Second batch of IIT Bombay & WUStL Executive MBA programme launched

​Mumbai: At a time when an increasing number of foreign universities are lining up in India to offer courses to attract the Rs 350-crore executive education space, IIT Bombay and Washington University have raced ahead by launching the second batch of their unique executive MBA programme that focuses on creating global leaders for a bright future.

Director of IIT Bombay Prof. Devang Khakhar called this launch a new chapter for the Institute’s School of Management. “Our endeavour is to deliver top-quality education and maintain our reputation for excellence. The students will gain leadership qualities to help them become entrepreneurs and global leaders,” he said.

The joint EMBA program is an 18-month long inclusive programme that shapes careers. While IIT is a leader in providing technical education, Washington University is one of the best in management studies. The EMBA course gives an exposure to diverse cultures which is much required in a global economy. It will train a new generation of leaders with a global outlook and understanding of global dynamics.

The second batch comprising 28 students also has an equally rich student profile and diversity. Over 60 percent of the class are executives at the senior vice president level and higher. Students have varied academic backgrounds. One of the students Dr. Ravi Mohanka is an experienced surgeon. Head of Technology at Videocon Industries Ltd. Mr Akshay Dhoot has also enrolled for the course.

Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis Dr. Mark Wrighton welcomed the new batch while saying, “You can learn from your teachers as well as from each other. Commitment is an important dimension of success,” he pointed.

“The joint global degree is meant to equip executives with the tools, education and confidence to work in any industry in any part of the world as leaders in the new landscape of economic development. This also enables them to apply the concepts they learn while taking the course and know its impact in real-time,” pointed Prof. S. Bhargava, Head of Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management at IIT Bombay.

The EMBA programme is modelled after Washington University's internationally-recognized sister programmes in the U.S. and China. Olin's China program is ranked no. 6 by Financial Times. The 18-month program is for working professionals who can continue working while attending courses four days per month, from Thursday morning through Sunday evening, at Hotel Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The programme ends with a two-week capstone experience at Washington University in St. Louis. World-class professors conduct lectures for the first such Indo-US programme. Not only are the course offerings extraordinarily rich but the institute boasts of some of the best faculty in the country. The curriculum is rooted in innovation and leadership and students really get a chance to deploy the critical thinking skills they learn through numerous practical opportunities.

Mahendra Gupta, Dean of the Olin Business School said, “These students will be an important part of our robust international Executive MBA network in India, the United States and China. We look forward to watching this class take initiatives, transform and lead.”

Kurt Dirks, Dean, said, “We want this programme to be recognized as the best E-MBA programme and our students are our ambassadors.”

Kiran Shesh, CEO of IITB-WUStL Research and Educational Academy said, “These students bring a depth of experience from a diverse set of industries to march ahead towards preparing themselves as the global leaders.”