SDMIMD with International Accreditation & Partnerships Marching on further Quality Improvement Resulting in 100% Placement; Plans to launch New Programs & Increase Seats: Dr N R Parasuraman, Director SDMIMD Mysore

SDMIMD Mysore, with high emphasis on Internationalization and quality improvement processes, is one B-school that has made rapid strides in last few years. As a result of all round quality improvements, SDMIMD has consistently achieved 100 percent placement with marquee recruiters onboard. From the year 2023, SDMIMD is planning to increase seats in its flagship PGDM program and is set to launch new programs also.

MBAUniverse.com spoke to Dr N R Parasuraman, Director, SDMIMD Mysore to know more about the recent initiatives and his future plans for the rapidly transforming management institute. Edited excepts from the interview follow:

Q: Please share the progress made by SDMIMD in the last few years
A: In last few years SDMIMD has made good progress in many areas. For example, SDMIMD has earned International accreditation by EFMD and now the third cycle of reaccreditation is scheduled by EFMD during Nov 2022. EFMD has also awarded BSIS impact certificate to SDMIMD. The institute has also earned International accreditation by ACBSP. The NBA re-accreditation and MBA equivalence by AIU awarded to SDMIMD programs have the validity till 2024.

SDMIMD is awarded Diamond rating by QS-I Gauge, the Indian wing of the world-renowned rating & ranking agency, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds). There is a great increase in the SDMIMD faculty research publication numbers in SCOPUS, ABDC, WoS and UGC-CARE journals. Ivy, SAGE and AIMA have published Exclusive SDMIMD faculty case studies.

SDMIMD has set up Language Lab and Multimedia Lab for student development and has  increased the number of Tie-ups with 16 international B-Schools/Universities of repute for Students & Faculty Exchange Program. SDMIMD has also signed MoUs with several Govt organizations like ATI, ANSSRD and with TCS (5 Year tie up) for value adding supplementary courses and internships for all students. A Tie-up with Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce for joint research & executive programs has been signed.

SDMIMD admission numbers are full at its 180 seats and the institute has achieved 100% placements with average salary package of 9.0 lakhs in 2021-22. SDMIMD has launched ESG (Environmental Social Governance) Certification courses and has participated in AICTE facilitated Government schemes. SDMIMD has registered with NAD, NDR, AISHE among others. SDMIMD Alumni association (PRERANA) has been registered and is active making its alma mater proud. These are only some of the significant areas of progress made by SDMIMD in the last few years. 

Q: What are key USPs of SDMIMD for MBA aspirants? Please share
A: SDMIMD programs lay Emphasis on Social Responsibility and dedicated courses on ethics & values. Its PGDM programme is AICTE approved, NBA Accredited and has MBA Equivalence by AIU. With its consistent quality improvement, SDMIMD has earned International Accreditation by EFMD and ACBSP and continues to be a Member of AACSB.

SDMIMD Faculty has rich experience in academia and industry. Several of them have international teaching experience and have an approach with Innovative and Contemporary Pedagogy.  

SDMIMD has International tie up arrangements with 16 global universities and offers opportunity for around 30 to 35 students to spend a term abroad under student exchange, without tuition fee there. The National and international programme accreditations and ratings are creating new avenues for the students.

SDMIMD has high batch diversity with Students from 20 states across India offering Great Learning environment with personal development of students. The institute has a Consistent 100% placement record with the best corporates among the regular recruiters

SDMIMD is one of the site license holder institutes for Harvard Business Review (HBR) publications for their books, case studies and teaching materials. Meritorious students are offered Scholarship worth Rs. 75 lakhs and Collateral Free Educational Loan from State Bank of India under SBI Scholar Loan Scheme (Up to Rs.20 Lakhs) and from HDFC Credila (Up to Rs.12 Lakhs)

SDMIMD campus offers State of the art facilities for students including single-room accommodation and AC Classrooms, Student Involvement in Research, Clubs, Fests. SDMIMD has Best Architecture Awarded Campus.

Q: SDMIMD has been placing lot of emphasis on Internationalization, Accreditations and Rankings. Please share the achievements
A: SDMIMD belongs to the Dharmasthala Trust renowned for its philanthropic activities for the last 600 years. We have our campus in Mysore which provides residential learning to 400 students for Post-Graduate Management programs, every year. The principal program is the 2-year PGDM (equivalent to MBA), and the students go through a host of compulsory courses, electives, projects, and cases apart from a 2-month summer internship in between the two years. This program has been recognized by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and has been internationally accredited by ACBSP, and EFMD. We are members of AACSB as well. Recognizing the impact that our Institute has been having on its stakeholders, students, corporate bodies, regional eco-system, and the society at large, EFMD has accorded the BSIS certification to us earlier this year. Recently, our Institute has been rated in the topmost Diamond category by I-Gauge, the Indian wing of the world-renowned QS rankings.

EFMD Program Accreditation: Recognizing the quality of management education and internationalization, Global accreditation body European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) has renewed the prestigious EFMD Program Accreditation to SDMIMD's flagship PGDM program. SDMIMD is the first Indian B-school to receive EFMD Program Accreditation.

ACBSP Accreditation: SDMIMD received the international accreditation from Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), USA, for the 2-Year Residential flagship programme – Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The accreditation is valid for 10 years. SDMIMD is the first and only B School in India to get dual accreditation from EFMD and ACBSP. These accreditations help students to learn from an environment that meets global quality standards and international orientation.

