Dr AM Sherry, Director of IMT-CDL & Chairperson-Admissions of IMT, speaks to SiliconIndia.com about their upcoming campus and trends in management education

Management education is becoming more and more specialized felt Dr. Arun Mohan Sherry, Director of IMT Centre for Distance Learning and the Chairperson of Admission of IMT, during an exclusive interview with MBAUniverse.com. Dr. Sherry, with more than 18 years of experience in teaching, said that the economic downturn had no impact on their MBA School. He is a PhD, MSc and MTech from IIT Kharagpur. His specialization is in the field of computer networks, inter-networking technologies and wireless communications.

Q: As the Chairperson of Admissions at IMT, have you seen any effect of slowdown in admissions this year?

A: No, in spite of recession, there has not been any effect on the admission process of IMT.

Q: Since CAT 2009 dates are already announced, can you give us some information about the admission timelines at IMT?

A: IMT will start the admission procedure from September. The forms will be available from the third week of September to November end. GDPI rounds will be conducted in January. Final results will be declared in March and the session will start from June 2010.

Q: IMT launched its Dubai campus in 2006. How is it doing?

A: Dubai is the modern business hub of the world. Our idea is to provide an international exposure to our students. The campus is situated in the epicenter of the world business activities. Our campus is doing well. It provides an excellent opportunity for the MBA school students to learn as well as to practice what they have learnt. We are providing MBA with the specialization in International Banking & Finance, Marketing Management, Project Management (Operations) and Human Resources.

Q: We learn that IMT is setting up campus in Hyderabad. How is the progress?

A: After the success of IMT campuses in Ghaziabad, Nagpur and Dubai, we are planning to launch the fourth campus in Hyderabad. Construction work is going on in full swing. Most probably, the first batch will start from 2011. The idea is to expand our horizons so that more number of students can be a part of the management education provided by us.

Q: As the Director of Center for Distance Learning (CDL) at IMT, what do you feel is the importance of distance learning MBA in these times?

A: The basic idea of distance learning is to provide education to working professionals. Those who are working cannot attend regular classes and neither it is always possible to leave the job in order to attend classes. But if they want to pursue management education, distance learning MBA programs are ideal for them.

Q: When was IMT-CDL set up and which distance learning MBA programs it offers?

A: IMT-CDL was established in 1980. IMT-CDL provides MBA and other management programs in the distance education mode. They are three-year Post Graduate Program in Management, two-year Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Management, two-year MS in Cyber Law and Security in collaboration with National Law University (NLU) Jodhpur and a one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Executive) for corporate tie-ups only. Doctoral level MBA programs are also offered by IMT-CDL. They are PhD. programs in collaboration with NLU, Jodhpur.

There are one-year Post Graduate Diplomas in Cyber Security, with world renowned Cyber Security Expert Ankit Fadia, Post Graduate Diploma in Taxation in collaboration with Taxmann, Post Graduate Diploma in Insurance Management, Business Management, Financial Management, Materials and Supply Chain Management, Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, Export Management and Retail Management.

We are also starting the PhD program in management and the MS program in Cyber Security and Cyber Law from this year.

Q: What is unique feature of IMT CDL?

A: There are several unique features of IMT-CDL like the personal contact program, digital library, self instruction material, video conferences to name a few. The personal contact program consists of diverse content for each paper. The digital library is available to our students 24x7. The self instruction manual is self explanatory study material. It consists of simple notes that students can understand all by themselves without taking anyone’s guidance. It consists of a number of case studies to help them understand better. The video conference and study centers are also available to all the students.

Q: Finally, what are some new trends in the management education of late?

A: Management education is getting more and more specialized now. There are various specializations which have emerged in the field of management. One of them is International Business which is an integral component of management especially in the era of globalization. Apart from that, there is Retail Management, Hospital Management, Financial management to name a few.