Academic Programmes
Full Time Diploma - Flagship PGDM-C
| MICA's Flagship PGDM-C MICA's Post-graduate Programme Diploma in Management (Communications) has made a remarkable pace for itself since its inception in 1994. The active PGDM-C, equivalent to MBA, MBA has evolved into one of the premier programmes in the country, endorsed by 100 per cent campus placements with the best corporate houses in India and in recent times, abroad. MICA's stringent selection norms coupled with the rigour of the curriculum ensure a highly committed, creatively and innovatively anchored, professionally oriented communications manager skilled in the practice, development and communications management for the industry and society. This programme is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Association of Indian University (AIU) which equates it with an MBA degree. 17th Convocation Webcast |
Overview & Pedagogy
The realisation that communications management is a crucial component of industry, leadership launched MICA in 1994. Communications management, across the industry spectrum, is our core competency. The PGDM (Communications) teaches lateral thinking and consumer insight. A MICAn redefines the traditional role of a manager to steer brands and organisations through the power of sharper consumer insight expressed through effective communication. The MICAn's expertise lies in understanding the relevance of the emerging avenues of communications to the industry and society today and in being equipped to deal with their myriad complexities.
Communication has been at the heart of MICA's academic programmes since its inception. Since then, much has changed. The millennium heralded forces of change at work in the market. The accelerated diffusion of information technology, the frenetic proliferation of media and new options, the heightened and global competition, the established reality of fragmented markets and the indispensability of technology redefined the rules. Spurred by these developments, MICA made the transition from communications to communications management and is now the premier institution in this field in India and perhaps, in the Asia Pacific region. Also known as the best marketing school in India, MICA has been much lauded for its curriculum and for its quick response to changing industry needs.
Many ambitious young men and women have taken MICA's PGDM (Communications) to enviable positions in the business of communications management at destinations like L'Oreal, Leo Burnnet, Procter & Gamble, Ogilvy & Mather, CitiFinancial, Mindshare, NDTV, The Times of India, HLL, AC Nielsen ORG Marg, IBM, Star TV, CavinKare, Hutch and other corporate leaders.
MICA offers students concentrations in Brand Management, Account Planning and Management, Marketing Research, Media Management and the emerging disciplines of Public Relations, and Broadcasting, Design and Retail Communications.
MICA has always been in the vanguard of management education trends in India. By being attuned to the country's business context, MICA has provided the industry with informed and efficient professionals with the ability and desire to be innovative leaders. The PGDM in communications management, equivalent to an MBA, embeds in them a sense of values that encompass not only work ethics, but also a commitment to and a passion for marketing and communications as a discipline, especially in commercial organisations. The programme also helps them develop the mental discipline to blend concepts and ideas with strategic planning and action creatively and innovatively.
International collaborations and exchange programmes with institutes in countries like the UK, USA, France, Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam present opportunities for international marketing.
It is MICA's vision 'to be the pre-eminent communications management school.' At MICA, we nurture tomorrow's leaders.
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Who are we looking for?
Stringent quality control of our output begins with tight quality control of our input which is why it is more than a commonplace matter to get a place at MICA. In addition to putting the aspiring communications professionals who come to MICA through a tough academic routine, they are also encouraged and advised to practice the art of self-development.
Over the years, the MICAn profile has changed. There has been a significant increase in number of students from engineering and management education backgrounds. The number of people with diverse work experience (ranging from the software industry to financial portfolio management) has meant more productive class discussions. Students at MICA come from some of India's best-known educational institutions. Prestigious colleges like St. Stephens, Lady Sriram College, Delhi College of Engineering (NSIT), Sriram College of Commerce (SRCC)among others are represented in MICA.
A quick look at our institute's recruitment track record and the profile of our current students should be sufficient to justify our pride in our young men and women.
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Curriculum
CURRICULUM DESIGN
The strength of this programme lies in its strong and contemporary curriculum, the knowledge and experience of the core and visiting faculty, the exposure to industry and the diverse profiles of students. The pgdm curriculum is flexible and is updated annually in consultation with practicing managers to ensure inclusion of current practices and cases. The students are, thus, exposed to the latest domain knowledge in the management and communication areas. The constant revision of the pgdm course matter is key in ensuring that MICA remains one of the best communications management schools in India, including for marketing and integrated marketing communciations.
MICA also maintains industry interaction through various activities like training, consultancy and joint research with student bodies such as MICAMINDS, MICANVAS and the MICA Lecture Series. The individual research and consultancy that faculty undertake contribute to the depth of learning in the post-graduate programme. The intellectual capital available at MICA provides a challenging environment for the students in terms of the rigour and conceptualisation required to successfully complete the programme.
