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Your counsellor repliesI‚m a final year BA student interested in a career in teaching. Please provide details of full-time and part-time B.Ed courses.Shirin Wadia, BangaloreBachelor of education (B.Ed) is a one-year postgraduate programme. Graduates/ postgraduates are eligible for enrollment. Graduates with a B.Ed degree are qualified to teach in secondary schools while postgraduates are qualified to teach in higher secondary schools (classes XI and XII) and junior college. To be admitted into B.Ed study programmes, a bachelor‚s degree in arts/ commerce/ science/ home science/ agricultural science is necessary. If you don‚t have any formal teaching experience, your choice should be a full-time B.Ed course. Log on to www.mu.ac.in for a listing of institutions offering teacher training programmes.I‚m in third year B.Sc and interested in a career in hotel management. Please suggest short-term courses other than the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) three-year degree in hotel management.Ashish Chainani, MumbaiNo short-term course can be a substitute for a three-year hotel management degree. But apart from NCHMCT, the University of Mumbai offers a three-year bachelor of hotel and tourism management degree. Likewise the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology on the ITM Campus, Plot 25/26 Institutional Area, Sector 4, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai 410 210 offers a three-year bachelor‚s degree (BA, international hospitality manage-ment of Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK). The University of Mumbai course is priced at Rs.45,000 per year with additional expenses for uniform, tool kit and other requirements. E-mail [email protected] for fee details of the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. You could also explore the option of applying for a two-year postgrad diploma in housekeeping management at the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development (OCLD), New Delhi. Log on to www.careers.theoberiogroup.com for details. You are paid a stipend while you train for a career with Oberoi Hotels. I‚m a Plus Two student interested in pursuing a career in law. Please advise whether I should study law after Plus Two or after BA. Ranjit Kolhatkar, PuneAdmission into the five-year integrated law degree (after Plus Two) offered by Mumbai and Pune universities is based on your academic performance in the class XII school leaving exam. There is no special entrance test. On the other hand admission into the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU); NALSAR Hyderabad; NLU Jodhpur; National Law Institute University, Bhopal, etc is on the basis of a written entrance test. The five-year law degree courses offered are BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons) or BLS LLB. If you are not sure about law, then complete your graduation and opt for the three-year LLB. Reputable law colleges such as faculty of law (Delhi University) and Government Law College (University of Mumbai), ILS Law College (University of Pune) etc are able to get good placements for their LLB graduates. Lawyers work in private practice, for government, defence judicial services, public sector undertakings, in law firms, in the corporate sector and in teaching. After completing my Plus Two (science) exam next year, I‚ve decided to pursue a degree in biochemistry. What are the career prospects in this field and which are the best colleges/ institutions offering this subject?Srinivas Iyer, ChennaiBiochemists study the chemical composition of living organisms and the complex reactions involved in reproduction, growth, metabolism and heredity. There is a steady demand for biochemists mainly from food, drink, pharmaceutical, agriculture and related industries, as also from medical research and hospital laboratories, specialist research organisations and government agencies. Biochemical analysis is also used in clinical diagnosis or in forensic laboratories. Many colleges across India offer B.Sc (biochemistry) and if you visit www.mu.ac.in you‚ll get a complete list. The University of Mumbai in addition to 40 other recognised universities offers an M.Sc (biochemistry). While studying for a B.Sc in biochemistry you will understand the subject better and decide whether it will sustain your interest. Admission into a Masters programme usually involves an entrance test. After B.Sc you could also choose to pursue M.Sc (biotechnology) or M.Sc (bio-informatics).Will an MBA or ME (Master of engineering) better my job prospects after a BE (mechanical) degree?Navin Chawla, New DelhiGraduate mechanical engineers enjoy a wide range of employment opportunities in almost every sector ‚ machine tools, railways, aerospace and automobile industries. They can also train for careers in the merchant navy. If you are interested in a career related to the application of your mechanical engineering degree, you should consider pressing on for a ME for better long-term prospects. Similarly acquiring an MBA would open up opportunities for employment in managerial functions across a wide range of industries, related or unrelated to engineering. MBAs from premier management institutes attract significantly higher entry-point remuneration packages than plain vanilla engineers (BE/ ME).After completing class XII, I want to pursue photography as a career. Is there any degree course in photography?Nilima Shah, AhmedabadPhotography is offered as a specialisation in the bachelor of fine arts programme conducted by most fine arts colleges. There are also several private institutes which award diplomas. For instance the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts, Mumbai offers a one-year apprentice training course in photography. No educational qualification is prescribed for admission into this course. However, candidates who have completed class X with art or intermediate drawing grade examination or with a training certificate from an employer (studios) are given preference. Selection is based on an entrance test and personal interview.