MBA Course Syllabus (2025–26): All Semester Subjects List in India

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) remains a highly coveted professional degree in 2025-26 and not without reason. A comprehensive MBA program focuses on enhancing leadership, entrepreneurial, and business management skills, opening up a wide array of lucrative career opportunities for graduates.

The MBA syllabus comprises several core subjects and specializations, enabling you to learn both foundational and advanced business concepts.

The first year includes core subjects such as Financial Accounting, Organizational Behavior, Operations Management, and Marketing Management, which help build a foundational knowledge base. The second year focuses on combining theory with real-world business challenges to prepare you for highly targeted careers in Finance, HR, Operations, and Business Management.

It is crucial to choose your MBA specialization after carefully examining your academic interests and career goals. This blog details all that you need to know about the MBA course subjects for all semesters to help you make an informed choice. 

MBA 1st Year Syllabus

The first year of an MBA is all about building a strong foundation in business fundamentals. The first two semesters of the MBA program cover subjects such as Financial Accounting, Managerial Economics, Organizational Behavior, Business Communication, Financial Management, and Business Law, among others. 

Read on to find out more about the First Year course structure and MBA course subjects in the section below. 

MBA 1st Year Course Overview & Structure

• Key Subjects: Entrepreneurial Practice, Financial Accounting, Data Visualization, Financial Management, and Legal Aspects of Business, among others 
• Learning Objectives: To help students develop key competencies in becoming efficient business managers. The first year of MBA is all about honing foundational business concepts in areas such as marketing, finance, HRM, and the like. 
• Key Skills Developed: Communication, leadership, cultural competence, financial statement analysis, business analysis, budgeting, team performance, organizational behavior, and business laws. 

MBA 1st & 2nd Semester Subjects 

The first year of an MBA program comprises 14 subjects, equally divided between two semesters. The table below lists the subjects against each semester for your reference:

Semester	Subjects
1st Semester	Entrepreneurial Practice Business Communication (WAC) Managerial Economics Financial Accounting Data Visualization (Excel/Tableau) Organizational Behavior Marketing Management
2nd Semester	Business Research Methods (R/Python) Operation Management Human Resource Management Management Accounting Financial Management Legal Aspects of Business Business Communication (VAC)

MBA 2nd Year Syllabus

The second-year MBA course syllabus is designed to help you develop advanced business skills and excel in highly lucrative career roles. The coursework combines core subjects with several specialization options or elective subjects to help you apply theoretical knowledge and find innovative solutions to real-world business challenges.

Read on to know more about the 3rd and 4th semester MBA subjects below.

MBA 2nd Year Course Overview & Structure

• Key Subjects: Strategic Management, Term Paper, International Business Management, and Project Study are the core subjects covered in the second year of the MBA program. In addition to these, students can choose from a wide range of electives or specializations that align with their interests and career goals.
  
• Specializations Offered: Digital Marketing, Finance, HRM, BFSI, IT & Fintech, International Business, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, and Retail Management, among many more
  
• Learning Objectives: The core or general subjects enhance strategic management and decision-making abilities, while the specializations help with functional expertise in your chosen field (Finance, Marketing, BFSI, etc).
  
• Skills Developed: Financial Literacy, Strategic Thinking, Problem-Solving, and a host of subject-specific skills such as Marketing Analysis, Digital Marketing, Talent Management, Business Policy, and Managerial Economics
  
• Internships & Projects: The curriculum features a range of internships and projects that apply your learnings to real-world business environments. They help prepare you to ace complex managerial and leadership roles ahead.

MBA 3rd & 4th Semester Subjects

The second-year MBA course syllabus is designed to help you build expertise in the concepts introduced during the first year. In addition to a range of key and elective subjects, internships and projects in the second year enable students to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting. The following are the core and elective subjects covered in the 3rd and 4th semesters, respectively, in MBA 2nd year.

Core Subjects

Semester	Core Subjects
3rd Semester	Strategic Management Term Paper
4th Semester	International Business Management Project

Please note: The core subjects in semesters 3rd and 4th, listed in the table earlier, remain the same across all specializations of an Online MBA program.

Elective Subjects

Semester	Elective Subjects/Specializations
3rd & 4th Semester (Choice of Super or Dual Specialization)	Digital Marketing Finance Marketing HRM Analytics & DS BFSI IT & Fintech Operations Management International Business Information System Management Project Management Supply Chain Management Retail Management

Also Read: 15 Best Courses After an MBA Degree

Online MBA Specializations With Key Subjects

Achieve unparalleled functional expertise in your chosen field of study by exploring the wide range of specializations in the Online MBA program offered by Manipal University Jaipur on the Online Manipal platform. 