The students are equipped to manage the entire integrated marketing process of a business, including:
- commissioning research,
- seeking consumer insights,
- formulating brand and marketing strategies,
- evaluating media options,
- analysing sales and distribution channels,
- advertising,
- data and information analytics
DURATION
The PGPCM is a two-year residential programme. Each academic year begins in July and ends in March the following year. An academic year is divided into three terms of 12 weeks each. The summer vacation at the end of the first year is usually devoted to industry internship. Placement activities commence towards the end of the second academic year.
ORIENTATION PROGRAMME
From 2006, MICA introduced a three-week pre-course orientation programme. The objectives were:
* To bring all students to a common minimum level of understanding and appreciation of the basics of social sciences, since they come from diverse academic backgrounds
* To reduce the load of basic management education in the two-year programme allowing greater concentration on communications management
Students were advised to attend certain course modules of the orientation programme based on their performance in a diagnostic test.
CORE AND FOUNDATION COURSES
These are compulsory courses offered in the first year and are largely based on foundation and perspective building approaches. The foundation courses are intended to provide a broadbased perspective in general management. Core courses help students develop an integrated view of managerial problems and perspectives. They are designed to help them comprehend and apply various concepts and techniques. See detailed list (link to courses list)
CONCENTRATION COURSES
The concentration courses are based on a career building approach, keeping in mind industry's need for professionals with clear career interests. These intend to enable students to develop specific skills and perspectives in their chosen career paths in the field of communications management i.e. account planning and management, brand management, marketing research, media management or the emerging areas of public relations, retail management, broadcasting and design communications management.
ELECTIVE COURSES
The elective courses are extensions of the foundation Courses and are intended to provide advanced learning opportunities to the students to sharpen their perspectives and skills. These electives broaden the student's horizons and help in the development of a well-rounded character. Students are required to study a minimum of five electives in each academic year.
SUMMER INTERNSHIP
The internship provides students with an opportunity to gain work experience in an area of concentration or interest while receiving credit towards their diploma. The summer internship is organised for 8-10 weeks in various advertising agencies, media and marketing organisations during the summer break at the end of the first year of the programme. No student is admitted to the second year without completing the summer internship.
RURAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Rural markets are already ahead of urban markets in terms of volumes and growth rate in a host of mass-based goods. This can largely be attributed to marketing efforts targeted at rural India. A rural marketing orientation requires a holistic understanding of the rural contexts and customers. The rural research project is designed to provide students with an appreciation of the challenges in communicating with rural customers. Students are required to live in villages for 15 days and study the structure and dynamics of communication there.
CUSTOMER WATCH
This is intended as a learning opportunity with all its immediacy and unpredictability. The student will spend 5-7 days at a retail site as an observer. During this period, the student will keep a diary to make observations on aspects of consumer behaviour as well as details like gender, age and group size of visitors, brands asked for, brands bought and so on. Notes will have to be kept on complaint handling procedures, bargaining and other aspects.
COMMUNICATION IN URBAN SITUATIONS AND CONTEXTS
This module has been introduced after the experience gained from MICA's rural project. It is envisaged to enable the student to also gain a deeper perspective of the urban segment. Therefore, this activity focuses on the study of select urban situations and contexts, apart from the projects done during the regular course and internship.
The methodology is a combination of different data collection instruments including observation, live-in ethnography, focus group discussions and surveys. It will be spread over the second and third terms and the summer break. The urban locations would be in Ahmedabad, places of internship and hometowns in urban India.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
Numerous workshops and seminars are organised in different course areas. Students can attend these based on their interests. These form the non-credit components of the course.
