The e-Mode Post Graduate Programme (ePGP) is IIMA’s newest addition to offer a long-term hybrid management education course leading to awarding a PG Diploma degree. The ePGP is a blended learning programme, with online lessons offered on Virtual Interactive Learning Platform (VILP) and Interactive Onsite Learning (IOL) blended with classroom teaching at IIMA campus at regular intervals, along with mentored project work. This programme has been designed keeping in mind the global benchmarks of management education by offering its participants with much-needed expertise that will help them bolster their progress in the corporate world, without having to take a break from it. The two-year course is comprehensive and crafted for working executives and entrepreneurs. The programme entails more than 850 hours of classroom sessions and project work, which equips the participants with leadership skills for the knowledge economy. The programme is also aimed to enhance the strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial, as well as leadership abilities required for taking organizations to the next level. The ePGP is also suited to advance individual career aspirations. The innovative curriculum is designed by IIMA faculty, with their diverse experience in research, consulting/advisory, and teaching – both regular students and executives.
The teaching approach is highly interactive using technological capabilities of the partner and the pedagogy is benchmarked with global standards in management education.
At present, there are 111 students undergoing the programme in two different batches. The first ePGP (2017-19) batch had 49 participants of which 80% hold BE/B. Tech. degree, 33% of the participants have 3–6 years of work experience, 20% have 7-10 years of work experience and 47% of candidates have more than 10 years of work experience.
The second (2018-20) batch of ePGP has 62 participants of which 71 % hold BE/B. Tech degree, 42% of the participants have 3-6 years of work experience, 26% have 7-10 years of work experience and 32% candidates have more than 10 years of work experience. The 2018-20 batch of ePGP has more female candidates, with 8 candidates enrolling.
The batches of ePGP students are spread in 19 cities across India, representing a good mix of age (between 25 to 50 years), gender, high-quality work, and entrepreneurship experience. The flexibility of the ePGP programme attracts talented professionals with diverse career and entrepreneurial backgrounds in industries that include Automobile, Financial Services, Banking, Power, e-Commerce, Retail, and IT sector. They study in a unique and collaborative learning environment, while also holding to their demanding roles in respective organizations.
Talking about this uniquely designed course, Prof. Biju Varkkey, Chairperson – ePost Graduate Programme said, “This is a programme that shall help you build your leadership & managerial capabilities, and help to navigate towards your careers. It provides the flexibility of sticking at jobs, the convenience of timings, and location. People could attend the course from any Indian urban cities. The participants benefit from the robust presence of our programme partner which makes high-quality digital classrooms and interactive experience a reality which is being leveraged.”
Faculty While Teaching
So, how does the programme actually help its student participants? The ePGP students of IIMA highlight their experience as follows,
1) Mayank Shukla: An Entrepreneur & Marketing Professional who wanted access to world-class education with flexibility. (2018-20 Batch)
A marketing and strategy professional with more than 5-years of work experience in bootstrapping and successfully running branded media programmes with leading news networks including Times Networks, TV Today Group, and Network18 group, who was looking for a course that would upscale his career and the ePost Graduate Programme set him in the path of getting an MBA degree from a prestigious college like IIMA, and also helped him to access world-class education from different parts of the country!
“The Programme continues to amaze me. The cohort comes with a total experience of 600+ years, the professionals from different background and knowledge base bring a unique perspective on the table, and the insights provided by the faculty create a unique experience bound to mesmerize you into the world of knowledge.” – Mayank Shukla, Entrepreneur.
2) Swati Kala: A Computer Science Engineer who wanted to pursue a programme, the learning of which could be applicable to practical problems. (2018-20 Batch)
Swati Kala is a Computer Science Engineer with over 7 years of professional experience in industries like defense, telecom, media and presently Simulation. Her current role is extensively technical. She is looking forward to understanding the nuances of business through this course and widen the range of opportunities in her professional career.
“The ePGP course is a perfect blend of knowledge and practice. What makes this format of learning stand out is the instant application of our classrooms learning in practice back in our offices. The ingenuity with which every detail of the program has been carved out is remarkable. With the classroom and studio sessions nicely balanced, the cohort is extremely talented, and the faculty is the best one could ask for. I am also amazed to see how this course is constantly changing my outlook towards my job, my responsibilities, and my potential. It is unarguably the most beneficial and viable options for mid and senior level working professionals. I consider myself fortunate enough to be a part of this unique and forward-looking process of education.” – Swati Kala, Technical Specialist, CAE Developer – Altair Engineering India Pvt Ltd
3) Debasis Mohanty: A Chemical Engineer with over 5 years of experience was looking for an opportunity to pursue MBA without sacrificing core job domain. (2018-20 Batch)
A Chemical Engineer with over 5 years of experience in Oil and Gas Technology Engineering and Field service, Debasis was looking for two things from ePGP Programme, an opportunity to pursue MBA without sacrificing core job domain and a course which would give him a transition from technical role to business role which will enhance his career aspirations and take his organization to the next level.
“One of the trademarks of ePGP course is a perfect amalgamation of industry experience from a rich and diverse cohort, along with case method teaching approach by globally acclaimed faculty members. This course helped me appreciate new facets of the business ecosystem, enhanced my strategic thinking and helped me solve a real-time problem in my organization. The academic rigor in terms of assignments, quizzes, and exams makes you realize the importance of time management and setting priorities right. The passion of teaching faculty and insightful discussion with diverse cohort is what rejuvenates me to attend classes even after working hours.” – Debasis Mohanty, Process Design Engineer, Honeywell Universal Oil Products
4) Girish Soni – An Entrepreneur, who was looking forward to developing leadership qualities and entrepreneurial skills to manage his diverse business interests efficiently in highly competitive markets. (2017-19 Batch)
A Commerce Graduate with over 18 years of professional experience in banking and financial services wanted to pursue Post Graduate Programme in Management from IIMA without having to compromise on his entrepreneurial aspirations.
