Students have plenty of options to choose in the commerce stream besides B.Com and the specialisations that we discussed in the previous issue. In this article, we will discuss some top courses in commerce that students can pursue after passing 12th board examination. You are already familiar with the basic concepts in Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics, and Mathematics and based on your interest in the above subjects, a few broad options have been listed below:

Top Courses in Commerce

Bachelor of Business

Administration

5 year Integrated BBA + MBA

Bachelor of Business

Management

Bachelor of Economics

Bachelor of Statistics

Bachelor of Hotel

Management

Bachelor of Travel & Tourism Management

Chartered Accountancy

Company Secretaryship

Cost & Work Accountancy

Law (Integrated 5 year LLB)

Bachelor of Business Administration: It is a three-year undergraduate degree programme that equips students with an understanding of the business and management environments.  After pursuing this course, you will have the basic knowledge about corporate management and skills that will help you understand the diverse functioning of a company. Institutes across the country offer BBA with majors in Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Accounting. The course also acts as a basic platform for students who want to pursue good MBA programmes.  Students after successfully completing the course can get job opportunities as Sales Executive, Research Assistant, Office Executive, Officer, and Asst Manager in various firms.

5 year Integrated BBA + MBA: MBA integrated course is also a good option for students who have completed class 12th. There are many universities and reputed Business Colleges across India that offer 5 year Integrated BBA + MBA course with excellent placement facilities. Indian Institutes of Management like IIM Indore also offer five-year regular and full-time academic programme “Integrated Programme in Management”. The candidates for this course are selected on the basis of their performance in Aptitude Test,Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview. In 2016 the average salary package during campus placement for this course was over Rs. 15 lakhs per annum.

Bachelor of Business Management: The three year under-graduate course is very much similar to BBA. The only difference is that it deals with Business Management in place of Business Administration. The course develops your professional capabilities to help you become successful managers and business leaders. BBM covers a variety of subjects like Organisations and Management, Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Business Organisations Law and others. The job prospects after pursuing this course is quite bright and you can grab jobs like department manager, retail store manager, sales representative, financial adviser. You may even opt for higher education like MBA to widen your horizon.

Bachelor of Economics: A degree in Economics is gateway to enormous job opportunities in a wide range of fields including agricultural economics, environmental management, international finance, investment and trade, international consulting, infrastructure development and planning, public health, statistics, and others. The course helps you understand the functioning of business, markets, trade, government policies, international issues, globalization, etc. The course is best suited for you if you intend to become analysts, and economists in the public and private sectors. The three year under graduate course covers subjects like business economics, econometrics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history, environmental and resource economics, financial markets, labour economics, international trade and development.

Bachelor of Statistics: Universities and colleges across the country including Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata offer undergraduate course in Statistics. One can opt for higher studies in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics after this course. There are job opportunities as Statisticians in research institutions and scientific laboratories, government departments and industries.

Bachelor of Hotel Management:  The undergraduate course in Hotel Management is one of the most preferred career options among students. This course is for students who want to make a career in the hospitality industry. There is a huge demand for hotel management programmes in India. Many private and government institutes across the country offer courses in hospitality and hotel management. Even many five star hotels in the country have also started offering hotel management courses. However, before taking admission to any hotel management college, you should ensure that the degree they offer to you at the end of the course is recognised by the Government or AICTE/ UGC.  There is a body named National Council of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT) that also gives recognition to hotel management courses in India. Under the Ministry of Tourism, the NCHMCT conducts Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) each year to offer admission to aspirants in hospitality and hotel administration programmes in 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management, 19 State Government Institutes of Hotel Management, one Public Sector Undertaking and 14 Private Institutes of Hotel Management that are affiliated with the council.

Bachelor of Travel & Tourism Management:  If you are a travel enthusiast and interested in outdoors, new destinations, festivals, events, hotels and resorts then this course in Tourism Management is best suited for you. The course gives you an understanding of the business aspect of tourism. IITTM or Indian Institute of Tour and Travel Management, IGNOU and other government and private institutes offer three year undergraduate programme in Tourism Management. Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries and offers enormous job opportunities in a variety of fields in addition to proper tourism industry segments. These include  theme parks management, events management, hotel and resorts management, travel writers and travel photographers, tour guiding, Ground handlers at airports, travel BPO’s etc.

