A dual degree in supply chain management - a bold step in the right direction by IIM Udaipur
| February 19,2013 11:12 am IST
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pdfBe it a toothpaste or a soap or a SIM card or for that matter, a Hyundai i10 or a laptop – we as consumers do not dwell deep into the efforts that have gone in getting a product to the retail stores. The entire work that goes into it is known in business parlance as “Supply Chain”, which essentially forms the backbone of any industry.
Realizing the growing industry needs for skilled Supply Chain professionals, IIM Udaipur in collaboration with Purdue University, USA has launched a unique 15-month dual degree programme in Global Supply Chain Management. Students will be conferred dual degree - a Post Graduate degree in Supply Chain Management (PGPX) by Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur and a MS degree in Global Supply Chain Management by Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, USA. Students will be travelling to Purdue University for a significant part of the programme. The whole course will be under the guidance of Prof Janat Shah, Director of IIM Udaipur. The other two schools which will conduct the programme simultaneously with Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, US are Universidad Puebla in Mexico (UPEAP), and Tianjin University in China. Students from these four business schools will join to be part of a bigger group for their course module at Purdue University. This unique aspect of the course curriculum provides the students with an opportunity to study in a truly global environment.
A valid GMAT score, minimum work experience of 30 months and a minimum of 16 years of formal education were a pre-requisite for applying to this course. The selection procedure was very rigorous as the selected students had to get admits from both Purdue and IIM Udaipur. The programme commenced on the 7th of January 2013, with a batch size of 16 executives, who come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds with experience ranging from 3 to 8 years. These executives represent a gamut of sectors, namely IT, Retail, Energy, Telecom, Manufacturing, Consulting and Fashion Technology.
During the orientation phase, the students were exposed to an enriching coverage of the various aspects of a Supply Chain Professional role, which included a ‘Visioning’ workshop by Breakthrough, an outbound training consultant, which stressed on the importance of team-work and a ‘Communication’ Workshop, which emphasized on presentation skills and various managerial attributes. These executives also got to interact with various experts in the Supply Chain domain like Ganesan Ramachandran, Partner in Accenture Management Consulting and Paresh Huria, VP - Supply Chain at Pepsico India. The role of IT in SCM was discussed in great detail during the interaction with Kaushik Ghatak, VP – SAP South-East Asia.
The curriculum of this course has been designed after extensive market research and in consultation with the four partnering schools and industry experts to cater to the increasing market demand for dedicated supply chain professionals. This programme is the first of its kind and these 16 bright minds are really looking forward to unlearn and learn in this cross-continental diverse environment.
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