QS I Gauge: Recognizing the overall excellent practices at SDMIMD, QS I Gauge, the Indian wing of the global ranking agency QS World Rankings, London, has rated us in the highest Diamond category. These rankings and accreditation are a vindication of our efforts towards total quality. These have certainly helped us in our visibility and consequently better acceptance by the corporate houses and admission-aspirants.

BSIS: The BSIS Impact quality stamp to SDMIMD has added another feature to the cap with 2 International Accreditations. The BSIS impact has made SDMIMD to identify, measure and assess the impact on society at large.

NBA: The renewed accreditation by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) has continued to inspire us to maintain the best practice.

Q: Which top International Institutes are the present academic and student exchange partners of SDMIMD?
A: SDMIMD International partners Academic and students exchange programs include Texas A&M University, USA; Kennesaw State University, USA; University of Montevideo, Uruguay; Shanghai University, China; National Sun-Yat-Sen University, Taiwan; Business Analytics Institute, France; Heilbronn University, Germany; Porto Business School, Portugal; Montpellier Business School, France; EAE Business School, Spain; University of Bordeaux, France; United Business School, Belgium; La Rochelle Business School France; ESC Pau, France; British University Dubai; Abu Dhabi University UAE)

Q: How has SDMIMD performed in its International Immersion program this year?
A: As part of the students exchange program 2021-22, select 28 students visited seven different international foreign universities for a whole term of study in last academic year. During the program SDMIMD students had an opportunity to study with many international students and were taught by several faculty from different nationalities. The experience of having different pedagogy is invaluable for their growth. The facility to do cases and projects with students of other nationalities and background enhanced their cross-cultural understanding. Further, the evaluation technique used in these schools enables students to be on their toes and prove their mettle.

Q: Are there any changes planned in the admission process for 2023-25 batch? Please share details
A: SDMIMD recruits students based on holistic profile of a student considering many parameters and weightages for final selection. They include Competitive Exam Score: 35%; Academic Performance: 25%; WAT & Personal Interview: 35% and Achievements / Work Experience: 5% weightage

Q: What are the Scholarships offered to the SDMIMD students? Please share details
A: SDIMD offers Scholarships worth of Rs.75 lakhs to its students. These are

Entry Merit Scholarship (Code: EMS): Rs. 75,000 for finally selected applicants with minimum 70% each in – 10^th Standard; 12th Standard / PUC 2; and Degree.

Empowering Woman (Code: EW) – Rs. 50,000 scholarships for finally selected woman applicants with minimum 60% each in – 10th Standard; 12th Standard / PUC 2; and Degree.

Student Exchange Subsidy (Code: SES): Students selected for student exchange programs abroad during the SDMIMD PGDM program may, on satisfying the conditions thereof, qualify for a subsidy ranging from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 1,25,000 based on the location of the host institute/university.

Student Merit Scholarship (Code: SMS) – 3 Students are awarded Merit-cum-means Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Performance in each Term during the PGDM Program

Q: What are the key initiatives being planned for students in coming year?
A: Some of the key initiatives are Academic partnership with TCS-iON; Academic and industrial partnership with BCIC; ESG certification. Besides, subject to regulatory issues SDMIMD is closing a tie-up with University of Montpellier and Panamericana, Mexico

Q: It looks innovative and interesting, please share more details about these Academic & Industry Partnerships
A: SDMIMD has entered a major 5-year tie up with TCS iON for academic enhancement. This is applicable from the batch 2021-23 onwards (current first year students). Entire batch of first year students will be enrolled every year. 10 courses have been identified initially which we are offering in the first year and early in the second year. For these courses, TCS iON will organize supplementary lectures on practical relevance. In addition, TCS iON will conduct internship (online) during the course program. Further, students will be entitled to appear for the National Qualifier Test, a prestigious test run by TCS for recruitment purposes. A Joint certificate will be issued by SDMIMD and TCS iON on completion of the above orientation.

SDMIMD has also entered a collaboration with Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) for setting up a joint Centre of excellence in Management Studies in the institute campus. The Nodal Centre in Mysore will be called the BCIC SDMIMD Centre for Excellence in Management and will focus on holding corporate programs, training sessions, workshops, and leadership conclaves with the support of the corporate executives of the member Institutions of BCIC.

The ESG - Environmental-Social-Governance certification is to inculcate the ethical orientation among students who eventually become the drivers and captains of the industry after passing out. The flagship program of the Institute being the two-year full-time residential PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) program has incorporated the ethical and value-based components in all the courses wherever possible. In line with the movement to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the UN, and the prominence being given to the Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) dimensions, SDMIMD will be offering a modular specialization and certification for students to study ESG-related courses in addition to their chosen PGDM specialization. The Institute has planned several activities in this regard including MDPs, conferences, and conclaves.

In summary, this initiative on the ESG in several associate ways is focused at Enhanced value creation for the student in terms of knowledge, openings for analysis, synthesis, and creativity, Enhanced opportunities for esteemed employers who value the ESG focus to employ our students certified with ESG courses

Q: How does SDMIMD plan to improve further? What are future plans…
A: SDMIMD is planning to increase intake of PGDM to 240 from 2023-25 and is Starting Specialized PGDM in Hospital Management. SDMIMD is also launching 3 nation 1 year certificate course in collaboration with University of Montpellier and Panamericana, Mexico and subject to regulatory constraints, SDMIMD is launching a training program for MBA in association with overseas Universities. The ESG Centre at SDMIMD  is being developed into a hub of knowledge and study

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on SDMIMD, Mysore