”An MBA from the most elite Business School- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad was the way ahead and “ePost Graduate Programme” was found as to be the best solution, that offers a unique blend of rigorous course structure, a rich pedagogy and the world’s best knowledgeable faculty to learn from. The program is delivered through state-of-the-art digital classroom studio at IIMA ensuring par excellence classroom experience and campus sessions. The case method of teaching that embeds the much sought-after entrepreneurial skills into the personalities of the handpicked set of students from all over the nation.
I am privileged being branded for life to be the “participant of the First-Batch” of my dream – IIMA’s ePost Graduate Programme; you can also be the lucky one. My two cents of wisdom; work hard, join the programme, work even harder and win the laurels of this legendary programme. It is an oasis of learning, every case study is hand-picked by the learned faculty, and the case method will make you learn about numerous industries throughout the programme. As soon as it starts, you will automatically start to apply the uniquely taught management concepts in a real-time business environment. As it happened to me, you will also develop a differentiated approach towards every tough situation of business and life, handling it with effective solutions, avoiding costly mistakes.” – Girish Soni, Entrepreneur & Director – Imperial Urban Cooperative Bank Limited
5) Ajay Ramdas Pai: Working in the niche semiconductor equipment manufacturing industry who wanted to grow the corporate ladder faster amidst stagnant career growth. (2018-20 Batch)
A Mechanical Design Engineer with over 5 years of work experience, who cannot afford to quit the job for education due to various constraints, wanted to pursue post-graduation which provides flexibility to complete studies from a prestigious institute along with full-time work.
“We all have heard an adage “To be the best, learn from the best” and IIMA’s ePGP is truly one of the best management programmes for working professionals. There is no other better learning methodology than the one which enables applying the learning in real work life to solve organizational problems. ePGP’s beauty is such. Learning from peers who are spread across a broad spectrum of job roles and experience is humongous. For mid-level working professionals who are into core engineering roles like Mechanical, Electrical where the growth opportunity is almost linear/stagnant in this fast growing corporate world, ePGP definitely boosts the confidence and it also exposes us to a wide range of prospectus career opportunities”. – Ajay Ramdas Pai, Sr. Product Manager, Lam Research India Pvt. Ltd.
6) Smita Gupta, a working professional who wanted to prepare herself for future opportunities in the highly competitive work environment. (2017-19 Batch)
A Senior Business Analyst at Accenture with over 7 years of work experience, finds ePGP as the best opportunity to balance her aspiration to learn new skills and manage challenges at work. She was looking for a PG Programme which would prepare her for future roles while excelling at the current role by applying the skills learned through this course.
“ePGP allows us to put theory to practice instantly and therefore the learning curve is better and more responsive. The diverse experience of the cohort has groomed me and widened my horizon of looking at things. I am overwhelmed with the networking opportunities that I have gained through the faculties and fellow students. Some of the senior students have been very supportive and acted as wonderful mentors. The hard work that this course demands is fully worth the gains we attain.” – Smita Gupta, Senior Business Analyst, Accenture.
7) Charu Chaturvedi, A Sofware Engineer who wanted to make it big in corporate world amidst cut-throat competition. (2018-20 Batch)
A Software Engineer with 8+ years of experience who wanted to pursue PG in Management from IIMA without having to quitting from the job and which could give her career the much needed boost.
“Your dreams are what define your individuality. They have the power to give you wings and make you fly high.” – P. V. Sindhu.
I always wanted to be an MBA graduate and like every aspiring youth I wanted to do it from IIMA. I was eagerly looking for an opportunity where I could learn business management concepts without giving up my job. The ePGP, hybrid learning programme, turned that impossible dream into a reality. It has not only given me the chance to be groomed by the world class faculty, but also has given me a platform to work on a startup idea in collaboration with the CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad within 8 months of joining. Initially I struggled managing a balance in family, work and studies at the same time, but eventually, I learnt the amazing skill of time management. That’s the beauty of this course.” – Charu Chaturvedi, Technology Lead, Infosys.
Opting for the ePost Graduate Programme from IIMA has clearly helped these professionals to move ahead in the path to realize their aspirations. Graduates with 50% marks and 3 years of work experience + Valid CAT score of the test taken within the last 3 years (2016, 2017, and 2018) or GMAT/GRE score taken within the last 5 years (Jan1, 2014 to May 15, 2019), can apply for this programme.
The digital classrooms created by the technology partners across the country have been one of the most unique and gratifying parts of this course. The two-way interactive system coupled with chat capability allows students to listen to the lecture without any interruptions, while also allowing them to raise their questions and discussions.
The cost of the ePGP course is Rs 20,00,000, it can conveniently be paid in 6 installments over 2 years. IIMA has also tied up with Bank of Baroda and few more banks for education loans at attractive interest rates.
IIMA has a reputation for shaping global leaders and this course is an excellent way to set on this path. With IIMA’s faculty and rigorous course design, the prestigious alumni status and the cohort of equally ambitious and driven students, the ePost Graduate Programme is a promising option.
