IIM Udaipur is among the newer Indian Institutes of Management, having started its academic programs in 2011 with a 57-member 2-year full-time Post-Graduate Program (PGP) students and then going on to introduce the 1-year full-time PGPX program in 2013. It also has a stated intention to create a culture of academic excellence fostered by rigour in both research and teaching thus becoming a globally recognised institute.
How far has IIM-U come on that road? In an official response, the institute said, “We have invested heavily in trying to provide a rigorous academic programme to our students. IIM-U has been among India’s top 15 management institutes in the overall rankings as per the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for the last 3 years.
“Certainly, we will be at the forefront of knowledge dissemination, with the highest quality teaching to deliver our programs,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, IIM Udaipur has been rated Number 3 in The UTD top 10 Indian business rankings based on research publications in top 24 leading business journals. The UT Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management has created a database to track publications in 24 leading business journals.
The database contains titles and author affiliations of papers published in these journals since 1990. The 3rd position is on the basis of publications made in the Top 24 journals during 2013-2017.
While the Indian School of Business (ISB) occupies the first rank with a score of 19.22 and 53 papers and IIM Bangalore with a score of 6.08 and 14 papers, IIMU, in the 3rd rank, has a score of 1.27 with 4 papers.
IIM Ahmedabad is ranked 4th with a score of 1.24 with 4 papers followed by IIM Lucknow in the 5th place with a score on 1 for 1 paper. Ranked 6th is IIM Calcutta with a score of 0.83 and 2 papers.
Asked whether handing over the career placement and other such services to professionals helped the institute, the spokesperson said, “A definite yes. Through the help of IIMU’s Corporate Relations Team of dedicated professionals, we have been able to build strong relationships with bigger brands, both within India and internationally. We have also been able to get diverse brands as our new recruiters
“From the perspective of the institute, it is important to that the faculty is focussed on the academics and research aspects of the institution. In this regard, having a team of experts who are specialists in the field of career placement has been highly beneficial.”
To a question about the PGPX program, the spokesperson said, “The PGPX program offered by IIMU is unique among Indian one year MBAs with a full partnership between IIMU and the prestigious Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in the United States.
“Given the nature of the program, most of the students who are part of it come with very good work experience or are part of the middle management who look at this program as a way to give a boost to their career or for changing fields of work.
“While the PGPX provides a thorough grounding in management fundamentals, it is the only one year MBA that offers an intensive specialization in Global Supply Chain Management,” the spokesperson added.
“Given the nature of the program, most of the students who are part of it come with very good work experience or are part of the middle management who look at this program as a way to give a boost to their career or for changing fields of work. So, the value offering of the PGPX program is quite different and unique as compared to the PGP program.”
Asked about IIM-U involvement in the Union Government schemes like Skill India, entrepreneurship promotion and projects specially meant for women and the weaker sections, the spokesperson pointed out the Management Development Program for Women Entrepreneurs launched in 2012. It takes place over a four week period at the IIM Udaipur campus. It is organized by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Apart from the women entrepreneurship program, the IIMU Incubation Center presents a dynamic opportunity to serve as a platform to launch and develop startups into scalable, viable and profitable businesses model. It provides a platform for participates and incubates to access the diverse resource of faculty and the entrepreneurial community.
“We are working towards making the Incubation Center the primary focal point for students, faculty and the larger entrepreneurial community interested in innovation and finding a home for launching immersive experiences,” the spokesperson said.
About steps being taken to improve the representation of women in management programs, the spokesperson said, “A diverse learning environment plays an essential role in preparing students for different work cultures found in the current environment. At the time of admissions, IIMU offers special diversity marks for female applicants and applicants from a non-engineering background.”