FLAME University MBA: Curriculum innovations, top faculty & deep industry engagement are its key differentiators.

FLAME School of Business has a combination of reputed faculty, practical curriculum, industry interface and holistic development.

"We are a University rooted in liberal education with an interdisciplinary approach" - Dr Devi Singh VC FLAME University

Pune based FLAME University was established as a State Private University in 2015 under an act passed by the Government of Maharashtra. Well known management academic Dr. Devi Singh, who was the Director of IIM Lucknow for 10 years and Director of MDI for 5 years, recently took over as the Vice Chancellor of the University. The University offers MBA programs with specialization in finance, entrepreneurship, marketing, human resources and operations. Student enrolment at the MBA program has been increasing every year. Also, more than seventy prestigious companies participated in its placement process last year with highest salary of Rs. 28 lakhs and median salary was Rs. 5.3 lakhs.

MBAUniverse.com spoke to FLAME University Vice Chancellor Dr. Devi Singh to know more about the MBA program offered by the University and the direction for the future.

So what are the key strengths of FLAME University and its MBA program and how is it different from other B-schools and Universities? “We are a University rooted in liberal education with an interdisciplinary approach. In addition to learning about management domains like business, finance, entrepreneurship, etc. students are also exposed to social sciences, humanities, pure sciences, media, communication, and creative & performing arts. In our MBA program, we help students to explore various ideas as businesses are not run in silos. They are trained in perspective building and yet able to find focused solutions for problems. We know that in today's fast changing world, if students have to become tomorrow's leaders, they need a combination of reputed faculty, practical curriculum, industry interface and holistic development. FLAME University’s MBA program offers each of these elements for the growth of its students,” says Dr Devi Singh.

Renowned Faculty 
Without doubt, quality of faculty and the learning environment are the most important facets of any B-school or University. Faculty at FLAME is an acclaimed group of scholars and researchers whose teaching is augmented by the contemporariness of their academic knowledge and real world experience. Faculty at FLAME includes members with outstanding international education background, scholarship, experience and orientation. In addition to renowned management academic Dr. Devi Singh, key faculty members include Prof. D.S. Rao who earned his MM from prestigious AIM, Manila; Prof. Vinod Vidwans, a Ph.D from  IIT, Mumbai; Prof. Manoj Kumar, a Ph.D. from  IIT, Mumbai; Prof Sujay Joshi, a Chartered Accountant and PGDM from IIM, Ahmedabad and Prof Amarendra Sahoo, a Ph.D. from IIT, Mumbai.

The faculty student ratio at FLAME University is 1:10. The relatively higher faculty strength in relation to students results in more intense and immediate watch by the faculty so that students get correspondingly more value out of their education.

Innovations in curriculum
FLAME University says that it believes in “contextual teaching with practical relevance.” It has developed curricular innovations like the FLAME Investment Lab, FLAME Entrepreneurship Lab, DRIVERS, CFA Institute Research Challenge, Investor Conferences, etc. that enable students to apply their academic learning in the real world.

It is continuously assessing its curriculum and program delivery to keep up with the rapidly changing business environment. Its strength continues to be the curriculum which provides both breadth and depth of knowledge. The lab based courses in investments and entrepreneurship are unique to FLAME.

Recognizing its academic strengths, CRISIL has rated FLAME with an A* grade at the national level for the past 4 years. Besides FLAME has been accepted into the CFA University Recognition Program, becoming the second institute in India to have received this recognition at the time.

Strong Industry Interface
Industry engagement is a key facet of any top quality B-school, be it IIMs or XLRI or any other Top 20 B-school. How is FLAME University ensuring that its MBA program has deep industry engagement?

FLAME says that there are many initiatives lined up to ensure that MBA students get the maximum exposure from leading business icons and CXOs.

Every year FLAME hosts renowned national and international personalities who have distinguished themselves in diverse fields. Their stories of skill, ingenuity and determination inspire emulation from others.

Interactive sessions with such leading lights go a long way in inspiring and influencing the students. In the past few years corporate leaders like Narayana Murthy, Deepak Parekh, Dilip Shanghvi, KV Kamath, Aditya Puri, Sajjan Jindal, Anil Agarwal, M. Murugappan, Shikha Sharma, Uday Kotak, R. Gopalakrishnan, V.G. Siddhartha, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and many others have visited FLAME and interacted with students and faculty members.

Career opportunities
Keen MBA aspirants look for a bright career after their two years of investment in a B-school. What kind of career opportunities does FLAME University offer for its students.

The institution says that it has extensive linkages with industry that helps the students to get desired placements. More than seventy companies participated in our placement process last year. In the past, companies like HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak, ICICI, Vedanta, Café Coffee Day, Infosys, TCS, Deloitte Consulting, Reliance Mutual Fund, Dunia Finance, National Stock Exchange, JSW, Future Group, Asian Paints, ITC, Adani Enterprises, amongst many others have participated in our placement process.

According to FLAME University, on average, each of its MBA pass out had 5 interview opportunities. The highest salary was Rs 28 lakhs and median salary was Rs 5.3 lakhs. More importantly, some of its students have become entrepreneurs and are running enterprises.

Vision to be one of the best in Asia
So what is the vision for FLAME University and its MBA program. “My vision is that FLAME University should stand at par with some of the best known liberal arts schools of the West. We have created the required foundation. All we need is to move up the curve slowly and steadily with added focus on research. We will be a university with 2,000 students and 250 top class faculty in five years. Our vision is to become an aspirational destination for students and faculty members in the areas of Liberal education and Leadership. We will be the university of choice for higher education in India and Asia. FLAME will be amongst India’s most reputed and respected universities,” says Dr Devi Singh.

When asked if MBA Program from FLAME University can be ranked amongst the Top 25 program in the near future, Dr Singh confidently said, “The first mover advantage is only limited. There will always be disruptors! FLAME University aspires to be one of the best quality education providers in the country in our chosen areas including our MBA programs. Our aim is to achieve national and global quality accreditation, the process of which is already ongoing.”

Online admission application process for MBA 2016-18 at FLAME University is open. Interest candidates can register on FLAME application portal to apply online. University accepts CAT 2015,  XAT 2016, MAT, CMAT and MH-CET scores along with the GMAT scores.

(Source: http://www.mbauniverse.com/article/id/9167/FLAME-School-of-Business)