FAST FACTS
Courses: PGDM, PGDM (IB), PGDM (Finance), PGDM (HR), PGDM (Executive), PhD
No of Seats: PGDM: 120 others: 60 each Campuses: Ghaziabad, Nagpur, Dubai, Hyderabad (2010), Admission: CAT/ GMAT, GD, Interview Placement Services: Available (claims 100% placements)
Collaborations: 45 active MoUs Fees: Rs.6-8  Lakhs

We have a certain competence in postgraduate management education only, as of now,” said Dr.Anwar Ali, Director, IMT when I quizzed him why they have not joined the chorus to be a ‘Deemed University’. It is this ability, at least so far, to appreciate and stick to its core competency that makes IMT score consistently among the B-Schools of the country.

Launched in 1980, as a stand-alone AICTE approved B-school at Ghaziabad, under the aegis of “Lajapat Rai Educational Society” with a PG Diploma course (both full-time and part-time) IMT in a span of 30 years,has grown to three campuses, with multiple programmes, but all within the realm of management.

What is on offer?
The flagship course is the Post Graduate Diploma in Management, with 120 seats. Following a trimester system, the course demands completion of 240 credits to earn a PGDM. The students have the possibility of focusing on either marketing or operations research streams. There are four named specializations as well, in Finance, International Business, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Anuj Kalra, a first year student proudly claims they are one of the few management institutes that offer Operations Management as a specialisation; though he concedes the number of takers are relatively less. The offerings in different campuses are provided in the table below.

Infrastructure and resources
The campus at Ghaziabad is the oldest and the most well known. Built over 30 years, it is a conglomeration of buildings, developed as and when the need arose. Agrees Dr.Ali, “Unlike the Nagpur campus, which is built recently and hence is integrated in every respect here we have evolved with time.” So classrooms are spread out, exam halls co-exist with dorms and hostels sport a very lived- in look. Says Manav Metha, a second year student, “We wouldn’t have it any other way. Compared to the soulless glass and chrome edifices our place has character.” But plans are afoot to build a totally integrated academic complex, with “state-of-the-art facilities,” Prof. B.D.Singh, Dean, MDP, intones. In terms of learning resources, the campus is well endowed and being aware of an MBA aspirant’s propensity to postpone to next week what can be done tomorrow, the library is open 22 hours a day, 365 days a year. And a running feud between a sleep-deprived (mostly self inflicted) MBA and the librarian is visible from the stern warnings in the notice board threatening dire consequences in case students walk into the library in unacceptable wear and use it as an emergency sleeping pad.
Programmes/Seats at a glance

Academics and beyond
Teaching at IMT is primarily lecture-based, and like any other good B-School, it has its share of projects and case-based learning. With about 56 out of 58 faculty having a PhD, IMT does appear to meet the criterion for a good school. When queried about the need for a PhD, the responses came thick and fast. Manav was first off the block, to vociferously assert that it is not the right question. Learning from practioners, someone from the trenches, as Neha Goel a HR student puts it, matters a lot to them. “Have a balance between academics
and practioners,” says Ashish. But as everyone acknowledges the actual learning happens with the ‘crowd’, the kind of peers one has, and students are proud of their peers. With over 80 percent of the student population dominated by engineers, though diversity does appear lacking, the learning seems great at least with those I met.

Getting on board
Entry into IMT is slightly difficult. With over 15,000 applicants vying for nearly 800 plus seats, they have a success rate of 1:19. Routinely only 90 percentile or above scorers in CAT are invited for the selection process and are assessed on the basis of a Group Discussion and Interview. Says Dr. A.M.Sherry, Director, Admissions, “The fact that more than half of my last year’s batch has at least two or more years of work experience is proof enough of the value that an IMT degree offers.”

Collaborations
“We are doing innovative projects, which even IIMs don’t consider.” The excitement in the voice of Dr. Jayanti Ranjan, chairperson, International Collaborations, is palpable. With over 45 operational MoUs, and 20 more in different stages of completion, she has reasons to be proud of. “The ability to experience for oneself the reality of a foreign business environment is priceless.” says, Rajeev Viswanath But only some things in life are priceless. Though tuition is free, you do pay for living, travel and incidental expenses. The experience would set a student back by anything between 2 lakhs to 8 eight lakhs depending on the city and location you choose to go.

Where does it all lead to?
The most crucial benchmark for a B-School is its placements and the average salary. IMT scores on both counts. Even in a bad year like 2008, they claim to have achieved 100 percent placement and the average salary is Rs. 8.09 lakhs. The number of MDPs too is an indicator of the output and standing of the institute. And MDPs too have posted a decent growth rate with nearly 2 crores of rupees worth of earnings expected in the current academic year.

Good is the enemy of great
IMT, Gaziabad, has the unique distinction of being a consistent Tier- 1 School. Take any ranking, it would always be between 10- 15 in the general category and within the top 5 in the private school category. With an average salary hovering around 10 lakhs, it is a good school to be in. Are they happy being where they are, I query. A pensive Director, after  the customary comment about how rankings are just a number, acknowledges they would prefer to be at the top at least among the private schools. But to do so, would mean they have to overtake the likes of XLRI, SP Jain, MICA and NMIMS. But more than that it would also mean overtaking some of the new IIMs, that have retained the brand value, just by association. Such a vision would demand quite a bit of restructuring and changes on all fronts, some of it more subjective than objective.