Jindal School of Banking and Finance: Breakthrough BCom (Hons) Education for Next Generation

By Anand Mishra and Ram B. Ramachandran

[Sponsored Article]

Globalization, Demographic changes, and adoption of exponential technologies is significantly changing the demands of the finance and accounting. Students are expected to bring creative and complex problem-solving skills and an ability to connect the dots across multiple disciplines.

In the past decade, at least three major developments have dramatically altered the finance and accounting functions. The first and the most important of those developments is the digital transformation of organizations. Evolution of financial technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Cloud Computing etc., are disrupting the existing financial services industry. The second development is continued globalization of finance with increasing frequency of cross-border financial transactions. The third developmental shift, partly in response to the first two developments, is in the area of regulation of financial institutions. It is ever more apparent that financial regulation will have to be in step with the developments in technology and globalization. The three developments inform the way in which Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) prepares students for changing financial services environment.

JSBF Vision

Jindal School of Banking and Finance was created with the clear focus on Students. Our vision is to create an exciting and successful global career for you in banking and finance. We want to create opportunities for you to grasp the forces driving change in society. This requires completely different thinking and implementation approach. Teaching styles need to adopt to the young minds of today who are dynamic, mobile, and ore risk taking.

Moving from Tradition to Innovation in BCom (Hons) Curricula

In most BCom programs the curricula develop around faculty interest and not what the market demands. In such contexts, the learning may often be archaic and irrelevant. We develop our curricula in close consultation with financial services industry. Our conversation with leading financial services and consulting institutions such as YES Bank, HDFC Bank, RBL Bank and KPMG, have led us to create four specialization pathways reflecting the current realties of the market place.

The four pathways: Financial and Risk Management, Financial Law and Banking Regulations, FinTech and Analytics, and Global Consulting, prepare our students for increasingly data-centric, digital, and compliance driven business models in financial services industry. Our courses extend the traditional financial and accounting courses to new emerging areas such as behavioral finance, blockchain, data visualization, forensic accounting, corporate restructuring and insolvency. We ensure that learning for our students goes beyond just the classroom. Students are provided with learning opportunities from distinguished industry professionals who visit our campus. We also help our students earn further professional degrees such as CFA, CS, CA, CIMA, and CMA.

New Skills and Interdisciplinary Education for Changing Industry 

Our course structure ensures that students acquire key quantitative and analytical skills through learning cutting-edge analytical software and programs such as SPSS, SAS, STATA, Tableau, RPA tools and Python that are used to analyze financial data. Our students learn from expert corporate lawyers how to read and draft legal aspects of financial contract.

At JSBF, students are encouraged to broaden their horizons and discover other areas of interest. You are offered various electives from a range of optional courses within JSBF as well as from other schools (business, law, public policy, liberal arts, art and architecture, behavioral sciences) in the University.

Students will be well prepared for acquiring and sharpening the skills that will be required both in India and globally.

Expert Faculty

O.P. Jindal University (JGU) has 71 full-time international faculties from 32 countries and regions around the world, making it a truly global and diverse educational institution. All our faculty members are from esteemed leading national and international institutions across the world including IIMs and IITs. Our faculty brings not only academic learning but also practical and global experience to the class-room to guide and help students prepare for their future. Students truly learn from best of the best here!

Global Opportunities for Learning

JGU has forged international collaborations with some of the best educational institutions in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Students can participate in student exchange programs for one or two semesters. Students at JSBF have opportunities to earn second undergraduate degree from with our international partners under 2+2 program where they spend 2 years with JSBF and 2 years at the partner institutions. We also help our students finding opportunities for post-graduate education with our international partners.

Career Growth

We have a dedicated center for helping you find your right place in the world after graduation. Office of Career Services (OCS) regularly offer workshops, guest lectures, industry talks, field visits to recruiters’ workplaces, etc. that will help you in sharpening your résumé writing, communication, interpersonal skills, presentation, and industry skills.

Industry Collaborations

JSBF has active collaborations with industry stalwarts, policy makers, regulators, and entrepreneurs who have influence in the banking, insurance, and asset management sectors. They actively participate in the development of curriculum, participating in seminars, providing industry insights to our students through guest lectures, and engaging in relevant research and consultancy work. Students are encouraged to actively participate in these activities.”

Flexible and Dynamic Culture

JSBF program while rigorous, promotes overall growth of the individual. JSBF’s engaging and caring faculty encourages students to experiment beyond the norms of education. Leadership, team work, and conflict management is experienced in and out of classrooms. This helps prepares students to chart their career choice – be it in higher education, in the industry or government, as an entrepreneur, or expanding the family business. Wide variety of sports and curricular activities in the residential campus helps build bonds and meaningful relationships that will last for a lifetime.

O.P Jindal Global University (JGU)

JGU is one of the few universities in Asia that maintains a 1:10 faculty-student ratio and appoints faculty members from India and different parts of the world with outstanding academic qualifications and experience. JGU is a research-intensive university, which is deeply committed to its core institutional values of Interdisciplinarity and innovative pedagogy; pluralism and rigorous scholarship; and globalism and international engagement. JGU is among the top 3% of 13000 universities in QS Asia University Rankings 2019. JGU is ranked among the top 3% of 9000 universities in QS BRICS University Rankings 2019. JGU has been awarded the highest grade ‘A’ by the National Accreditation & Assessment Council (NAAC).

About the Authors:

Dr Anand Mishra

Anand Mishra is an Associate Professor and Vice Dean at JSBF. He has completed BCom (Lucknow University); MBA (MICA); Ph.D. (Louisiana State University).

Prof Ram B Ramachandran

Ram B. Ramachandran is a Professor of Practice and Vice Dean at JSBF. He has completed BE (University of Madras); MBA (New York University); Pursuing PhD (International School of Management, Paris).