Indian Institute of Management-Ranchi (IIM-R) will begin parallel MBA courses, with a focus on specialisation in data analytics, human resource management and banking and finance management from June, 2012.
IIM-R is eighth in the now 50-year old history of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
The courses, according to IIM-R director M J Xavier would serve two basic aims. First, these would aid in bringing diversity to the campus, where at present, an overwhelming majority of the students are male engineers. Secondly, it would help IIM-R establish a niche for itself as a management institute and carve out an identity within the larger IIM system.
“I have stated earlier as well, that I am not going to try and force diversity in the campus. If the majority of the students who make the cut are male engineers, so be it. The parallel courses will deal with issues of diversity within the campus, while helping in the creation of courses that are relevant given the changing context,” Xavier said.
The much coveted IIMs across the country currently offer a standard post graduate diploma in business management (PGDBM). The institutes had recently come under attack from critics who argue the system is exclusionary in nature and is largely skewed in favour of candidates with an engineering background.
Xavier, however, feels the need at present is for the IIM system to remodel itself in keeping with the demands of the times, and offer various courses which would be more inclusive of diversity, rather than trying to force diversity within the present PGDBM programme.
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“In keeping with the demands for management students across the world, it is important that IIMs remodel and adapt. These courses will be a stepping stone in that direction,” he explained.
Also, this would mean that at IIM-R, which is being mentored by IIM-Calcutta in its first year of operation, would not increase the student strength in the PGDBM programme beyond 60 students.
IIM-R would also implement the concept of smart classrooms, a scheme under which, at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, the institute will connect IIM-Tiruchirapalli, Raipur and Rohtak.
Technologically, heightened classrooms would connect students across the four institutes giving students across IIMs the advantage of interacting with high-profile visiting faculty.