SYMBIOSIS SCHOOL OF BANKING AND FINANCE: All Students have a Chance to Succeed
Symbiosis School of Banking and Finance (SSBF), is a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU) was established in the Year 2010. SSBF offers a full time, two-year residential MBA program in Banking and Finance. The focus of the study is to prepare the students as industry-ready professionals to pursue careers in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.
As the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industry is growing by leaps and bounds, there is a huge demand for skilled and employable human resources. SSBF caters to this demand to provide industry-ready professionals. Students from around the globe aspiring to build a career in the BFSI sector enroll with the institute.
Dr. Manisha Ketkar, Professor and Director at SSBF, Pune says “International students get easily accommodated with local students. Every year conferences such as Internationalization of Higher Education (IHE) and International Relations (IR) are organized to bridge the gap. To understand the culture and work environment in different countries, various case studies are discussed during lectures. Guest lectures of professors from foreign universities are arranged to provide international understanding.”
Dr. Manisha Ketkar is a Commerce graduate and a Fellow Cost Accountant (FCMA). She has also done her Master’s in Business Studies (MBS) from the University of Pune. She has done her Ph.D. in ‘Study of supply risk management practices’ with Symbiosis International (Deemed University) under the guidance of Dr. O. S. Vaidya from IIM Lucknow.
Dr. Ketkar has presented papers in International Conferences and also has some published papers to her credit. Dr. Ketkar has 30 years of experience. She has handled the operations of a business unit of a pharmaceutical multinational for over 16 years before her passion for teaching made her join Symbiosis in 2006. Her areas of expertise are Cost & Management Accounting and Supply Chain Management.
Dr. Ketkar is acknowledged for her interactive teaching approach. Along with academics, she is also known for her innovative approach to improvements, from student-related matters to process
reengineering. In an era where private institutions of higher education are often considered elitist in nature, meant for aristocracy rather than meritocracy, symbiosis is an exception to this. Admissions are purely based on merit. Various scholarships are offered to the meritorious students and to the students from financially humble backgrounds. SSBF has signed an MOU with CRIF High Mark for giving scholarships of Rs. 1,00,000/- for a needy student based on academic performance and financial background. The trophy is awarded for outstanding students every year. Also, SSBF students get the Merit-based scholarship from Symbiosis International (Deemed University) every year.
STRONG, WELL-ALIGNED CURRICULUM WITH CLEAR LEARNING TARGETS.
The curriculum of the MBA-Banking and Finance program is robust and one of the best in the country. The curriculum has been developed by benchmarking it against national and International Universities/ Institutes offering similar courses. SSBF’s Corporate Interface Team invites industry experts to deliver guest lectures on varied topics such as Data Analytics, Growth, and prospects in the banking industry, Cryptocurrency, Financial Journalism, Budget Analysis, etc. An Annual Banking and Finance Conclave popularly called as the Symposium is organized every year on the contemporary/forthcoming topics and issues enveloping the banking and Finance Industry. This is organized as a series of panel discussions throughout the day where industry experts deliberate on the challenges and opportunities in the sector. Speaking in that connection Dr. Manisha Ketkar says “We are looking forward to providing more industry-relevant certifications to the students, upgrading the program structure based on technological changes and industry needs. We are in the process of designing MOOCs, videos, case studies for effective dissemination of finance knowledge across varied segments. In the current turbulent times, we are focusing on blended learning. SSBF is in the process of signing an MOU with the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF) and other corporates for conducting training programs for aspiring minds and upskilling existing human capital in the BFSI industry.”
A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The institute guarantees ‘home away from home’ for the students and believes in the ideology of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’, Symbiosis Centre for Emotional Wellbeing (SCEW) is dedicated to working with the students for their emotional wellbeing. Frequent sessions are arranged to ensure that they are physically, mentally, and emotionally strong. Students reach out to faculty mentors if they feel the need to express. If needed, one-on-one sessions of counseling are arranged.
SSBF provides the infrastructure to students like Library, computer lab, hostel, sports ground, badminton court, canteen, mess, swimming pool, gymnasium, medical facilities, health insurance, bus service, bicycles. Special arrangements are made for specially-abled students. Students undertake activities organized by the biodiversity department of SIU. SSBF also provides Book Bank facility to our students each semester wherein, each student is issued books relevant to each course. says Dr. Manisha.
CAREER AND PLACEMENT PROSPECTS
SSBF has an excellent track record with respect to Placements. For the last 4 years, SSBF has achieved 100% placement for eligible* candidates. (*Eligibility is based on the Attendance, No backlog in the first and second semester, etc.) SSBF students do their internship in renowned organizations where some organizations offer Pre-Placement opportunities. Students get the domain knowledge and work experience during the internship tenure which helps them face the final interview confidently.SSBF students got placed with various profiles like Operations, Channel Officer, Credit Officer, Relationship Manager, Analysts, Credit Manager, Executive Sales, Credit Underwriter, Product trainee, Management trainee, etc. Mock Group Discussions – Personal Interviews are arranged for the students which are conducted by industry experts to make students ready for the actual placement process.
Dr. Manisha believes “Industry has moved from traditional working towards automation and use of advanced disruptive tools and techniques. To cater to these requirements SSBF is planning to incorporate subjects like R programming, Python, SQL, Artificial Intelligence tools, Machine Learning, Tableau, etc. It will certainly provide an edge to our students for the placements.
ENSURING THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDENTS
Teaching methods include Role plays, Case Studies, Field Work, and Scenario Analysis. Various activities are conducted by faculty with the help of students such as financial literacy workshops for undergraduate students of other institutes, live projects, simulations, problem-solving exercises, participation in competitions, field visits, research paper discussions, article/report writing, financial and statistical lab activities. Access to software packages like SPSS, Capitaline database, Bloomberg terminals helps students to keep themselves updated. Faculty members invite industry experts during their classroom sessions to provide the practical applications of the theoretical concepts.
“SSBF is proud to say that our alumni Mr. Hardik Mehta has joined as a Manager in Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Mr. Bhargav Diwanji has joined as an Associate Vice President- Analytics, Consulting, and Strategy at Autoninja. Few students have ventured into entrepreneurship establishing new businesses. Many of our students have achieved laurels in their careers in short span” shares the director
TAKE A LOOK AT SOME RECENT ACCOLADES OF SSBF: SSBF IS AWARDED AS:
- Maharashtra’s Top-20 Educational Institutions – 2019” by The Academic Insights Magazine -September 2019 edition.
- 10 Must Watch B-Schools of the Year 2019” by Higher Education Digest Magazine – November 2019 edition.
- Brand of the Year 2019” by Business Connect Magazine – November 2019 edition
- Management College of The Year 2019” by Higher Education Review Magazine – December 2019 edition.
- Ranked in Top 100 B-School Ranking 2018 by Outlook-Drshti_ October 2018
- Award from The Academic Insights magazine as “Business School of The Year 2018 in the category of Curriculum Revision.”
- Award from Higher Education Review magazine as “Management Institute of The Year 2018.”
- Awarded AAA+ rank in Top Private B School Ranking 2018 – West Zone by the Digital Learning Magazine
- Awarded for “Excellence in Industry-Academia Interface” in 7th Higher Education Summit 2019 by Indian Education Network.