CURRICULUM
Full details of the curriculum:
YEAR 1
ORIENTATION COURSES
- Microlab
- Photonovel Workshop
TERM I
- Marketing Management 1
- Consumer Behavior
- Idea Generation (2 day Workshop)
- Exel workshop
- Quantitative Techniques 1
- Elements of Business Finance
- Individual Dynamics
- Interpersonal & Group Dynamics
- Micro Economic Analysis & Policy
- Communication Theory
- Social Sciences and Communication
- Introduction to media and society (IMS)
TERM II
- Marketing Management 2
- Product Management
- Research Methodology
- Macro Economics (Environment & Policy)
- Organisational Dynamics and HRM
- Quantitative Techniques - 2
- Cost & Management Accounting
- Operations Management - 1
- Development Communication & Social Marketing
- Introduction to Media Planning
- Media Economics
- Services Marketing
TERM III
- Sales & Distribution Management
- Brand Management
- IMC
- Digital Mktg
- Advertising Management
- Multivariate Data Analysis
- Operations Management 2
- Strategic Mgmt
- Legal Issues in Media and Communications
- Business Ethics
- Scamper
- Communication Research
- Imagining India
- Culture and Communication 1
- Media software workshop
- Exel workshop Macros
ELECTIVES (a minimum of two Credits)
- Corporate Venturing and Entrepreneurship
- Product Management (Brand Management)
- Media Analytics
CAPSTONE RESEARCH PROJECT
YEAR 2
TERM IV
Core Courses
- Markstrat (4 days workshop)
- Negotiation
- Media Agenda Setting
- Rural Project
General Electives- Retail & Shopper Marketing
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Banking, Financial Services and Insurance
- New Venture Creation & Entrepreneurship
- Rural Marketing and Communications
- Strategic Design Mgmt
Advertising Management
- Basics of AP
- DCCAB (Decoding Consumer Categories and Brands)
- Basics of AP
- DCCAB (Decoding Consumer Categories and Brands)
Marketing Research
- Applied Areas in Marketing Research (AAMR)
- Online Research
Brand Management- Strategic Brand Management
- Innovation Mktg
Media Management- Strategic audience research and media planning
- Internet based retail (e-commerce)
- Media audit ( Non credited workshop)
TERM V
Core courses- Semiotics
- Leadership Communication and Change
- Film Studies
General Electives
- Metaphors and Narratives
- Sports Marketing
- B2B Marketing
- The Business of Communication in the BFSI Sector
Brand Management - Concentration Core
- Branding through Films/Arts/Music/Theatre
- Behavioural Architecture
Marketing Research - Concentration Core
- Consumer Insight Mining
- Advanced Qualitative Methods
- Econometrics
Advertising Management - Concentration Core
- Ad Tracking and Evaluation
- DCCAB (Decoding Consumer Categories and Brands)
Media Management - Concentration Core
- Entertainment Media
- Business of Print Media
- Electronic Broadcast Media
Advertising Management - Concentration Electives
- Corporate Communication & Reputation Mgmt.
Brand Management - Concentration Electives
- Return on Marketing Investment
- Innovative Marketing (Workshop)
Marketing Research - Concentration Electives
- Advt. Research
TERM VI
General Electives
- Indian Cinema
- Blue Ocean Strategy Simulation
Post-graduate Programme Diploma in Management (Communications)
The typical academic calendar for our two-year programme is as follows:
(Note: The calendar is subject to change. The final schedule will be given to students at the time of registration)
Programme Dates
First Term: July - September
Term Break: Last week of September
Second Term: October - December
Term Break: Last week of December
Third Term: January - March
Summer Internship: 8-10 weeks during April-June
Fourth Term: July - September
Term Break: Last week of September
Fifth Term: October - December
Term Break: Last week of December
Sixth & Final Term: January - March
Convocation: Between 29 & 31 March
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Faculty
CORE FACULTY:
Professor: Department
Nagesh Rao (President & Director)
Intercultural Communication
Arbind Sinha
Social & Development Communication
Rajneesh Krishna
Marketing Research
Shubhra Gaur
Organizational Behaviour
Subhash Tendle
Advertising
Vaneet Chhibber
Media and Marketing
Anita Basalingappa
Marketing
Rasananda Panda
Economics
Falguni Vasavada
Marketing
Saumya Pant
Gender & Development Communication
Prriya Raj
Marketing
Kallol Das
Marketing
Mini Mathur
Retail Communications
Rohit Trivedi
Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Pravin Mishra
Communication Design
Varsha Jain
Integrated Marketing Communication
U T Rao
Finance
Harmony Siganporia
Communications
Santosh Kumar Patra
New Media
Shailesh Yagnik
Librarian
ADJUNT FACULTY:
C D Mitra
Advertising and Brand Management
Ashutosh Dutt
Marketing Research
Keval Kumar
Culture and Communication
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Admissions Criteria
Admission to the PGDM(C) programme requires a Bachelor's degree (in keeping with the 10 + 2 + 3 system) with minimum 50% marks, or an equivalent qualification in any discipline recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Candidates appearing for final examinations towards a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) are also eligible to apply.
Candidates who demonstrate aptitude for expressing, assessing, or conceiving ideas that move people to action and achieve business results tend to stand a better chance of being shortlisted.
Candidates should apply to MICA through scores of either CAT 2012 / XAT 2013 / GMAT (December 31, 2007or later)
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Application Process and Timelines
Click here for Admissions FAQ
Click here to download e-brochure
MICAT Sample questions
You can also purchase application form from the Admission Office, MICA on cash payment of Rs. 1785/- or by sending a demand draft of Rs. 1785/- in favour of "MICA" payable at Ahmedabad, with one self-addressed stamped (Rs. 20/-) envelope of the size 12" X 10". (w.e.f. September 1, 2012)
The selection process for the PGDM (C) involves two steps (Batch 2013-15):
Stage - I
MICA Admissions Test (MICAT)
All candidates who apply to MICA through CAT/XAT/GMAT irrespective of their score, will be called for MICAT, subject to their application form being complete and accepted by MICA.