Chartered Accountancy: Chartered Accountancy or CA is one of the most sought after careers in India. It is one of the most lucrative career options in Commerce stream.  As our economy is expanding and diversifying the career prospects associated with chartered accountancy has increased manifolds.  As per the Companies Act, it is only the CAs who are entitled to be auditors of companies in India. The basic eligibility for becoming a Chartered Accountant is a pass in 10+2 from a recognised board. There are three stages during Chartered Accountancy course – 1. Foundation course 2. Intermediate 3. Final CA course.  Common Proficiency Test (CPT) is the first level of exam which kick-starts your journey to become a Chartered Accountant. After passing the Senior Secondary Examination candidates can write the CPT. One can register for the CPT after class 10th. Candidates become eligible to register for Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC) on successful completion of class 12th exam and the CPT. They need to register before 9 months to the first day in the month IPCC exam is held. IPCC is a 700 marks subjective exam having 7 subjects. One needs to score 40 marks in each and get an overall aggregate of 50% or above in each paper to clear the exam. IPCC has 2 groups of subjects. Group 1 has four papers - Paper 1: Accounting, Paper 2: Business Laws, Ethics and Communication, Paper 3: Cost Accounting and Financial Management, Paper 4: Taxation. Group 2 has three papers - Paper 5: Advanced Accounting, Paper 6: Auditing and Assurance, Paper 7: Information Technology and Strategic Management. After clearing the IPCC exam comes the Articleship. Articleship is a 3 year long internship under a qualified CA which you have to complete along with the Final CA exam. Candidates can join the CA final course while serving as Articled Assistant. During the last 12 months of articled training, candidates needs to undergo a 15 day course on General Management and Communication Skills (GMCS).GMCS can also be done after taking the final examination. The candidate can appear for the final examination during the last 6 months of 3 years of articled training. On successfully passing the final examination, one gets enrolled as a member of ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and is designated as “Chartered Accountant”

Company Secretaryship: A Company Secretary or CS acts as an intermediary between an organization and its Board of Directors. guiding the company’s Director and Chairman to make best use of their responsibilities. The CS also acts as a third party between company and shareholders, government and regulatory authorities. Like Chartered Accountancy, this course also includes three stages, namely- 1. Foundation 2. Executive and 3. Professional programme. On successful completion of  +2 examination in any stream, one can join the  8 month Foundation programme. After completing the Foundation course students can apply for the Executive program. The candidates who qualified the executive program are eligible for professional programme. After completing the professional program in the CS, the candidates will become the Associate Member of  ICSI (Institute of Company Secretaries of India). Company Secretary is considered as one of the most prestigious and lucrative courses. It helps students to grab the most treasured post in a company.

Cost and Work Accountancy: The Cost & Work Accountancy Course or CWA is conducted by the ICWAI (Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India). However, the CWA course has been renamed as Cost and Management Accounting (CMA). There are three different stages in the CMA course. The stages are Foundation, intermediate and final. The admissions are open throughout the year; therefore, you can apply for the course whenever you are ready. The exams are conducted twice a year in June and December. There are four papers in the Foundation Course. They are: Paper I - Organisation & Management Fundamentals, Paper II- Accounting, Paper III- Economics and Business Fundamentals and Paper IV- Business Mathematics and Statistics Fundaments. The Intermediate or executive course comprises of two groups. Group I has Financial accounting, Commercial & Industrial Laws and Auditing and Applied Direct Taxation while Group II consists of Cost and Management Accounting, Operation Management & Information System and Applied Indirect Taxation. Minimum duration of the intermediary course is ten months. At the final stage, one has to take eight papers on Corporate Laws & Compliance, Advanced Financial Management, Business Strategy & Strategic Cost Management, Tax Management & Practice, Strategic Performance Management, Corporate Financial Reporting, Cost & Management Audit, Financial Analysis and Business Valuation. One can finish the final stage in a minimum period of 18 months. After the successful completion of the CMA or CWA, one becomes a Cost Accountant in any company or organisation.

Law (Integrated 5 year LLB): One of the career- oriented courses available after class 12th is Integrated 5 year LLB. The course is offered by various universities and academic institutes including prestigious National Law School of India University.  You have to take CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) for admission in law at National Law Universities and various other universities. The course deals with different laws like constitutional laws, company laws, banking laws, intellectual property laws, environmental laws, property laws, etc.Bar Council of India regulates law education in India and also provides “Certificate of Practice” to the candidates after completing LL.B.

Some of you may have financial or other restraints which do not allow you to attend college. In this case you need not worry because now a days there are so many options of short term diploma courses which will help you in seeking immediate employment.

Diploma Courses:

Diploma in Business

Management

Diploma in Banking & Finance

Diploma in Computer

Applications

Diploma in Event

Management

Diploma in Financial

Accounting

Diploma in Foreign Trade

Diploma in Hotel Management

Diploma in Law

Diploma in Marketing

Management

Diploma in Office

Management

Diploma in Taxation

Diploma in Tourism

Management

Diploma in Retail

Management