IIM

Yes, the MDP program conducted by IIMs is worth joining.
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have a Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGP-MDP) for working professionals who want to enhance their skills and knowledge in the area of management while continuing in their jobs. So, whether you should join this program depends on your individual circumstances, your career goals, and what exactly you intend to gain from the program.

Some of the factors include:

• Reputation: IIMs are institutions of repute known for quality education and faculty. Networking: You would get exposure to a wide array of professionals with experience in different industries, hence widening the circle of people you know.
• Career Advancement: Having a management degree from such a prestigious institution as an IIM really helps your career take off and brings in opportunities for advancement into senior positions.
• Skill Enhancement: The program shall provide updated concepts, tools, and techniques of interest to executives involved in current business practice.

The eligibility criteria for different IIM MDPs vary from program to program and across institutes. IIMs offer a variety of MDPs in regard to industries and functions, targeting different experience levels, so parameters can vary from program to program.
Though the criteria are not very objective, the following are generally considered for eligibility to gain admission to the IIM MDP.

• Educational Qualification: Most of the programs require at least a bachelor's degree from a recognized university/institution. Some may also be particular about the level and nature of the education the participants have accomplished.
• Work experience: A good number of IIM MDPs target professionals with a certain amount of work experience. They could, many times, target the early-career professionals and, sometimes, the mid- and senior-level executives. Work experience could range anywhere between zero to as many years as is deemed necessary in the program.
• Industry and Role: A few MDPs also have industry or role specializations; therefore, rather indirectly, the person needs to be associated with that sector or function to some extent. For example, a program related to health management could expect eligible participants to have had their work in the health field.

The majority of students (37%) placed during IIM Lucknow placements received opportunities in the Consulting domain. The second in the sequence was the Product Management domain with 19% of the students placed.

IIML is ranked at 6^th position in the NIRF Management ranking 2023. The other closely ranked IIMs that a student might want to compare are IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta and IIM Indore ranked at 3^rd, 4^th, and 8^th position in the NIRF ranking 2023 (Management). For all four IIMs, Consulting emerged as the top preference among the students, with the highest placement rate. Around 33% of IIM Kozhikode students who passed out in 2024 received opportunities in the Consulting domain. For IIM Indore and IIM Calcutta, the placement share in Consulting was 25% and 40.50%, respectively. The detailed domain-wise distribution of IIM Lucknow and other closely ranked IIMs is presented below:

*The stats mentioned are for 2023 as the 2024 details are yet to be released.