What are the best options for MBA abroad?

Overseas education consultant NNS Chandra shares advice on how to pick the right international education.

In an online chat with readers every Friday, overseas education consultant NNS Chandra offers advice on how to pick the right course and career abroad.

For those who missed the chat on May 6, here's the unedited transcript:

Annie: Sir, I am now working in Infosys in Mangalore. BTech in CS. Now want to do a Masters in Project management. What do you think?

NNS Chandra: You must look at a program that brings realistic examples from the workplace.

Columbia University like schools offer technology focused and software development focused PM graduate programs.

Have you considered getting a PMP certification?

I cleared that early 2000 and from my experience I can assure that the process of getting a PMP certificate would make you understand PM really well. Check out PMI website.

They also have an entry level certification program called CAPM. Get PMBoK (Project Management Book of Knowledge - from PMI) and go over. All the best.

Bhasi Nair: Mr Chandra - Read your FB post. I am writing for my daughter. She is now studying in BITS Bilani. 2nd year. She was to study Control Systems Enginerring in Europe or USA. What will you recommend?

NNS Chandra: Dear Nr Bhasi Nair, I am familiar with and can recommend control engg programs in Manchester (UK) and University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). My students who did their programs in Michigan and schools in USA were really successful (both academically and career wise)

Rashmi Putran: Sir, I am quite interested in understanding what are the courses in MBA (International Business). What is the difference between regular MBA and MBA (IB)

NNS Chandra: Great Question, Rashmi. A management program with International business focus would have several additional courses.

Additional courses can be - International Business Environment, Cross Culture Management, International Strategic Management, WTO and International Regulatory Environment, Foreign Trade Documentation and Trade Finance.

The basic difference between the international business master's degree and an MBA is that the master's degree in international business programmes are highly specialised and will allow you to focus almost exclusively on issues related to international business, while an MBA offers a skill set that can be transferred to other areas of business.

Padma: My son is doing second year mechanical engineering. He is keen to do Ms in mechanical engineering either from Germany, Canada or USA.He is interested in designing and would eventually like to make his carrier in either automotive, petroleum or any other relative field. Please advise universities offering these courses and countries with better job prospects.

NNS Chandra: This is a research-focused program for candidates with prior design training or professional experience who want to probe more deeply into the theoretical and research issues related to design research, interdisciplinary design development and strategic design planning that adds new knowledge to the design field.

The MDes program enables graduates to positively affect the greater integration of design principles, methodologies and interdisciplinary design development processes into private and public sector business practice. The School of Industrial Design provides a collaborative graduate studio space, a sensor lab and prototyping labs.

These kind of programs will enable the graduate to secure jobs pretty easy.

I read a study few months back saying there is a huge short fall of professionally trained (with graduate/university level training) design professionals. Several schools offers similar program. Please ask him to e-mail me I would be glad to help.

Mehta Bhai: As she will be international student will join as full pay and don't kn the scholarship chances.

Any suggestions for the good colleges for Bio Technology/Bio Chemistry??? Her current list is Wisconsin Madison, Rutgers, Georgia, Virgina Tech, Texas AandM, Bloomington, Purdue, WPI. Are these Party school?

NNS Chandra: Is the goal medical school, work, or graduate study? If by biotechnology, you mean bioengineering and biomedical engineering, you can check Accredited Program Search , which lists 73 ABET-accredited degree programs in the subject.

Your daughter seems to have pretty good credentials, and you might want to consider adding some more selective schools to her list. Going to a more selective college might help her get into graduate programs, and generally more selective colleges are less likely to be party schools -- students have to study hard to get in, and they still study hard when they're there.

And - You might find that some of the Ivies are cheaper than non-Ivies for foreign students. I would encourage her to get SAT Subject Scores as well. ALL THE BEST

Have questions for NNS Chandra? Post them here!

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com