Overview

The Admission Committee for Master of Management Studies in Heritage Management (hereinafter referred to as the Programme) shall be responsible for conducting the admission procedure and making selections of right candidates for the 2021 intake.

Eligibility Criteria and Key Application Components:

Relevant Bachelor’s Degree as a minimum academic experience

• Candidates with a Bachelor's Degree with majors in art history, archaeology, architecture, anthropology, civil engineering, culture or cultural studies, design, environmental studies, geography, history, international relations, interdisciplinary major, and any other major or minor with sufficient exposure to heritage related topics (with minimum grade/marks as specified in sub paragraph 2 below) may apply. Candidates with any other discipline – regardless of their studies related to heritage can also apply if they have a demonstrated interest in Heritage (as specified in next section named 'Application along with a Statement of Purpose (SOP)') may apply. 
   
• The candidate must hold a recognized Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST candidates) or equivalent CGPA, from a valid University in India or abroad. In case of a degree obtained prior to 1990, the admission committee may relax the 50% cut off, in lieu of the personal experience of the applicant since graduation. 
   
• The Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. Again, this may be re-considered by the Admissions committee for applicants who received their Bachelor’s degree prior to 1990. 
   
• In case of the candidates being awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the equivalence would be based on the equivalence certified by the university/ institution from where they have obtained bachelor's degree.
   
• In case a candidate is unable to provide the certificate (as mentioned in point number 4 above), the equivalence would be established by the admissions committee by dividing earned CGPA with the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the quotient with 100.
   
• A candidate who has appeared or will have appeared for the final year examination of bachelor's degree by June 2021 can also apply.
  1. Such candidate must have obtained 50% marks or equivalent based on latest available grades/marks (i.e. all the years’ grade/marks except the final year grade/marks), and must have completed all the requirements except the final year/final term for obtaining the bachelor's degree/ equivalent qualification.
  2. Such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally only if they submit such certificate latest on the registration date notified by the admissions office.
  3. However, the admission will be confirmed provided that final mark sheet and degree certificate are submitted not later than September 30, 2021 and if the candidate has met the prescribed eligibility criteria.
  4. Non-fulfilment of the above conditions/dates will automatically result in the cancellation of the provisional admission.

Interest/Passion about heritage

Though it may not be quantified, one of the underlying requirement (for the candidate’s own self-assessment and a major part of assessment of application components, i.e. Statement of Purpose and Survey on Awareness) is a self-motivated interest or existing passion about heritage (in its broader sense). It is very important for a prospective applicant to think whether this programme is the right programme for his/her own career goals, and take a conscious decision to apply for it. Candidates may want to seek counselling through the admissions office to assure that they are choosing the right programme. 

If one has already been into heritage sector either through earlier student projects, research, or through practice and self-experience, it is easy to establish this eligibility. This eligibility will be assessed through the Statement of Purpose and interview as well as portfolio if applicable. 

Application along with a Statement of Purpose (SOP)

A dedicated online application portal takes a candidate through the admission process. After creating your account, candidates will fill up a standard application form and upload all required documents. Along with the application form, the candidates need to submit a statement of purpose (SOP) explaining why they would like to join the programme. SOP is an important part of admissions decision process, and candidates are advised to pay serious attention in preparing the statement. Such statement of purpose may be based on the student's prior study or work related to heritage, any exposure to heritage related issues, or their passion, or any other reason. The statement should be approximately 500 to 1000 words written in English. This is a major component of evaluation, hence applicants are advised to ensure that they SOP is well articulated to convey their relevant reason or thoughts behind choosing this programme.

Heritage Awareness Survey and Preparedness Test

All the complete applications are reviewed after the appropriate fees are paid, typically within a week but no later than a month after the submission. On the online portal, candidates need to ensure that their submission is ‘locked’ only after which it goes to the admissions committee. At this stage, the applications are checked for meeting the minimum eligibility requirements, and for having all required components completely filled up with necessary documents. Eligible candidates are then notified to appear for an online ‘Heritage Awareness Survey and Preparedness Test’, which can be taken from anywhere within the specified window of time. There are two components to this test:

1. Answering awareness related questions
   In this part, candidates will answer the questions posed to their best ability. However, in the next section of the test, they may be asked to provide evidence of their answers. 
    
2. Evidences in support of SOP and the awareness test
   Applicants who have pursued any studies or work related to heritage (in any of its manifestations) may submit samples of such work as evidence to support their answers in the awareness and preparedness test. 

