IIMs roll out specific post-graduate programmes in business, data analytics

The growing need for digital skilling and business & data analytics, even in managerial and leadership roles, has prompted the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to go on a programme-launching spree in both domains.

IIMs, such as Bangalore, Lucknow, and Udaipur, have either launched or announced the launch of post-graduate programme in business, data analytics or digital enterprise management (DEM). 

For instance, IIM Bangalore has announced a two-year post-graduate programme in business analytics from 2020. It will be open to candidates with or without prior work experience. Whereas, IIM Udaipur has launched a full-time one-year master of business administration (MBA) programme in DEM for executives with prior work experience.

IIM Lucknow has collaborated with John Wiley and Sons, a global leader in research and education, for launch of a six-month WileyNXT Executive Education Programme in business and data analytics. IIM Bangalore’s two-year programme in business analytics, which will have an initial capacity of 40 seats, will be along the lines of its flagship two-year post-graduate programme in management.

“With digital technology permeating everywhere in retail, auto, logistics, etc. there is so much more data available. The whole question is how to make better sense of data for improving decision-making. It has to be set in the larger context of understanding business management and within that how does one look at data in a more intelligent way,” G Raghuram, director, IIM Bangalore, told Business Standard.

The fee for the data analytics programme will  be similar to the flagship two-year post-graduate programme in management, which currently stands at Rs 21.5 lakh for two years. IIM Udaipur’s DEM programme is also aimed at equipping managers and leaders to work efficiently in the emerging digital business enterprises where conventional management concepts and leadership styles no longer apply.

The MBA in DEM at IIM Udaipur, a full-time residential programme, is open for admission through GMAT/GRE for working professionals with a graduate degree. The first batch will commence in 2020. While the academic fee for the programme has been fixed at Rs 15.8 lakh, the lodging and boarding fee for the residential programme will be an additional Rs 2 lakh.  “The way technology is changing the world, future careers are going to be quite different than what we see today.  At IIM Udaipur, we don’t just want students to prepare for this change but welcome it. The DEM programme would cater to the needs of emerging digital business enterprises and the aspirants,” Pankaj Patel, Chairman, IIM Udaipur had stated.

The DEM programme will provide students with an opportunity to develop a working knowledge of emerging technologies and acclaimed practices as the course curriculum is prepared in consultation with the industry experts.  For this, the institute has set up an academic advisory board for developing this new programme. The board constitutes of founders of successful digital companies in the country like Quikr's Pranay Chulet and Info Edge India's Hitesh Oberoi. 

"The way technology is changing the world, future careers are going to be quite different than what we see today.  At IIM Udaipur, we don’t just want our students to prepare for this change but welcome it. The DEM programme would cater to the needs of emerging digital business enterprises and the aspirants," Pankaj Patel, Chairman, IIM Udaipur had stated.

According to Janat Shah, director of IIM Udaipur, the B-school has already entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with several leading companies across business verticals for collaboration for sharing and development of knowledge in the digital world.  

Meanwhile, the six-month executive programme in business and data analytics by IIM Lucknow and Wiley will focus on preparing junior- and mid-level professionals in both technical and non-technical fields, to process complex data sets and generate insights using analytics tools and technologies. 

Two legs of the programme will be conducted at the Noida campus of IIM Lucknow, allowing students to learn from faculty and industry experts; along with online classes by IIM Lucknow and Wiley faculty, lab work will be offered by Wiley, and there will be master classes conducted by top industry experts, including members of the Wiley Innovation Advisory Council.

"This is our first non-university collaboration combining Wiley’s innovative learning solutions and our business management acumen. We want to provide a comprehensive curriculum with a problem-solving, future-intensive learning model that offers the right mix of context and content-based learning to deliver industry-applicable learning outcomes. We are confident these joint certification programmes can offer a solution to the existing talent deficit problem," said Archana Shukla, director, IIM Lucknow.