being given to the past academic background, versatility and overall student personality. The new batch has 144 participants with prior work-experience and about 155 with an engineering background.

After the much debated CAT 2009 computer-based test, the Management Aptitude Test follows suit. The MAT 2009 has become an online affair, but the old form of paper-pencil MAT exam has not been scrapped by the organizing body. Unlike CAT 2009, MAT 2009 test-takers will be allowed to choose either the online or the traditional paper-pencil format of MAT depending upon their comfort level, according to the All India Management Association (AIMA).

The new batch of PGP at Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore, began its session on June 30, 2009. The induction program at this MBA School was indeed different from other MBA schools in tone and tenor. IIM Indore organized a two-day conference on Journey of Excellence, so that the new MBA program students get inspired and learn from people coming from different walks of life who have made a significant contribution to the society.

In terms of the growth rate, the healthcare industry in India is moving ahead neck to neck with the pharmaceutical industry and the software industry of the country. Much has been said and done in the health care sector for bringing about improvement. Till date, approximately 12% of the scope offered by the health care industry in India has been tapped. The health care industry in India is reckoned to be the engine of the economy in the years to come. Growing at an envious rate of 15% every year, the health care industry in India is estimated to be a $40 million by 2012.

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi will be holding the IIFT entrance exam date for the coming session of 2010-2012 on Sunday, November 22. IIFT has confirmed this development with MBAUniverse.com. This means that IIFT entrance exam, held on the fourth Sunday of November each year, will remain unaffected from CATs 2009 10-day long schedule. Our readers will remember that we broke the news (on June 26) that CAT entrance exam 2009 will be held from November 28 to December 7.

After the success of International Entrepreneurship Challenge 2008, Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi presents International Entrepreneurship Challenge (IEC), 2009, a competition of independent business venture ideas. MBAUniverse.com is the Official Management Portalof this event. The IEC is an initiative of the Entrepreneurship Cell of the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi. The event will be launched on August 15, 2009.

The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIML) commenced the next batch of PGP program at its campus on June 23, 2009. The IIML PGP Chairman welcomed the new students at the inauguration ceremony, where they took a pledge. The Director and Deans of IIML addressed the students and introduced them with the teaching pedagogy of the MBA institute.