• For works done, please upload a digital copy of the report/paper/drawings / photographs or other related material
• For work /internship experience, please upload a letter stating the nature and duration of the work
• For thesis/reports/articles, please upload such documents
• For course taken, please provide the course outline/syllabus, or a summary of what the course covered

If in case the candidates do not have such evidence/documents to upload, they may check ‘No’ in the response and get in touch with the admissions office to get advice on this step. Admissions committee will use this information to assess the awareness and preparedness of the candidate, which will be taken into account while taking admissions decisions. 

Personal Interviews

Candidates who have completed the above two steps will be called in for a personal interviews. Candidates out of country or state may be provided with an online interview option, however, all the candidates are highly encouraged to visit the campus in-person for a better interaction and familiarisation with the university and the programme. 

The key area to probe through interview (as well as that of SOP) would be to examine whether the candidate understands the field of heritage management, and have adequate aptitude to justify pursuing the programme. 

These personal interviews will work both ways: for the admission committee to ensure that the individual student meets all required criteria to be admitted in the programme, and also for the prospective student to ask any questions s/he may have about the programme before they make their final decision to pursue the programme. 

Selection Process

The key purpose of the selection process is to ensure that the applicant’s interest and the programme objectives match. High scores in prior academic work may not always guarantee the selection, but an awareness of the broader field of heritage sector and the applicant’s personal inclination towards the sector may make a convincing case. The selection process is based on the Ahmedabad University’s holistic review process:
 

Application Guidelines

• All the candidates are required to submit application and necessary documents as well as tests and payment online through the admission portal. 
   
• The last date of application is 15 May 2021. However, serious candidates are advised to apply earlier in order to move through the process before the deadline.  
   
• The online admissions portal will open on 12 February 2021, and will run on a rolling basis until May 2021. The review of applications will begin from mid-April 2021, and interviews will begin from end of April until end of May 2021. However, with an advance request, interviews may be scheduled on a preferred date, if the candidate has a valid reason like having final examinations etc. 
   
• Candidates selected for interview will be notified of their interview date/time by email beginning mid-April 2021 on first come first serve basis (for the qualified ones). The interview slots will be given on convenient dates beginning from mid-April until the admissions review process is complete but no later than May 2021. Candidates from other states may be permitted to have tele-interview via skype, but it is highly recommended that the candidates visit the university in-person for the interview. Candidates have to arrange their travel, or tele-conference facility (skype video interview) to appear for the interview and assigned date/time.
   
• Candidates are advised to report at least 30 minutes before their scheduled time/slot of the interview.

Successful candidates will be informed of the admission decision by email between around 15 June 2021. After which they must complete admission formalities including the payment of first semester fees by 30 June 2021. 

Candidates must bring the following documents for verification at the time of admission registration:

1. Original Mark-sheets of all the graduation years including higher secondary years. 
2. Identity Proof
3. Experience Statement or Certificate, if any 
4. Caste Certificate (from competent authority as notified by the Government, if applied for reservation quota).

Fee Structure and Payment Schedule

Fee

• The tuition fee for the last admitted group was Rs. 75,000 per semester, and there are four regular semesters in the period of two years studies. For 2021 intake, the fee may be increased slightly, the exact figure will be announced in March 2021.
• Library deposit of Rs. 3500 at the time of admission, which is refundable at the time of graduation – subject to clearance from the library that there are no dues on the student.

Payment for Securing Admission:

The candidates as per the final selected list are required to pay full fee of the first semester and the library deposit to confirm the admission.

Payment for the Remaining Charges:

The balance fees will be paid semester wise. Candidates are required to pay the fees of every semester one week before the commencement of the respective semester. In case of delay, penalty will be charged as per prescribed rules of the School.

Information about expenses for mandatory Field-immersion and Field visit programmes as well as optional exchange programmes

Above mentioned fees do not include the expenses of out of station travels and logistics pertaining to compulsory field immersion and study trips as well as practicum programme. On an average students should be prepared to spend around Rs. 20,000 for field studies

Financial Aid and Fellowship

At Ahmedabad University, we admit students on a need-blind basis and firmly believe that lack of financial resources should not be a barrier to higher education. We attest to this by providing financial support to students on a merit and need basis. Fellowship will be available every year to deserving students.

Withdrawal from the Programme and Refund of fees

The refund of the fees will be processed in accordance with the circular No. D.O. No. 1-3/2007 (CPP-II) issued by the Universities Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi dated December 6, 2016.
 

Interpretations and Change of Admission Rules

In the matter of interpretation of Admission Policy and Procedure, the decision of Admission Committee shall be final and binding on the candidates. In the matter of such issues as are not covered in the Admission Policy and Procedure mentioned above, the Admission Committee is authorized to resolve these special issues on the merit of the  case and implement the same.

Important Dates

• The above rules and dates are subject to modification(s) if required. Such changes will be published on the website.
• The Admission Policy & Procedures are subject to the jurisdictions of Hon’ble Court of Ahmedabad.