Your Counsellor RepliesI would like to pursue a career in visual merchandising. Please advise.Sashikant Jagtap, MumbaiVisual merchandising is integral to the booming textiles and fashion industry. However there are hardly any specialised study programmes in this field in India. Currently visual merchandisers tend to be graduates of fine arts colleges. The ubiquitous BFA (bachelor of fine arts) programme is usually of four years duration and open to Plus Two or equivalent school leavers. Admission is based on performance in an aptitude test evaluating artistic talent. The high-profile National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (NID) offers two study programmes ‚ lifestyle and accessory design; apparel design and merchandising ‚ which are readily acceptable qualifications for a career in visual merchandising. These programmes are of five years‚ duration during which students take a comprehensive foundation course followed by specialist programmes.I‚m a medical (MBBS) graduate and want to do a postgraduate diploma in dietetics and nutrition. Please provide details of reputed institutes offering this course through distance education.Nilima Gupta, New DelhiAmong the institutes you can choose from are: Madhya Pradesh Bhoj (Open) University, Bhopal (www.bhojvirtualuniversity.com); Jamia Hamdard (www.jamiahamdard.edu) Directorate of Open and Distance Learning, New Delhi which offers a postgrad diploma in dietetics and therapeutic nutrition (open to home/bio-science graduates); postgrad diploma in nutrition and dietetics is open to all graduates at Madurai Kamaraj University, Distance Education, Madurai (www.mkudde.org). IGNOU‚s Master of science in dietetics and food service management (www.ignou.ac.in) is open to B.Sc (home science) graduates. IGNOU also offers a postgrad diploma in dietetics and public health nutrition to graduates in home science/food science and technology. You could also check out the M.Sc programme in dietetics and community nutrition offered by Vidyasagar University, Directorate of Distance Education, Midnapore (West Bengal) (http://dde.vidyasagar.ac.in) and the three-month certificate programme offered by AHERF (Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation), Hyderabad (www.ewellnessrx.com).I‚m in class XII (science) and keen on a career in the merchant navy. Is it better to start as a deck cadet or should I study marine engineering?Sridhar Raghavan, BangaloreThere are two typical routes for entry into the officers cadre of the merchant navy ‚ nautical science (deck cadet) and marine engineering. The three-year B.Sc degree in polyvalent maritime science pioneered by the Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Mumbai, offers structured on-board training covering various activities pertaining to the engine and deck departments. Deck officers oversee the management of ships, while engineer officers are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship‚s mechanical and electrical equipment. Admission into the prestigious three-year B.Sc nautical science degree programme of the T. S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai; four-year degree at Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Kolkata and three-year B.Sc in maritime science at MERI, Mumbai, is through the IIT-JEE 2007. For nautical science and polyvalent maritime science degrees, normal vision of 6/6 is essential for each eye; those wearing spectacles are not eligible for admission. For marine engineering, spectacles are allowed up to plus or minus 2.5.I‚ll be graduating in biomedical engineering next year. I want to improve…
