The Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Apollo International College, Mid-Baneshwor, Kathmandu, is a two-year graduate management program affiliated with Pokhara University. The program is organized into six trimesters and requires 60 credit hours. It combines foundation and analytical courses, management core subjects, concentration and elective courses, practicum modules, capstone work, and internship.
The curriculum is designed around broad management study together with analysis, decision-making, implementation, leadership, communication, research, entrepreneurship, and applied business work. Students also choose between an industry pathway and a research pathway during the later stage of the program.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Course: | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| College: | Apollo International College |
| Affiliation: | Pokhara University |
| Level: | Graduate |
| Duration: | 2 years |
| Academic system: | 6 trimesters |
| Total credits: | 60 |
| Seats: | 33 |
| Location: | Mid-Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal |
Each trimester normally has 12 weeks of teaching, excluding examinations. The normal time required to complete the MBA is 24 months, while the university regulations allow a maximum completion period of four years from registration.
Students complete 60 credits through foundation and analytical study, management core and functional courses, concentrations, electives, capstone and experiential learning, and internship.
| Curriculum component | Credits |
|---|---|
| Foundation and Analytical Courses | 16 |
| Management Core and Functional Courses | 20 |
| Concentration Courses | 8 |
| Elective Courses | 4 |
| Capstone Project and Experiential Learning / Graduate Thesis | 6 |
| Internship | 6 |
| Total | 60 |
The academic structure includes 25 courses covering electives, concentration subjects, and practicum courses. Seminar, practicum, and laboratory work may also appear within concentration and elective study.
The first trimester establishes a base in accounting, statistics, economics, organizational behavior, and human resource management.
Accounting for Managerial Decisions
Statistics for Managers
Managerial Economics
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management Practicum
Trimester credits: 10
The second trimester moves into finance, quantitative decision-making, the wider economy, operations, supply chains, marketing, and digital marketing practice.
Financial Management
Quantitative Methods for Decision Making
Macroeconomics and Global Economy
Operations and Supply Chain Management
Marketing Management
Digital Marketing Practicum
Trimester credits: 12
The third trimester combines research, communication, information systems, leadership, ethics, and entrepreneurship.
Methods for Business Research and Consultancy
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Management Information System
Managerial Communication
Leadership, Governance and Ethics
Management Information Systems Practicum
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Practicum
Trimester credits: 11
Students begin their concentration study while completing electives and an integrative strategy course.
Business Environment and Strategy
Concentration I
Concentration II
Elective I
Elective II
Trimester credits: 11
The fifth trimester completes concentration study and introduces the six-credit capstone and experiential learning component.
Concentration III
Concentration IV
Capstone Project and Experiential Learning
Students choose either an industry pathway or a research pathway at this stage.
Trimester credits: 10
The final trimester is devoted to the internship.
Internship
Trimester credits: 6
The six trimesters together account for the full 60-credit MBA requirement.
The foundation and analytical component carries 16 credits and covers:
Accounting for Managerial Decisions
Statistics for Managers
Quantitative Methods for Decision Making
Managerial Economics
Macroeconomics and Global Economy
Managerial Communication
Management Information System
Management Information Systems Practicum
The 20-credit management core and functional component covers organizational behavior and human resource management, financial management, operations and supply chain management, marketing management, research and consultancy, entrepreneurship, business environment and strategy, leadership, governance and ethics, and related practicums.
These subjects give students exposure to both quantitative and organizational aspects of management before concentration and capstone work begins.
Students complete four concentration courses carrying eight credits in total. The curriculum provides concentration areas in:
Finance
Marketing
Human Resource Management
Information Technology and Business Analytics
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Finance options include subjects such as Financial Institutions and Markets, Corporate Finance, Investment Management, International Financial Management, Entrepreneurial Finance, Financial Derivatives and Risk Management, Behavioral Finance, Financial Planning and Wealth Management, Financial Modeling and Valuation, and Risk Management and Insurance.
Marketing concentration options include Service Marketing, Marketing Research and Analytics, Consumer Behavior, Integrated Marketing Communications, International Marketing, Brand Management, Digital and Social Media Marketing, and Sales and Distribution Management.
The HR concentration covers areas including Talent Acquisition and Development, Compensation Management, HRD Strategies, Advanced Leadership and Negotiation, Employee Relations and Conflict Resolution, Performance Management, International Human Resource Management, Labor Relations and Employment Law, and Employer Brand Management.
This concentration includes options such as Electronic Commerce, Digital Economy, Digital Business Ecosystem, Data Mining and Business Analytics, Data Analytics for Decision Making, Information Security for Business, Business Intelligence and Data Analytics, AI for Business Systems, Social Analytics for Business Managers, and Data Visualization.
Options include Open Innovation and Collaboration, Management of Innovation and Creativity, Scaling Operations and Managing Growth, Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship, Family Business Management, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Development of New Business Model and Product, Electronic Commerce and Digital Economy, and Technology Entrepreneurship.
Students complete two elective courses carrying four credits in total. The elective component provides sectoral and application-oriented choices alongside the main management curriculum.
Available areas include subjects such as:
ESG & Sustainability in Business
Digital Economy
Econometrics
Behavioral Economics
Monetary Economics
Tourism and Hospitality Management
Bank Operations and Management
Real Estate Management
Management of Technology
Business Tax Planning
Project Management
Multinational Management
Social Entrepreneurship
Strategies for Sustainable Management
Management of Service Sector Organizations
Rural Marketing and Agribusiness
Microfinance
One of the distinguishing parts of the MBA curriculum appears in Trimester V, when students choose between an industry-oriented pathway and a research pathway.
