I completed B.Com. in 2000 and initially worked with a BPO and then with a chartered accountant and a firm. Please guide me with regards to higher education (I do not want the names of colleges). I do not mind pursuing programmes in regular or distance mode.

Sudarshan

You have opportunities for pursuing a variety of courses in the area of Commerce, Business Studies, Accounting and Financial Management. You can do M.Com., MBA in Finance, Chartered Accountancy, Company Secretaryship etc. Your experience will keep you in good stead as it will help you to bring in a connect between theory and practice. Pursuing a full-time course would mean quitting your job; however the aspect of placement will surely add to the value of pursuing a programme on the campus mode. If you want to retain your job, distance learning programmes (DLP) are the best possible option.

Another area of study that you can get into is SAP-Finance and/or Oracle- Finance. This will catapult you into the consultant domain and bring success.

I am in the third year of B.E. Civil Engineering. I do not know what to do next. Should I pursue M.Tech or MBA or take up the Civil Services? I am totally confused; and this is impacting studies.

Suryakanth M.K.

First and foremost, you should decide what you want to do. What was the reason to select the degree programme in Civil Engineering? Most of the engineering graduates prefer to pursue a job (either private or Government/PSUs) once they complete their course. In your case you have identified the coveted Civil Services Examination (CSE). The strategy that you have adopted for the CSE at this juncture would be important. You will need to identify the papers for the examination and plan appropriately.

Many engineers prefer to pursue MBA after the Bachelor programme. For this you will need to take up the Common Admission Test (CAT) of the IIMs and other entrance tests/examinations to qualify for the two-year programme. Most of the MBA programmes do provide you with placement options. If your intent is to get into the academic circle, pursuing M.Tech is advisable. There are many engineers in the corporate world who have postgraduate qualifications from leading institutions (some of them join the corporate world and pursue programmes from institutions such as BITS, Pilani). Hence, you will have to decide. Have a discussion with the counsellor in your college/institution.

I am pursuing B.Sc (Home Science) and will be completing it in 2012. I would like to know about the universities and institutes that offer a dietician course at the postgraduation level in South India and the eligibility criteria. What are the advantages of pursuing the dietician programme?

Prashanth

A course in Home Science will surely help you to pursue the programme of Food and Nutrition. The following are the Universities offering Master's degree in Food Technology/Nutrition:

CFTRI, Mysore, (M.Sc. Food Technology); University of Agricultural Sciences, Krishinagar, Dharwad (M.Sc. Food and Nutrition); GD Naidu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (M.Sc. in Food Science and Nutrition); Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (M.Sc. Food Science); and University of Health Science, Vijayawada (M.Sc. in Applied Nutrition). Eligibility for the all the institutions is a B.Sc. in Home Science (10+2+3) from a recognised university with 55 per cent marks.

The opportunities for a dietician are many. Hospitals and nursing homes, old-age homes, residential schools/ institutions, with catering services, hotels, food processing units, food manufacturers, food retailers, catering organisations and other industrial units allied to food and nutrition often engage the services of nutritionists and dieticians. Those with an aptitude for research and those who want to get to the nuances of Food Technology have done well in a field that has been growing in India over the past decade.

I will be graduating in 2102 in History, Economics and Political Science. I have also done Honours in international business/trade from my college. I had a paper in International Relations as specialisation in Political Science. I want to pursue postgraduation in International Relations in JNU. Please provide me the details of the programmes that are available.

Sunitha Parthiban

School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) (www.jnu.ac.in) conducts the following courses:

Master of Arts (Politics – International Studies)

Master of Arts (Economics – World Economy)

Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.)

Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Research can be pursued in 17 areas, which reflects the dynamic way International Studies has been tackled at JNU. For all the courses the prospective candidate has to take up the all India entrance test and qualify.

Other Universities also run programmes in International Studies and Relations but do not match the area of specialisation that JNU has reached. For further information you can write to The Registrar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110 067. Ph: 011-26704005. E-mail: registrar@mail.jnu.ac.in

You can also contact the Dean, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

Can you provide the contact address of NIFT, Karnataka? I want to pursue a fashion and textile course from NIFT.

Niranjan

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (www.nift.ac.in) is the best place in Karnataka to enrol for the programme in Fashion and related technology. Functioning under the Union Ministry of Textiles, NIFT has programmes and courses of various durations. You should connect to the Admissions Officer at NIFT, CA Site, 21, Sector 1, 27th Main, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560 034. Ph: 25632550.

My son wants to pursue B.E. in Industrial Engineering. I am an Arts graduate, and do not have much exposure to the engineering field. Please help me to understand the field.

Vinod Kumar

Industrial Engineering (IE) evolves around the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, material and processes. IE also deals with the designing of new prototypes to help save money and ensure the prototypes function better. IE is inspired by the principles and methods of engineering analysis and focuses on mathematical, physical and social science.

Practitioners of IE work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy and other resources in the finer aspect of lean manufacturing systems. IE is also known as Operations Management, Management Science, Systems Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering. It encompasses the following facets: Management Science, Financial Engineering, Engineering Management, Supply Chain Management, Process Engineering, Operations Research, Systems Engineering, Ergonomics, Value Engineering and Quality.

A good number of engineering institutes and Universities provide for Bachelor's and Master's programmes.

IE has been pioneered by the Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering (IIIE) (1957) (www.iiie-india.com). The IIIE conducts programmes that will help one to evolve in the field. You can get more information by connecting to the IIIE, Sector 15, Plot No. 103, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai-400 814. Ph: 022-2579412. E-mail: iiie1@vsnl.com