Curriculum Revamp Helps SPJIMR Retain Edge in 1 Year PGPM Program: Insights From ONEConnect ’17

Now in its 15^th year, the 1-year Post Graduate Program in Management (PGPM) at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) is finding increasing acceptance among MBA aspirants as well as recruiters.

We met Dr Anjali Malik, Associate Professor, Marketing and Associate Program Head PGPM and Urvija Singh, Admissions Coordinator, SPJIMR at ONEConnect 2017, organised by OneYearMBA.co.in at Cyberhub, Gurgaon on September 27.

They said the program, that was initially among the lesser known ones, has picked up pace over the years. Professionals with 5 to 6 years of work experience seeking to enhance their skills for taking up roles and responsibilities in top management positions join the program.

About OneConnect 2017, they expressed happiness at the number of footfalls and the location of the event at Cyberhub in Cyber City, a corporate park in Gurgaon that houses some of the top IT & Fortune 500 companies. The target audience for business school is present at this venue, they said.

Asked about how well SPJIMR was prepared to meet the fast-changing needs of the marketplace, Dr Malik said the curriculum has been upgraded to include Design Thinking & Innovation course and another one in Management & Liberal Arts.

During the design thinking workshop, participants are given the challenge to design a feasible and viable business idea that addresses a gap or a need within the extended SPJIMR campus.

In the recent past, students have come up with solutions such as Parivesh, which aims at creating a greener and more self-sustained campus with waste segregation, reduction, recycling, and reusing paper and bio-waste. ‘Anveshan’ was presented as a way to explore business, people, culture and the world outside the B-school and prepare students for the real life.

The course in Management and Liberal Arts brings Indian and Western classics to the MBA classroom. It brings up rich discussions and newer perspectives for students of management on subjects like creativity, quality, aesthetics and dialogue.

SPJIMR offers 4 specialisations within the one-year MBA. These are Information Management, Operations & Supply Chain, Marketing and Finance.

The program also has a three-week International Immersion module. The constantly updated, tailored curriculum offers students an opportunity to pursue advanced courses in a chosen area of super specialisation. This is followed by an exciting opportunity to work on a live project.

The annual conclave, “Samavesh”, brings top business leaders on campus to interact with students, participate in panel discussions and provide for a rich exchange between business and academics.

Regarding placements, they said the School has a separate cell for the one-year program. The students also receive help in building a work profile. Workshops are held for personality development. Industry speakers include CEOs of top firms.

The recruiters find more value in the graduates as the numbers have been going up with 300 to 400 firms, including those from the top 500 Fortune companies, turning up at the placements.

Last year’s economic slowdown and difficulties in the wake of demonetisation had no effect on the recruitment. The role of the alumni in providing word of the mouth communication helped a great deal in this respect, they added.

About OneConnect 2017, they expressed happiness at the number of footfalls and the location of the event at Cyberhub in Cyber City, a corporate park in Gurgaon that houses some of the top IT & Fortune 500 companies. The target audience for business school is present at this venue, they said.

The event, now in its second year, is aimed at providing a unique opportunity for MBA aspirants with rich work experience, keen on joining a One Year Full-Time MBA program in India, to meet representatives of top business schools.

It gives aspirants an opportunity to clear their doubts regarding various aspects related to admissions such as eligibility norms, fee structure, application process, deadlines, scholarships and post MBA career growth.

The participants this year, apart from SPJIMR were IIM Lucknow, IMT Ghaziabad, Praxis Business School and TimesPro.