Indian students pursuing management studies in the United States are struggling to find jobs following imposition of stringent security regulations by the US government in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack.

Of the thousands of students pursuing various management courses in the US, only a few are lucky enough to find employment there.

Thirty-nine students who went to pursue higher studies at the Southwest Missouri State University as part of an MBA program the varsity had introduced in association with the International School for Management Studies in Chennai, failed to find placements.

The MBA program was started by ISMS in 1999 with nine students in the first batch. After two semesters, the students moved on to SMSU to finish the remaining one-year program.

By the time they completed the course in 2001, the 9/11 terrorist attacks changed their fortunes. While a few returned, the others stayed on for the remaining period of the five-year I-20 visa sponsored by the varsity, according to SMSU International Business Programs Director Dr Yohannan T Abraham.

About 30 students belonging to the batches of 2000 and 2001 had also failed to secure jobs through the placement cell in the varsity, where at least 200 employers hunt for manpower ever year.

Dr Abraham was in Chennai to oversee the admission to the fifth batch, which saw 29 students enrolling for the program.

The 'job sanction' is not limited to Indians alone, as more than 600 students from 85 countries enrolled for various business courses in SMSU were faced with the same fate, Dr Abraham pointed out.

About what drove students to enroll for higher studies in the US given the fact that there was no guarantee of employment, he said most of the students were still keen to earn 'foreign degrees'.

In this context, he said SMSU was the most economical destination in terms of fee structure, which was about $14,235 for one year inclusive of boarding, books and Internet access.

Most of the students are also employed as graduate assistants within the campus, thereby giving them a chance to earn while learning.

''What students earn during their mandatory 20-hour job work in a week is sufficient for meeting their expenditure,'' he pointed out.

However, the students have to pay a fee of Rs 1,30,000 to the ISMS for the two semesters in India.

Dr Abraham also disclosed the varsity's plans to introduce programs in Psychology, Counselling and Social Work in association with the ISMS in the near future.

SMSU, which is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate School of Business, also has a similar tie-up with the Lal Bahadur Shastri School of Management in New Delhi.

UNI