Exclusive Interview with Dr. M. Sivagnanasundaram on JAGSOM's PGDM General Program

In an engaging discussion with Shiksha.com, Dr. M. Sivagnanasundaram, PGDM General states that JAGSoM’s PGDM General is not just a management programme; it is a transformative journey aimed at empowering students with leadership, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.

The PGDM General program at JAGSoM is carefully designed to groom students in concepts such as Branding, Human Resource Management, and more. It begins with fundamental principles of statistics, descriptive analytics, and includes industry experience.

Q1. How does the PGDM General program at JAGSOM differentiate itself from similar programs offered by other business schools?

JAGSoM’s PGDM General program is designed to accelerate the participants’ career in specific industry sectors that are thriving today by equipping them with necessary knowledge, skills, and network.

The following two features differentiate PGDM General program from other similar programs

1. Industry-Focused Curriculum: The curriculum is unique in a way as it offers not only the theoretical knowledge but also necessary skills through practical application such as live projects, practitioner sessions, invited talks, ensuring that students are ready to perform from day one on their job. Students can specialize in any of the following areas or a combination of these areas: Marketing, Finance, Digital Business & Analytics, and HR.

2. Career Acceleration Program (CAP): The Career Accelerator Program for PGDM General students is designed to provide specialized career guidance, helping students secure placements based on their functional specialization—Marketing, Finance, Digital Business & Analytics, or HR—within key industries that are thriving in Bangalore like IT/ITES, Automobile, Healthcare & Pharma, and Digital Platform Companies. The program offers mentorship from industry leaders and equips students with the skills necessary to get placed on their desired roles. Students will be mentored by senior executives from their chosen sector and specialization. These mentors will:

• Provide industry-specific inputs to understand the role requirements.
• Help students hone their skills for the chosen role and chosen sector. For example, marketing role in automobiles requires different skills comparing to marketing role in IT&ITES.
• Offer personalized guidance to students to secure roles that match their aspirations.

Q2. Can you elaborate on the balance between academic learning and practical exposure (like internships, and live projects) in the PGDM General program?

Yes, the academic learning gets reinforced through practical exposure. This is achieved through a three-pronged approach. First, at course level the students are directed to a course project sourced from the industry. Second, the participants of PGDM general program must do a capstone project that requires to apply all the learnings gained across the courses. Third, a long internship program in which students work directly with companies, applying their knowledge to solve real-world business problems.

Q3. How frequently is the curriculum updated to keep up with industry trends and evolving business practices?

At JAGSoM, the curriculum update is a two-stage process. In stage one, we undertake extensive exercise called curriculum rehash once in every three years. During rehash, Input is sought from Industry experts through round tables organized at different cities, Academicians from partner institutions globally, and from alumni. In stage two, the curriculum is reviewed annually to accommodate minor changes required in line with the rapid changes happening.

Q 4. How does the school incorporate emerging fields, such as digital transformation or sustainability, into the PGDM General curriculum?

As mentioned above JAGSoM revises the curriculum periodically. The courses on digital transformation such as Digital Business Models, Application of AI in Marketing, Fundamentals of Fintech, Blockchain for finance are already part of the PGDM general curriculum. Similarly, considering the growing importance of SDGs, courses such as green finance are introduced. Besides, topics such as ESG strategies and Circular Economy are covered in courses like strategic management and Economics respectively.

Q5. What kind of industry partnerships and collaborations does JAGSOM have to ensure that PGDM General students gain real-world exposure?

JAGSoM has established partnership with NHRDN for carrying out surveys and conducting roundtables for periodic curriculum revision. Besides, JAGSoM collaborates extensively with NASSCOM. We also enjoy relationships with BOSCH mobility solutions through which students were part of solving real world problems such as solutions to traffic problems of Bangalore.

Q6. Are there any specific programs or initiatives that the school offers to help students develop leadership skills, beyond the academic curriculum?

JAGSoM offers several opportunities beyond the academic curriculum to help students develop leadership skills. The first opportunity I would like to mention is the Personality Enhancement Program (PEP). The PEP focuses on building students’ soft skills, emotional intelligence, and personal branding to make them effective leaders. The second opportunity to develop leadership skills is to become a member of various clubs and committees. The club organizes various events inside and outside the campus such as KANYATHON, an annual marathon event focusing on education and development of girl child.

Q7. What kind of support does JAGSOM provide for entrepreneurship-focused students, especially those pursuing startup ventures or self-employment after the program?

JAGSoM offers a special track called Innovation Incubation. Students who wish to become entrepreneurs are welcome to choose this track. In this track, starting with Design thinking students are encouraged to develop their business ideas. The ideas are nurtured over time with the mentoring support of established entrepreneurs, VCs. Further, JAGSoM provides opportunities to incubate the startups. Teamoure is a successful beverage brand incubated at JAGSoM.

Q8. Does JAGSOM provide any opportunities for international exposure, such as exchange programs or global study tours, as part of the PGDM General curriculum?

Yes, JAGSoM offers opportunities for international exposure to its PGDM General students through international exchange programs. The international students visit JAGSoM as part of exchange programs through which students will get opportunity to interact with international students. Besides, JAGSoM students can spend a term abroad, if they wish to in any of the following partner Institutions such as ESC Rennes School of Business (France), University of Wollongong (Australia), Kedge Business School (France), The state University of New York

Q9. What networking opportunities do students have to engage with industry leaders, alumni, and other professionals throughout the course?

JAGSoM provides various opportunities for students to engage with industry leaders, alumni, and professionals.

1. JAGSoM’ s alumni network spans industries and geographies, offering students access to experienced professionals who can guide them in their career journeys. Alumni events organized by JAGSoM are

• Annual alumni meet named Milan, Periodical ones such as Bruch pe Churcha that is scheduled in every month in different cities.
• A series “Legacy of Leaders: Alumni narratives” by distinguished alumni sharing their journey experiences.Industry

2. Academia Interface Events JAGSoM parodically organizes events such as conferences, panel discussions, and Guest Lectures that bring together students, faculty, and industry leaders.  Recently JAGSoM organized AIM-AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium in faculty and doctoral scholars from all over the world attended. We recently conducted round table in collaboration with IIM-B on Service Excellence in which experts from industry participated.

Q10. How does JAGSOM support its students in building a global perspective, particularly in a business landscape that is becoming increasingly interconnected?
Firstly, The Programs offered at JAGSoM have coveted AACSB accreditation which is hallmark of quality that signals that the program standard is in line with Global standards. This helps the faculty and students at JAGSoM to connect with other accredited schools and offers global perspective. Secondly, the exchange programs offer the opportunity to interact with international students and by taking up the exchange program in partner institutions the students immerse themselves in other cultures, helping to build a global perspective. Thirdly, the Global alumni network also provides an opportunity to understand the business landscape that is becoming increasingly interconnected.