Collaborative MBA courses integrate technical expertise with managerial skills

Visakhapatnam: Three centrally-funded technical institutions (CFTIs)–Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam (IIM-V), National Institute of Technology-Warangal (NIT-W), Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing-Kurnool (IIITDM-K) – all Institutions of National Importance (INIs) launched a collaborative MBA programme on September 20.

The course provides B.Tech and M.Tech students of the participating technical institutions (PTIs) an opportunity to pursue IIM-V MBA programme.

Offered in an easy to pursue hybrid mode, the programme will equip students with better capacities and competencies and thus with wider choice and career options. The programme is in line with the National Educational Policy 2020 that encourages multidisciplinary education, enabling the students to become better-prepared to meet future industry needs and in tune with holistic development through exploring various facets of managerial knowledge combined with engineering and technical skills.

Describing the programme as a unique one, IIM-V director M Chandrasekhar said it contributes to a bright future for the students.

As NEP-2020 envisages, the IIM-V director said, the collaboration across the three higher educational institutions provides the students with greater flexibility and choice helping them gain new capabilities in their academic careers.

Director of NIT-W Bidyadhar Subudhi said the collaboration reinforces the expertise available with the School of Management (SoM). “The collaborative programme will enable students to earn B.Tech and MBA from two institutes of national importance in five years thereby helping them save one academic year,” he mentioned.

Director of IIITDM-Kurnool Prof Somayajulu said the programme offers an exceptional opportunity for IIITDM Kurnool students to pursue MBA in a blended-mode that seamlessly integrates technical expertise with managerial skills, enhancing problem-solving prowess and career prospects. The programme chair MS Jawed termed the collaboration as a pioneering effort that marks a significant milestone in the realm of management education.