Off-Beat Courses at Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
The Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta needs no introduction. Students can choose from a plethora of courses apart from the most popular Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. The following post takes a look at the other courses offered at the institute.
If there is anything that describes the importance of Indian Institute Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) is that, it was the first IIM to be set up in India. It was 1959 and India was still struggling with its new economy. The country did feel the need to establish a management institute that would match up to the ranks of Harvard or Cambridge. So, keeping in mind the need to launch a premier management institute, in the lines of the best management institutes of the world, Professor George Robbins of University of California was invited over. He lent his expertise in establishing a management institute that would match up to the level of premier B-Schools of the world. Thus, in 1961 IIM-C was founded in collaboration with MIT School of Management, the Ford Foundation, and government of West Bengal. Initially the institute operated from a palatial bungalow until it was granted 135 acres of land in Joka, a Kolkata suburb where it is currently located.
Today, ranked as one of the best B-Schools in India, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, is definitely the first choice for MBA aspirants. The Post Graduate Diploma in Management is the flagship course of the institute. However, students can also choose from other courses and specialisations that the institute offers.
Let’s focus on two lesser-known yet favourite courses offered by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta.
Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM)
Started in 1994, the Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM) is a unique initiative by IIM C that lays distinctive weight on the study of Information Technology (IT). The major objective behind this course is to produce leaders and business professionals who would know the apt application of Information and Computer Technology (ICT). This particular diploma is an outcome of the need to develop a management program that would exclusively address the problems pertaining to the IT sector.
Students pursuing this programme need to earn a maximum of 96 credit points excluding the term papers and 108 credit points during the entire course of the programme.
CEMS: Master’s in International Management (CEMs:MIM)
An institute of international stature, IIM C strives hard to maintain its high profile through student exchange programmes, dual degree programmes and courses such as International Management. The CEMS:MIM is an example of the same. The institute has joined hands with the CEMS in developing the course in International Management.
CEMS is a global alliance of business schools, international NGOs and multinational corporations founded in 1988 in Europe. It aims at providing the best education in management studies, especially International Management.
As a part of the CEMS, IIM- C, in association with the same, offers a Master’s Degree in International Management.
In an era of globalization, opting for a management degree program like International Management, is definitely fruitful that would help create future leaders who would execute tasks pertaining to international business with much élan.
The course has a well-structured and well-developed curriculum, that effectively combines both – academic business with real life business experiences. MIM provides a strong platform for students so that they can properly utilize the skills once they step into the corporate world. The course in integrated through four major categories;
Block Seminar
The course commences with this week long intensive curriculum that is named as the Block Seminar. The event is based on innovative management topics that are conceived, developed and run by teachers hailing from various disciplines. Active participation from the corporate sector is the crux of this program.
Providing the students with an academically and culturally rich environment through studies is the main objective of the Block Seminar.
Skill Seminar
Skill Seminar is the next major step in this curriculum. Skill seminars are introduced in order to familiarize and impart practical skills that are required to be able to work effectively in an international organization. Students are trained in certain finer skills such as group-work abilities, intercultural skills and business communications. Unlike Block Seminars, Skill Seminars are not graded. Students are mostly trained in practical courses. An intensive course, the duration spans for 16 hours.
Business Project
As the name suggests, this segment of the curriculum is more about consultancy projects teams comprising international students coordinate together and solve real-life business problems faced by organizations. The business projects are designed to provide students with real experiences so that they are equipped well-enough to face the corporate world. This segment is extremely result-oriented.
International Internship
Well, now here’s the icing on the cake. All students are expected to undertake a ten week long internship program in a different country. Most of the time it is the European countries. The major objective of an international internship is turn academic experience and theoretical knowledge into a proper professional intercultural experience.
A global leadership seminar spanning two-days is a major focus of this course.
A unique initiative on the part of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta the CEMs:MIM is a definitely a step ahead of its time and ensures that future managers pass out not only with good grades but also the acumen that the corporate world is always searching for.
Author Bio: A skilled writer and an ardent blogger, Sampurna Majumder has been lending her knowhow to prominent Indian education site – Shiksha.com by penning articles and blog posts on popular courses, educational trends and institutes like these.