MBA Specialization	Semester	Key Subjects	All Subjects
MBA in Finance	3rd Sem	Security Analysis and Portfolio Management	MBA in Finance Subjects
		Mergers and Acquisitions
		Taxation Management
		Internal Audit and Control
	4th Sem	International Financial Management
		Treasury Management
		Merchant Banking and Financial Services
		Insurance and Risk Management
MBA in BFSI	3rd Sem	Bank Management and Financial Risk Management	MBA in BFSI Subjects
		Financial Statement Analysis and Business Valuation
		Principles and Practices of Insurance
		Financial Services
	4th Sem	ALM and Treasury Management
		Basel Regulations & Risk Management in Banking
		Life Insurance Management
		General Insurance Management
MBA in Project Management	3rd Sem	Introduction to Project Management	MBA in Project Management Subjects
		Project Planning and Scheduling
		Project Finance and Budgeting
		Managing Human Resources in Projects
	4th Sem	Quantitative Methods in Project Management
		Project Risk Management
		Project Quality Management
		Contracts Management in Projects
MBA in HRM	3rd Sem	Manpower Planning and Sourcing	MBA in HRM Subjects
		Management and Organizational Development
		Employee Relations Management
		HR Audit
	4th Sem	Compensation and Benefits
		Performance Management and Appraisal
		Talent Management and Employee Retention
		Change Management
MBA in Information Systems Management	3rd Sem	Software Engineering	MBA in Information Systems Management Subjects
		Database Management Systems
		Computer Networks
		Business Intelligence and Tools
	4th Sem	Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
		E-Commerce
		Technology Management
		Java and Web Design
MBA in Analytics & Data Science	3rd Sem	Programming in Data Science	MBA in Analytics & Data Science Subjects
		Exploratory Data Analysis
		Introduction to Machine Learning
		Visualization
	4th Sem	Advanced Machine Learning
		Unstructured Data Analysis
		Business Analytics
		Data Scraping
MBA in Retail Management	3rd Sem	Sales and Distribution Management	MBA in Retail Management Subjects
		Retail Customer Relationship Management
		Retail Marketing
		E-retailing
	4th Sem	International Retailing
		Entrepreneurship in Retail Business
		Retail Buying and Merchandising
		Advertising and Brand Management
MBA in International Business	3rd Sem	International Financial Management	MBA in International Business Subjects
		International Marketing
		Management of Multinational Corporations
		Export-Import Management
	4th Sem	Foreign Trade of India
		Global Logistics and Distribution Management
		International Business Environment and International Law
		Export-Import Finance
MBA in Operations Management	3rd Sem	Production and Operations Management	MBA in Operations Management Subjects
		Enterprise Resource Planning
		Logistics and Supply Chain Management
		Operations Research
	4th Sem	Services Operations Management
		Total Quality Management
		Production, Planning and Control
		Project Management
MBA in Supply Chain Management	3rd Sem	Supply Chain Management	MBA in Supply Chain Management Subjects
		Outsourcing
		Food Supply Chain Management
		Inventory Management
	4th Sem	Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management
		Category Management in Purchasing
		Purchasing and Contracting for Projects
		Supply Chain Cost Management
MBA in Digital Marketing	3rd Sem	Introduction to Digital Marketing	MBA in Digital Marketing Subjects
		New Media and Social Media Spectrum
		Media Laws and Ethics
		IT in Business
	4th Sem	Media Planning and Economics
		Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing
		E-Marketing
		Advertising and Brand Management
MBA in Marketing	3rd Sem	Sales Distribution and Supply Chain Management	MBA in Marketing Subjects
		Consumer Behaviour
		Retail Marketing
		Marketing Research
	4th Sem	Services Marketing and Customer Relationship Management
		Advertising Management and Sales Promotion
		E-Marketing
		International Marketing
MBA in IT & Fintech	3rd Sem	Database Management Systems	MBA in IT & Fintech Subjects
		Software Engineering
		Technology Management
		Business Intelligence and Tools
	4th Sem	E-Commerce
		FinTech Payments and Regulations
		Cryptocurrency and Blockchain
		Enterprise Resource Planning

* Please note that we have included only a few subjects in the table for reference purposes. For the complete list of subjects covered under each specialization, please click on the respective specialization links given above.