Students following the industry pathway complete six credits through:
Consulting Project or New Venture Creation — 3 credits
Doing Business in Nepal — 3 credits
The Consulting Project involves applied work on a business or organizational issue. Students work with business stakeholders, analyze the issue, and develop recommendations using knowledge gained across the MBA.
New Venture Creation provides an alternative three-credit option within the industry pathway.
Students choosing the research pathway complete a six-credit Graduate Thesis.
The thesis involves an approved research assignment in a management area, preparation of an integrative research report, a seminar presentation, and viva-voce examination.
The two pathways allow students to complete the capstone stage through either applied industry work or academic research.
Internship forms the entire sixth trimester and carries six credits.
Students complete three months of work experience with an approved employer under the supervision of both a faculty supervisor and a workplace supervisor. Academic requirements include maintaining a weekly journal, completing the assigned internship work, preparing a final paper or report, and presenting the internship experience.
Internship evaluation is divided between:
Confidential evaluation by the host organization — 40 percent
Presentation of the Internship Project Report — 60 percent
The internship follows the core management, concentration, elective, and capstone components, placing workplace experience at the end of the MBA structure.
The MBA uses several forms of classroom and applied learning.
Teaching methods include:
Classroom discussions
Presentations
Group work
Case analysis
Guest lectures
Simulations
Project work
Online instruction
Practicum activities
Research and consultancy work
At Apollo International College, the MBA also includes professional and employability-oriented non-credit activities. These include areas such as Excel training, Artificial Intelligence, business plan development, stock market analysis and investment strategy, digital marketing, statistical software training, research proposal writing, research paper writing, management simulation, professional accounting training, and internship report orientation.
These activities remain separate from the 60-credit academic requirement.
Graduates from different academic disciplines are eligible to apply, provided they meet the minimum academic requirements.
Applicants must have:
At least 15 years of formal education
12 years of schooling plus at least three years of bachelor's-level study
Minimum CGPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or 45 percent at bachelor's level
Final admission is based on the admission process. Pokhara University's MBA framework uses an admission test followed by personal interviews, while Apollo International College includes admission tests, group discussions, and interviews in its admission criteria.
Under the university procedure, applicants are shortlisted for personal interviews using written-test performance, and final selection considers the entrance test, personal interview, and previous academic record.
Applicants at Apollo International College are required to submit:
Copies of academic transcripts from SEE/SLC onward
Copies of character certificates from SEE/SLC onward
Original migration certificate of the latest degree
Equivalent certificate if an academic degree was obtained from a foreign university
Copy of citizenship
Two recent passport-size photographs
The university admission framework also requires a completed MBA application form, official academic transcripts, and properly attested copies of degree certificates.
Pokhara University's MBA academic year consists of three trimesters:
| Trimester | Academic period |
|---|---|
| Fall | September–December |
| Winter | January–April |
| Spring | May–August |
Each trimester has 12 weeks of teaching, excluding examinations. Students register for courses at the beginning of each trimester.
A minimum of 80 percent attendance in classes actually held in a course is required for eligibility to appear in the trimester-end examination.
MBA evaluation combines continuous internal assessment with trimester-end evaluation.
| Evaluation component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Term/Internal Evaluation | 60% |
| Trimester-End Evaluation | 40% |
Internal assessment may include written tests, quizzes, oral tests, assignments, term papers, project work, case analysis, discussions, open-book tests, and class participation.
Seminar, practicum, and laboratory-related subjects can be evaluated entirely through internal assessment.
Students must qualify separately in the term evaluation and trimester-end evaluation. The pass requirement for the trimester-end examination is 60 percent.
Pokhara University follows a four-point letter grading system. To earn the MBA degree, students must complete the required courses, pathway and internship, receive at least a C grade in each course, and maintain a CGPA of 3.0 or above.
Apollo International College grants scholarships to deserving MBA students based on bachelor's-level CGPA and performance in the Apollo Entrance.
The MBA curriculum gives students opportunities to work on:
Management analysis
Decision-making
Leadership
Managerial communication
Accounting and financial management
Quantitative analysis
Marketing
Human resource management
Operations and supply chain management
Business research and consultancy
Entrepreneurship and innovation
Information systems
Business strategy
Governance and ethics
Project and research work
The curriculum also places attention on critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and applied learning. Development in these areas depends on academic participation, project work, individual performance, and practical engagement.
The MBA is designed for students interested in developing advanced management knowledge for executive, managerial, and entrepreneurial work. Its concentration system allows students to give additional attention to finance, marketing, human resources, information technology and business analytics, or entrepreneurship and innovation.
The industry pathway provides applied business-project experience, while the research pathway gives students a more research-focused final-stage option. Actual career outcomes depend on prior experience, concentration, individual ability, academic performance, practical exposure, and available opportunities.
The MBA has a normal duration of two years and is structured across six trimesters.
The program is affiliated with Pokhara University.
Students must complete 60 credit hours.
Apollo International College has 33 seats for the MBA program.
Applicants need at least 15 years of formal education, including a bachelor's degree of at least three years, and must have a minimum CGPA of 2.0 or 45 percent at bachelor's level.
Yes. Graduates from different disciplines may apply if they meet the required academic criteria.
Yes. Concentration areas include Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Information Technology and Business Analytics, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The industry pathway involves a Consulting Project or New Venture Creation together with Doing Business in Nepal. The research pathway requires a six-credit Graduate Thesis.
Yes. The sixth trimester consists of a six-credit internship involving three months of approved work experience, reporting, and presentation.
Students must attend at least 80 percent of the classes actually held in a course to be eligible for the trimester-end examination.
Coursework normally uses 60 percent internal evaluation and 40 percent trimester-end evaluation. Students must meet the required standard in both components.
