Frequently Asked Questions about PGPEM

The PGPEM is focused on mid-career and senior executives. The programme design acknowledges that executives with work experience have different needs and a different appreciation of management education.

The Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) has a focus on professionals at the entry levels. While some participants have work experience, a majority of the participants are freshers. The programme design for the PGP recognizes the lack of work experience among participants and is geared to providing relevant knowledge for entry level positions in a variety of industries.

The PGPEM and Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP) are targeted at mid-career and senior executives. They are similar in rigor, with minor differences in curricula to reflect the different requirements of participants in the two programmes.

The EPGP is a full-time programme, and requires you to take a sabbatical or quit their current roles to be able to be part of the programme. Whereas, the PGPEM does not require you to quit the job. In fact, it builds on the premise that PGPEM participants can use classroom learning and inputs to their professional advantage.

The EPGP provides placement services unlike the PGPEM. If you are happy with your current employer and/or industry and looking for a change in role, PGPEM is the most appropriate programme for you. You can continue to work and attend classes on weekends.

The PGPEM is a Degree granting programme like the PGP, the EPGP and the PGPPM (PGP in Public Policy and Management).

Whereas, the Executive General Management Programme (EGMP) is a certificate (executive education) programme with less than 50% percent contact hours relative to the core courses of the PGPEM. The EGMP has no electives. Hence, in terms of depth of learning and rigor, the PGPEM and EGMP are not comparable.

The following table provides a quick comparison among various programmes of IIMB:

Details	PGPEM	PGP	EPGP	EGMP
Duration	Two years, over the weekends	Two years, full time	One year, full time	40 days spread over 6-9 months
Target profile	Mid-career and senior executives	Typically, limited work experience	Mid-career and senior executives	Mid-career and senior executives
Programme Schedule	Part-time	Full-time	Full-time	Part-time
Contact hours	720 hrs	945 hrs	630 hrs	Around 250 hrs
Elective courses	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Award	MBA	MBA	MBA	Certificate
Placement	No	Yes	Yes	No

IIMB provides scholarships for the deserving students, on a case-to-case basis. In addition to that, banks and other financial institutes also provide loan facility.

The programme requires participants to attend all the first-year courses, four terms of three courses each, along with the cohort group with which they are admitted. There is no room for flexibility to undertake long absences from the programme in the first year. However, participants may take breaks, i.e., take no courses or reduce their course load, in subsequent quarters as long as they are able to complete the programme within five academic years. (Note: A continuation fee of INR 25,000/- is payable for each quarter beyond the eight quarters scheduled for the programme).

Ample opportunities are provided to acquire international exposure.

The programme is targeted at people who have experienced life in organizations and are in a position to appreciate issues in managing in a real context. The minimum work experience required to admission to apply is at least four years as on March 31, 2021. There is no formal upper limit on the number of years of work experience.

The experience need not be in the same industry or organization. In fact, a diverse experience might help you appreciate things better and also enrich the class for others.

During the interview, the interviewers may assess the quality of the work experience. We seek persons who have or can demonstrate a desire to move beyond an individual contributor role to a managerial role. The managerial role may be about managing different aspects such as technology, finances, markets and people.

There is no minimum score to qualify. Even the providers of these scores advise users to not use the scores as hard cut-offs. These exam scores are just one of many attributes that we look at to assess a candidate. A high score need not guarantee admission, nor will a low score disqualify a candidate. Past academic performance, number of years and nature of work experience, performance in the written ability test, and personal interview all contribute to the selection process. The multiple parameters allow for a more complete assessment of candidates, and also provide a fairer chance to candidates who, for whatever reasons, may not score high on one parameter.

There is no preferred test for admission to the programme. The test score is used as one more indicator of performance along with other parameters. The intention of accepting scores from GMAT, CAT and GRE is to open the opportunity to anyone exploring the possibility of taking up higher studies to acquire management knowledge at IIMB. The desire and curiosity to learn is very important and good scores in these tests reveal capabilities but also signal a desire to learn.

IIMB also understands that many busy professionals may not have the time to apply for these tests or prepare for these tests. We believe that a high potential professional often has high levels of responsibility and is often unable to take the formal tests. The PGPEM is targeted at such professionals, and we have tried to facilitate their entry into the programme. In order to support such applicants, IIMB conducts a separate test called the IIMB Test.

Candidates may choose to apply based on any one of GMAT, CAT, GRE or IIMB Test, but will not be able to change the choice of test once they have paid the application fee / submitted the application.

The PGPEM is targeted at high potential executives who want to continue with their work even as they upgrade their management knowledge and skills. Hence, the selection process uses multiple dimensions to admit students with a strong and consistent academic performance as well as a successful career in the industry who will benefit most from the programme. Candidates will be shortlisted for a personal interview based on information on various parameters that are to be provided by the candidate in the application for the programme, including performance in school board examinations (at 10th and 12th grade) and bachelors degree, years of work experience, diversity profile and GMAT/CAT/GRE/IIMB Test. Candidates short listed for the interview will be required to demonstrate writing skills in a written test conducted on the day of the interview and appear for a personal interview in front of a panel consisting of IIMB faculty and/or alumni. Candidates will be offered admission based an overall assessment consisting of educational performance in school and college, years and quality of work experience, diversity profile, and performance in the personal interview and written analysis.

Candidates short listed for personal interview will need to appear for the interview on the designated date and time at IIMB. Candidates who are unable to attend the interview on the specified date, because of their overseas travel/stay, may be interviewed through video-conference. This facility is available at the discretion of the IIMB. Requests should be made at least 10 days ahead of the scheduled interview date during the specified interview period. Arrangements for video conferencing at the candidate's location have to be made by the candidate.

Candidates need to obtain a letter from an authorized executive of their employer indicating that they support your candidature for the PGPEM. Candidates also need to ensure that they have original documents (mark sheets, certificates, citation etc.) related to the information provided in the application form when they appear for the interview.

Caution: No admission offer will be made to candidates who cannot provide documentary support for marks etc. mentioned in the application form. If at any stage (even after admission offer), IIMB discovers a misrepresentation of information, the participant will be asked to quit the programme.