New Delhi: Mahindra University (MU) has launched its MBA programme for the academic session 2023-24, after experiencing exceptional response for its BBA programme. Prof. Rama Velamuri, Dean, SOM announced that a total of 1500 students are expected to enroll for BBA, MBA, and EMBA programmes in the next 5 years.
Mahindra University was established by the $20 billion Mahindra Group in July 2020, at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, and its School of Management (SOM) was established the following year, also during the pandemic.
Prof. Rama Velamuri, a well-known global management expert and former CEIBS China faculty member, was appointed as the school's dean. Since that time, Prof. Velamuri has spent two years serving as the dean of SOM at Mahindra University. After receiving positive feedback for its BBA programme, the business school has now launched its flagship MBA in 2023.
SOM, MU Plans & Visions
An interview with Dr. Velamuri revealed the plans and vision of launching the MBA programme in 2023 after the launch of BBA and other programs.
The interview started with Dr. Velamuri explaining his two-year journey at SOM at Mahindra University after its establishment.
Considering it as a great journey, he said that the SOM, MU has 350 exceptional undergraduate students in two batches, and the first of which will graduate in 2024. The school has 16 EMBA students, all senior executives, with an average experience of 17 years and 8 PhD students in their first cohort.
Speaking about the SOM faculty, there's a team of 15 with PhDs from Temple University, Utah State University, University of Virginia, University of Hawaii, the three top IIMs (A, B and C), ISB, IIT Delhi, IFMR, National Law University and IFHE.
These faculties have also demonstrated thought leadership with a number of articles in A-list media. One of the senior faculty members, a macroeconomist, is quite active advising policy makers on issues of national importance. The SOM is also building a high-quality team in program management, admissions, and student support.
SOM, MU Kickstarts it's First MBA Batch
Dr. Velamuri revealed that the first batch of the MBA programme is expected to begin in August or September 2023, and a total of 30 or 60 students will be enrolled in the initial cohort.
Speaking about the rationale for following a different strategy, he said that the school is capable of quickly changing the undergraduate market. There are surprisingly few top-notch undergraduate business programmes in India that are equally intellectually demanding and business-ready. India boasts a lot of top-notch programmes in economics and accounting (BCom), but not in business administration.
In addition, there aren't many universities in India that offer a combined undergraduate degree in finance and economics. As a result, the school has decided to introduce UG programmes that are academically sound and industry-relevant initially, he said.
Further, Sanjay Singh and Dr. Velamuri are experienced in managing top executive education programs having worked at IESE, CEIBS, NUS and ISB. As a result, the school decided to offer the EMBA first and then the full time MBA.
SOM, MU's MBA Curriculum & Pedagogy
The SOM, MU is building a teaching team for the business school that excels in both the conventional fields of business, economics, and finance as well as the more contemporary ones of digital business, analytics, and technology in general. The school's standing within the UG and PG programmes reflects this strength.
It is anticipated that MBA graduates will not only have a solid background in business, but also a toolset of technology that they can use in their careers.
SOM, MU's International Partnership
The school has partnered with Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business and Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and this partnership will be beneficial for the MBA students.
Commenting on how will Hyderabad offer unique opportunities, he said that the city is consistently ranked the most liveable city in India and has residents from all over India because it has an open and welcoming culture, Hindi is spoken widely unlike in some other large Southern cities, there is a huge youth population mainly because Hyderabad is one of the most important educational hubs in the country -- University of Hyderabad, Osmania University, JNTU, IIT, IIIT, CCMB, ICRISAT, ISB, BITS and Mahindra University are only some of the top educational institutions in the city.
SOM MU BBA Programme's Outstanding Response
Dr. Velamuri commented that the school started its UG programmes in the midst of India's second- Covid wave and most applications were received from students in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. However, in just 18 months, the school managed to enroll a total of 350 students in its UG programmes.
Speaking about the BBA programme being termed as ‘terminal program’, he said that the UG degree is highly industry-aligned as a result of which the graduates will be able to attract the recruiters. The coursework is rigorous that the students will also be placed in India and abroad.
SOM, MU EMBA Programme Targeted at Young Professionals
The school has designed its EMBA programme to target people with between 5 and 20 years of work experience. Expressing his delight with the quality of first EMBA batch, he said that the batch consists of students with on average 17 years of work experience, from companies such as Tech Mahindra, Claridges Hotels, Stryker, Optima Health, Kyndryl (spin-off of IBM), Novartis, Jacobs Engineering, etc.
SOM, Mahindra University's View on Management Education in India
Dr Velamuri said that there are around 30-40 good quality business schools in India that would compare favourably with their international counterparts in terms of curriculum design, faculty quality and the overall learning experience. However, it is relatively a small number to the number of students who enrol in MBA programs.
The earlier IIMs (particularly A, B, and C), ISB, XLRI, and other institutions serve as excellent benchmarks, which is one of the advantages of the Indian business school ecosystem. One of SOM's disadvantages is the dearth of PhD programmes in business that offer a strong research foundation and equip graduates to publish in the top international peer-reviewed journals.
SOM, MU in Next 4-5 Years
Finally, Dr Velamuri spoke on where he sees SOM, MU in the next 4-5 years. He said that in the next five years, the school aims to have between 1,300 and 1,500 students enrolled in its programmes as well as between 50 and 60 teaching members and roughly 30 support staff members.
He concluded by saying that the objective is to make the graduates get decent jobs in top-notch companies or to attend prestigious universities in India and abroad. The faculty members should become increasingly well-known in their fields of specialisation. Further, the school anticipates to be among India's top 5 undergraduate and top 10 graduate programmes in terms of rankings.
About Dr. Velamuri
Prof. S. Ramakrishna (Rama) Velamuri is a well-known expert on entrepreneurship education around the world. He formerly served as the Chengwei Ventures Professor of Entrepreneurship for thirteen and a half years at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), Shanghai, and for four years at the IESE Business School, Barcelona. He holds a PhD from the University of Virginia's Darden School, an MBA from IESE Business School, and a BCom from the University of Madras.
Read More:
Subscribe to Collegedunia to get the latest educational news and updates
.jpeg?tr=h-127,w-254,c-force)
.jpeg?tr=h-127,w-254,c-force)
.jpeg?tr=h-127,w-254,c-force)
Comments