Masters’ Union, a Gurugram based business school claims to offer online programmes which span over a time period of six months to one year. One such programme is the Applied Finance programme, developed in partnership with KPMG, an audit firm. The programme is entirely online, with KPMG practitioners, partners and directors managing the course work. The business school claims that currently around 1,000 students are enrolled across different cohorts of the programme. The first two cohorts graduated earlier this year. The institution has recently revealed the placement report for its Applied Finance programme. Graduates from this programme have secured fulfilling roles in diverse fields, including government advisory, investment banking and auditing, Pratham Mittal, founder, Masters’ Union, told FE Education. “A testament to the programme’s success is the fact that nearly 50% of students were recruited directly by KPMG India. While the standout finding is that students who attend the programme regularly, with a minimum attendance of 90%, have a very high likelihood of securing a job. These dedicated students, referred to as ‘star students,’ have a remarkable job placement rate of 97%. However, even if attendance is at 75%, there is still a decent job placement rate of 77%,” he said.
The business school provides a selection of six online courses. These courses include Applied Finance, Product Management Bootcamp, User Experience Design, Human Resource Management, Creatorpreneur Bootcamp and Applied Auditing and Analytics. The tuition fees for these courses range from Rs two-three lakh, according to the Masters’ Union official website. The institution claims to have adopted an academic approach by tying job prospects to attendance. For freshers without any work experience, the average median salary with cost-to- company (CTC) is Rs 4.53 lakh, the average salary for freshers without work experience is Rs 4.60 lakh, while the highest CTC recorded is at Rs 10.50 lakh, according to the placement report. “This figure represents a significant jump for individuals from tier 2 and 3 colleges, as securing a position at a company with such a salary is quite noteworthy,” Mittal said.
In terms of each cohort of online programmes, the business school claims to offer three primary components. Firstly, there are comprehensive virtual reviews held regularly, where students engage in intensive sessions with their mentors on a daily basis. Secondly, each student is assigned a personal board of directors, consisting of three individuals. “One member assists with communication skills, another offers career mentoring and the third provides expertise in a specific domain. These three individuals form the student’s personal board of directors, offering guidance and support throughout their journey,” he explained.
Moreover, the institute claims that it offers free-of-charge opportunities for students who have not passed to enrol in the next cohort. This provision is particularly relevant as around 20% of the students fail to meet the passing criteria due to inadequate attendance in classes. “The unique selling point (USP) of this programme lies in its instruction by industry experts. Unlike traditional educational institutions where finance courses are taught by teachers with limited industry experience, our programme ensures that you learn finance directly from KPMG partners. This distinctive opportunity sets us apart as the exclusive provider of such specialised industry-driven education,” Mittal added.