IIMs are among the most renowned management institutions in India delivering number of management courses. In order to enter many of these programs, the Common Admission Test (CAT) was held. As mentioned earlier, CAT is mainly used to select students to join the two-year MBA programmes but there are many other programmes that IIMs award including a number of specialised courses and executive programmes. Here is a breakdown of the CAT offering and the major courses that may be taken alongside CAT offering as well as the specific opportunities of the major courses.
1. Post Graduate Program in Management (PGP) / MBA
The PGP/MBA course is the flagship program across IIMs and is at the heart of their portfolio. This is a full-time, residential program commenced for two years’ sole purpose of preparing the students for leadership careers in organizations.
Core Areas: Finance, Marketing, Operations, IT, Human Resources, and Strategy, Analysis.
Campuses: Available in practically all IIMs such as Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, etc.
Eligibility: The course is open to graduates of any discipline and the candidates have to appear for the Common Admission Test – CAT.
PGP is said to be at par with an MBA program, where students enjoy the opportunity to be taught both in classroom and real life settings, industry visit and internships.
2. Executive MBA (EPGP/ePGP)
That is why, just like their global counterparts, IIMs deliver Executive MBA programs, which can be viewed as the programs oriented mostly on young professionals with related work experience, who want to deepen their managerial and leadership skills.
EPGP at IIM Bangalore and Indore is a one year, Post Graduate Programme in Management for working executives with minimum of five years of full-time post qualification work experience.
One can do ePGP (Electronic Post Graduate Program) at IIM Ahmedabad which has flexible section with online classes.
Executive MBA is relevant to mid-career working people who aspire for a promotion or a career change, especially to managerial positions.
3. Integrated Program in Management
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The IPM is an integrated management program which is a five years program and is structured for students immediately after their high school education (Class 12). It has both undergraduate and postgraduate studies with focus on degree of masters of business administration, MBA.
Campuses: Available at IIM Indore, Rohtak and Ranchi.
Structure: The first three years you spend in developing the basic subjects and the last two years are devoted to management education.
This superb programme enables learners to get early exposure to management principles and sets them for corporations early enough.
4. FPM / Ph.D.
The FPM is the doctoral level equivalent to a Ph.D. in management science. It is meant for people who strive to become researchers, teachers or analysts within a research company.
Duration: Normally 5 years (two years for courses and three years for dissertation).
Campuses: Available in several of the IIMs including IIMA IIMB and IIMC.
Focus Areas: Finance, Marketing, Operations, Public Policy and Organizational Behavior.
Similar to FPM, these programs also provide executive versions such as the Executive Fellow Program in Management (EFPM) that enables working people to do research on a part-time basis.
5. Management specialty programmes
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Some IIMs offer specialized programs tailored for specific industries or sectors:
PGP in Agri-Business Management (PGP-ABM): Offered at IIM Lucknow and Ahmedabad, this programme deals knowledge areas such as agricultural markets, agribusiness, and rural economy.
PGP in Business Analytics (PGP-BA): IIM Bangalore, Calcutta and others offer programs highlighting Data Analytics and Decision making.
PGP in Sustainable Management (PGP-SM): Provided at IIM Lucknow, this course’s purpose is to develop and subdue environmental and sustainability problems.
These programs focus on offering extensive knowledge specifics of the selected field as a preparation for career specialization.
6. Master of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership
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For professionals in government, public administration, or policy-making roles, IIMs offer Public Policy and Leadership Programs:
PGP in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM): IIM Bangalore offers this program to produce professional public policy and bureaucrats.
Management for Executives (IPMX): IIM Lucknow provides a one year course and is majorly centred around executive management that can be effective for the public as well as corporate sector executives in India.
These programs offer the information that enables one to work within those policies and manage public and private sector organizations.
7. Certificate and Online programs
Apart from the residential courses that form the core business of the IIMs, they also offer certificates courses and online courses. These are aimed at persons already employed in the market, who wish to acquire more knowledge in certain fields of practice such as digital marketing, project and financial management, as well as artificial intelligence.
Duration: Mostly last from several months to a year.
Flexibility: Especially for those people, who are engaged in work-study process.
Due to such benefits as convenience without having to drop out of work and ability to receive quality education such programs are becoming more common.
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Conclusion
IIMs are not only limited to the conventional two year MBA programme for imparting management education. The same can enable students and professionals pursue full-time and executive MBA, integrated management programs as well as specialize in sectoral courses through CAT. Whether you are a recent college graduate, a professional seeking a mid-level promotion, or a young person aspiring to be a researcher, then an IIM offer a course that will suit your needs.
Selecting the right program depends on your career goals and objectives then relating those to the details of the program. Executive and online programs at IIMs guarantee that knowledge is open for everybody and facilitates the student’s need for training on the one hand and ensures that full-time learners have the opportunity to get the same at the B-schools on the other.
