Post-Graduate Programme in Management

The two-year full-time Post-Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), rated as the toughest MBA programme in the world to get admission, is the flagship programme of IIMA. Its main objective is to develop young men and women into competent professional managers, capable of working in any sector of organized activity, proceeding leadership and achieving excellence in performance while contributing to the welfare of the larger society. The programme specifically attempts to:

* equip students with the required conceptual and interpersonal skills and sense of social purpose for managerial decision-making,
* develop leadership capabilities to act as change agents and be a source of motivation in the organizations they work in,
* nurture the desire to excel in performance without compromising integrity, honesty and fairness.

IIMA is known for the depth and rigour of the programme. The curriculum, reviewed and revised periodically, remain relevant and contemporary.

The PGP curriculum is the result of constant innovation and continuous review by the faculty with help from practitioners in industry, alumni and students. The course comprises two components: the core programme, in the first year and the elective programme in the second year.

The core programme focuses on rigorous grounding in the rudiments of every discipline in management and the development of a common foundation of business knowledge and management theory. The core programme consists of 33 courses encompassing 25.50 credits. One of the core courses is offered in the second year of the programme. The first year is spread over six slots, each of which consists of 5 to 6 weeks' duration.

Following the first year programme, students undertake summer training with Institute's corporate partners for a period of eight to nine weeks. The Summer Internship is a powerful source of practical managerial insights, validation of management concepts, and valuable market knowledge.

The elective courses which are offered in the second year of the programme allow students to choose a bouquet of courses that interest them and develop proficiency in the areas of their choice. The elective courses consists of in-class courses, often with project components, offered by different areas, courses of independent study, exchange programmes, and intensive field courses, totaling 17-20 credits over six slots, each of which consists of 5 to 6 weeks' duration. Each credit requires a minimum of eighty hours of work.

Types of Courses

a) Regular Course: This helps a student to learn tools, techniques, skills and concepts primarily through class discussions.
b) Seminar Course: This provides a specified number of class sessions and time for research to explore the frontiers of knowledge.
c) Projects: These are designed to suit individual student needs. There are four categories of projects. (1) An Independent Project, (2) Project Course, (3) Course of Independent Study, and (4) Comprehensive Project.

1. An Independent Project provides an opportunity to apply the tools, techniques, skills and concepts, which a student may have already learnt, to the study of actual problems through field studies, computer based analysis and library research.

2. Students can do independent projects (IP) (Non Credit) for up to one per set of two slots. These can be undertaken only with the prior permission of the instructor(s) concerned. The project proposals, duly approved by the guide(s) should be submitted to the PGP Office before the start of slot IX and XI. The IPs would not be taken into account towards meeting the credit requirements in second year and their grades would not be accounted in GPA calculation.

3. The Course of Independent Study (CIS) (2.5 credits) allows exploration of a topic in the student's "area" of interest. It makes possible the integration of several fields of study in searching for the solution to a single problem. It provides valuable experience in the research process such as definition of the problem, search for relevant data, analysis of the data and drawing conclusions. Thus CIS allows for individual initiative, judgment and resourcefulness well beyond what is possible in the regular curriculum.

4. The Comprehensive Project (CP) provides an opportunity to learn in a real world context. This provides a vehicle for integration of learning across functions and disciplines. The project must be organization-based, not based entirely on secondary data or library work. It must be multifunctional and multidisciplinary in nature.

Second year students who do not register for a Course of Independent Study (CIS) are allowed to undertake a maximum of two one-unit project courses during the entire second year, not more than one per term. The IP/CIS can be done only after ensuring that the minimum specified credit requirements are met in the second year through courses. The IP/CIS grades would not be taken for the GPA calculation. However, the IP/CIS grades would continue to appear in the grade sheet. Students can do projects up to 2.5 credits. They can be undertaken only with the prior permission of the instructor(s) concerned.