Your Counsellor Replies

Your Counsellor RepliesAfter completing my B.Sc (information technology), would it be more rewarding to pursue an MCA or MBA? Also do I have to write an entrance exam for admission into the M.Sc programme of the IITs?Ravi Chauhan, Pune If you are interested in a career in software development, MCA is the better option. An MBA will help you diversify career opportunities but the work may not be technical or scientific in content. Choose the course according to your academic capabilities and preference. For admission into the M.Sc programme of the IITs, writing the Joint Admission Test is mandatory. The structure of the exam, content and syllabus is available on www.iitb.ac.in/_jam/about_jam.html.I‚m a final year B.Sc (IT) student and interested in a career in artificial intelligence. Please advise.Nalini Bhatia, New DelhiInformation technology encompasses digital electronics, peripherals technology, computer science, information systems, data transmission, computer networking, artificial intelligence and other related applications. You could, therefore, enroll for an M.Sc (IT) or MCA programme.What‚s the new syllabus of the IIT-JEE exam?Nikhil Joshi, MumbaiThe syllabus for this examination is available on all IIT websites including that of IIT-Bombay (www.iitb.ac.in). It will also be set out in the information brochure of JEE 2006.Please provide information on universities offering degree courses in automobile design. I‚ll be completing my graduation in mechanical engineering in 2007.Ashok Srinivasan, ChennaiAfter you acquire your mechanical engineering degree you could enroll for a postgrad programme in transportation/ industrial design. Options include the two-year Master of industrial design of the IITs with specialisation in transportation design and/ or postgraduate diploma programme in transportation and automobile design at the National Institute of Design. Details of the above programmes are available on www.iitb.ac.in and www.nid.edu. What are the career options available to a B.Com graduate? I‚m not clear about what I want to do after graduating in 2006.Lakshmi Narayan, BangaloreMost B.Com graduates opt for MBA or M.Com (with various specialisation options such as accountancy, banking and finance), retail management, insurance, chartered accountancy, company secretaryship, cost and works accountancy, MA economics, Master of finance, and law.However there are several other options for commerce graduates. They include postgraduate programmes in mass communication, advertising and public relations, social work, labour and social welfare, personnel management and industrial relations, hospital administration, fashion management, apparel merchandising and marketing, film editing, film direction, etc. Alternatively there are opportunities aplenty in business organisations, banks, insurance and retail companies. Study the options and decide what‚s best for you.I‚m a third year B.Com student and would like to know whether I should do an M.Com as well as an MBA after graduation for better job prospects.Neena Mehta, AhmedabadM.Com andMBA are good study programmes but there is no need to enroll for both. An MBA from a reputed business school is enough to get you a good placement.Please give details of institutes other than IIMs, which use CAT scores as an admission criterion for entry into MBA programmes.Anil Vaswani, MumbaiMore than 50 institutions use CAT for shortlisting candidates for admission into their MBA programmes. Prominent among them are: SPJIMR, Mumbai (www.spjimr.org); K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai (simsr.somaiya.edu); MDI, Gurgaon (www.mdi.ac.in); NITIE, Mumbai (www.nitie.edu); MICA, Ahmedabad (www.mica.india.net) and NIBM, Pune (www.nibmindia.org).I‚m an above average class XII science student interested in a career in astronomy and space sciences. Please advise.Abhijeet Roy, KolkataA career in astronomy/ space sciences involves working in academia or research and requires a Ph D. After graduation you could enroll in space science or astronomy or physics or maths postgrad programmes. A few universities offer M.Sc (space science) or M.Sc (astronomy) programmes. To qualify for a Ph D programme you would need an M.Sc in physics or related sciences. Admission is through a written test.For further information visit www.incasr.ac.in/jest, www.tifr.res.in/gsoffice, www.iics.ernet.in, www. unipune.ernet.in.I‚m a B. Com graduate doing my chartered accountancy. I would like to get information about forensic accounting. What are the qualifications required for this field and which institutions offer this course?Raj Patel, Ahmedabad The job of forensic accountants is to study and detect white-collar crime. Using accounting techniques, they nail frauds. The basic qualification and experience required is in accountancy. After which, the emphasis should be on work experience. Keep in touch with business news and keep abreast of firms and agencies offering such services and update your knowledge of the accounting software used in major organisations. To acquire professional certification log on to the websites of professional organisations dedicated to fighting fraud and white-collar crime. A certified fraud examiner (CFE) is a specialist educated and trained in the detection and deterrence of a wide variety of white-collar crimes. Successful completion of the CFE examination (http://www.cfenet.com) is an affirmation of one‚s ability to conduct thorough fraud investigations.