Check Out: 18 Top Jobs After an MBA Program

FAQs

1. What are the main MBA course subjects taught across all semesters?

The main MBA course subjects spanning all semesters, with slight variations across universities, include: 

• Marketing 
• Finance 
• Operations 
• Human Resource Management 
• Financial Management 
• Marketing Management 
• Management Accounting 
• Quantitative Methods 
• Data Visualization 

Note that Organizational Behavior, Financial Accounting, Business Communication, and Managerial Economics are the foundational courses covered in the initial semesters. The later semesters cover specializations through elective subjects.   

2. How many subjects are there in an MBA program in total?

The exact number of subjects covered in an MBA program may vary depending on the institution and specializations offered. Typically, a program includes 20-24 core subjects, in addition to elective courses and internships. 

• Core subjects: Marketing Management, Business Law, and Financial Management
• Specializations/electives: Finance, Human Resources Management (HRM), and International Business, among others

3. What is the MBA course syllabus structure followed by most universities in India?

Most Indian universities follow a 2-year, 4-semester course structure for their MBA programs. The first two semesters of Year 1 focus on foundational subjects. In comparison, the last two semesters of Year 2 include advanced subjects in the form of electives, specializations, capstone simulations, dissertations, and internships, combining theoretical and real-world business knowledge. 

4. Which MBA subjects are mandatory in the first year?

The mandatory subjects in the first year of an MBA program include: 

• Financial Accounting 
• Organizational Behavior 
• Operations Management 
• Marketing Management 
• Managerial Economics 

The first year focuses on equipping learners with a solid foundational knowledge of core business subjects and, as such, does not include any specialization or elective subjects.

5. Which topics are covered under MBA 1st-semester subjects?

A few core subjects covered in the first semester of an MBA program are:

• Financial Accounting 
• Marketing Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Quantitative Methods 

Together, these subjects focus on foundational business concepts, including consumer behavior, marketing strategy, group behavior in organizational settings, and financial transactions. Other common topics include Business Communications, Managerial Economics, and Corporate Social Responsibility. 

6. How many subjects are there in the MBA 1st year, and what do they focus on?

There are 10-12 subjects covered in the first two semesters of the MBA program’s first year. These are:

• Financial Accounting 
• Marketing Management 
• Organizational Behavior 
• Business Communication 
• Managerial Economics

These subjects aim to strengthen foundational skills, including business management, leadership, market research, strategy, product development, financial transactions, pricing, and team performance, among others. 

7. What are the MBA first-semester subjects at Manipal University Jaipur?

Manipal University Jaipur teaches a comprehensive suite of first-year MBA subjects aimed at enhancing your theoretical knowledge: 

• Entrepreneurial Practice 
• Business Communication (WAC) 
• Financial Accounting 
• Managerial Economics 
• Organizational Behavior 
• Data Visualization (Excel/Tableau)

8. How do MBA specialization subjects differ from core subjects?

MBA core subjects equip you with a broad foundation in foundational business concepts, including marketing, operations, finance, and leadership, among others. Specializations comprising advanced subjects, on the other hand, prepare you for highly targeted careers that align with your career goals and interests. Elective courses in Marketing, Finance, and HR Management, etc, equip you with in-depth functional expertise in your chosen field of study. 

9. Which are the most popular MBA specializations and their key subjects?

Some of the most popular MBA specializations widely chosen by MBA aspirants are:

• Information Technology focuses on the importance of technology in business
• Finance Marketing covers topics like financial analysis and planning
• Human Resources offers exposure to key business responsibilities, including talent management, operations management, supply chain management, and process management.

10. Do all universities follow the same MBA syllabus and subject list?

Not all Indian universities follow the same MBA curriculum. The syllabus may vary with the elective subjects, specializations, and internships offered. The core subjects, however, often remain the same across institutions, as they focus on enhancing foundational concepts. Besides the syllabus, specific regulations and teaching methods may vary across institutions as well. 

11. How often is the MBA syllabus updated to match current industry trends?

Yes, most MBA institutions update their curricula every 3 to 5 years to stay aligned with general industry standards. Autonomous MBA institutions offering PDGM programs are known to be more responsive to up-and-coming industry trends, updating their curriculum every 1 to 2 years. The highly professional and technical MBA programs also follow this practice.