MICAT is designed to assess analytical ability, divergent thinking, written communication skills and general awareness about the communications industry.
MICAT will be held on March 03, 2013 at the following centres:
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai.
Note: MICA reserves the right to withdraw or introduce MICAT centres.
Stage II
Group Exercise (GE) and Personal Interview (PI)
Candidates will be invited for Group Exercise and Personal Interview to MICA campus, Ahmedabad based on their performance in MICAT and CAT/XAT/GMAT. Quantitative and Verbal sections from CAT/XAT/GMAT will be given 20% weightage each.
Admissions Calendar
E V E N T | D A T E |
Admission Announcement and Issue of Forms | September 1, 2012 |
Last Date for Issue of Application Forms | January 29, 2013 |
Last Date for receipt of completed Application Forms | February 1, 2013 |
Issue of MICAT Call Letters | February, 2013 * |
MICAT | March 03, 2013 |
GE & PI | March / April, 2013 |
Declaration of Results | April, 2013 |
Orientation Programme | June, 2013 |
Session begins | Last week of June, 2013 |
* Exact dates will be updated soon.
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Admissions Criteria for Foreign Nationals/Non Resident Indians (NRIs)
A Foreign National is a person who is not a citizen of India.
A NRI is an Indian who as of April 2013 is working or studying or residing outside India for atleast past 12 months continuously.
Eligibility
Admission to the PGDM(C) programme requires a Bachelor's degree (in keeping with the 10 + 2 + 3 system) with minimum 50% marks, or an equivalent qualification in any discipline recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Candidates appearing for final examinations towards a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) are also eligible to apply.
Application Process and Timelines
The selection process for PGDM(C) involves the following:
*Foreign Nationals/ NRIs should apply to MICA through scores of GMAT (2007 onwards).
* Foreign Nationals/ NRIs will be short-listed and invited for a Personal Interview Process via teleconference in April 2013.
You can download the Application Form here
You can download the FAQ here
Click here to download e-brochure
You are required to post the duly filled Application Form along with application fees of INR1785 before March 24th, 2013 to the postal address mentioned below. The payment options are mentioned in the Application Form.
Postal Address:
ADMISSIONS OFFICE
MUDRA INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATIONS, AHMEDABAD
Shela, Ahmedabad – 380 058,
Gujarat, India
Tel.: +91-02717-308250
Fax: +91-02717-308349
email: admissioninquiry@micamail.in
Admissions Calendar
E V E N T | D A T E |
Admission Announcement and Issue of Forms | November 2012 |
Last Date for Issue of Application Forms | March 24th, 2013 |
Last Date for receipt of completed Application Forms | March 31st, 2013 |
Personal Interview Process via teleconference | April 2013 |
Declaration of Results | May 2013 |
Orientation Programme | June, 2013 |
Session begins | Last week of June, 2013 |
* Exact dates will be updated soon.
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Fees and Financial Aid
Fee details of 2012-14 batch
The Programme Cost for the PGDM-(C) for two years including tuition fee, residential charges (Boarding and Lodging) etc., : Rs. 12,00,000/- (approx.)
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Ask a Question
Simply enter your contact details and your question below and a member of staff will get back to you:
Or, e-mail admissionenquiry@micamail.in, or call +91-2717-308313 during office hours on working days.
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Successful Alumni
Vivek Kumar 1996
Head of Retail Marketing" Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong, Brunei" Shell Eastern Petroleum
Kunal Jeswani 1996
Vice President, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising
Reetika Gupta 1996
Assistant Professor (Marketing), Lehigh University
Debjani Majumdar 1997
Vice President, Credit Policy, Citibank
Neelesh Suryavanshee 1998
Senior Regional Manager, Uniliver (Thailand)
Premchandra Kamath 1998
Vice President, Marketing and Communications, STAR TV
Arjun Ghosh 2000
Partner ATG, Mindshare
Durlov Baruah 2001
Head, Internet and Wireless Banking, Deutsche Bank
Amogh Dusad 2002
Assistant Vice President, Strategy Planning, NDTV Imagine
Manmeet Vohra 2002
Marketing Director, TAG Heuer, LV MH Watch and Jewellery India Ltd.
Pankaj Bhalla 2003
Sr. Brand Manager, Oral Care- Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, P&G
Vivek Saraswat 2005
Senior Product Manager, L’Oreal India
Rashi Mittal 2006
Assistant Manager, Influencer Marketing, P&G
Imran Khan 2007
Area Sales Manager, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.
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