IIM Bodh Gaya launches 5-year undergrad-to-MBA course for early aspirants

NTA to conduct JIPMAT entrance exam for students who passed Class 12

In a bid to provide an early break for MBA aspirants after Class 12th, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bodh Gaya on Wednesday launched a five-year integrated programme in management (IPM) from the academic year 2021.

Amid a dominance of engineers in the management world, the IPM is a course designed for undergraduate students, especially from commerce stream, interested in the management field.

The first three years will be for undergraduate studies, and the latter two years will be for the core management studies, and the IPM course will culminate with an MBA. The course will be carried out in a semester format which will let the students reflect upon the learnings that will be imparted to them.

"The number of opportunities for students interested in entering the corporate world is significantly less, especially at the undergraduate level. IPM will be a gateway for 'fresh out of school' students interested in corporate without waiting to reach the postgraduate level to study," said IIM Bodh Gaya director Vinita Sahay.

Being launched with 60 seats for the candidates, the course will see 50 seats being gender-neutral and 10 seats being reserved for female candidates under the supernumerary quota. The candidates will be assessed through a test called the Joint Integrated Programme in Management Admission Test (JIPMAT) that will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) responsible for organising tests such as JEE and NEET.

IIM Bodh Gaya and IIM Jammu have come together to conduct JIPMAT across 78 cities in India, for which registration will start from April 1, 2021. IPM will see assessment being done based on Class 10th, 12th and entrance test scores, with weightage to the JIPMAT scores, Class 10th and 12th percentages will be 70 per cent, 15 per cent, and 15 per cent, respectively.

According to Sahay, the significance of IPM increases at a time when there are limited options available for the students, straight out of the twelfth standard, in the institutes of national importance.

In its attempt to promote meritocracy, the institute maintained that candidates will be judged in a fair and transparent manner. The eligibility criteria to apply for the entrance test is minimum marks of 60 per cent in Class 10th and 12th, with a five per cent relaxation for the SC, ST, transgenders and PWD students.

The first three years of IPM include courses on basic concepts of mathematics, economics, social sciences, psychology, financial management, IT, and organizational behaviour, along with courses on physical training and mental health. Students will have an option to select from a range of elective courses in the final semester to determine their domain of expertise.

Moreover, the curriculum has been divided into three strata including enabler courses comprising subjects like communication, to make the non-English students ready for the professional world. The other two types of courses include core courses such management centric subjects of organisational behaviour, and enhancement courses revolving around ability and skill enhancement.

Sahay stated that the institute intends to build skills and social awareness so that students can give back to society as well. As a result, a Rural Immersion Program will also be a part of the curriculum that will be based on the ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ scheme, apart from Student Exchange Program that will help the students gain a perspective on international exposure.

Meanwhile, IIM Bodh Gaya has also established collaborations with several reputed institutions in Germany, Taiwan, France, Venezuela, Russia, Mexico, Italy, S. Korea, Morocco and Israel.