HOT SPOT: AN College. Telegraph picture

A good track record of campus placements has made the vocational courses of AN College in Patna a sought-after option for students.

Both MBA and MCA courses at the college have 60 seats each. But the institution has already received more than 500 applications for the two.

With the rush for applications expected to increase on the last date — June 22 — the number of applicants for each course is expected to cross 700.

College principal Haridwar Singh told The Telegraph that a good placement record of students in both the courses was one of the main reasons why students were opting for such subjects.

“Last year, around 40 per cent of MBA and MCA students had got jobs through campus placements. The companies, which had visited the college included Wipro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Airtel, ICICI, Cipla and others,” said Singh.

Those who did not manage to get a job on the campus of their alma mater also managed to bag lucrative offers outside. Kamesh Kumar, the professor-in-charge of the MBA course, said: “The students who got jobs through campus placement last year got an average salary package of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. Most of them are working in Bihar, Bengal or Jharkhand.”

The institution, which has received an ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (Naac), has been running a number of vocational courses apart from the traditional courses. Their popularity has increased among the students with time.

Apart from the postgraduate courses, students can also opt for a number of undergraduate courses in computers, business administration, biotechnology, environment and water management, information technology and electronics.

Explaining the reason for the popularity of the vocational courses, Lalan Singh, the professor-in-charge of the MBA course, said: “Very few colleges in Bihar offer BSc (electronics), BSc (IT) and courses in environment and water management. If the students manage to complete a masters in these courses from somewhere else, they are likely to get very good jobs.”

Students agreed with the college teachers.

Ranjit Kushwaha, who passed Class XII with 76 per cent from Central School, Kankerbagh, this year, said: “The vocational courses of AN College are more sought after than the traditional courses as every year many students who enrol for these get good campus placements.”

Students will have to take an admission test followed by an interview to get admission to the vocational courses.