FAQ on EPGP

• What is the fee for EPGP course from IIMK?

Fee for 2 year ePGP course is Rs 6.99 lakhs plus service tax plus travel cost from your study location to Kozhikode (twice during the course). The fees is collected in installments and most of the amount gets collected within first 15 months of the course.

• Is there any other cost other than the fees?

Nope! Books and other relevant materials are provided by IIMK during the course study and candidate need not worry about the same. There could be cost associated with your travel to Kozhikode and your Hotel stay at Kozhikode (FYI our batch ePGP-03 could not be accommodated in campus) and all of us stayed at various hotels in city. For Term 3 on-campus session the hostel fees to stay in IIMK campus is Rs 750/- per day which makes it Rs 6000/- for 8 days stay.

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• How program is delivered using Interactive Distance Learning (IDL)? What is the effectiveness of the same?

There are various study centers in different part of cities. Before choosing a study center and enrollment for the program it is recommended for candidates to visit the place and talk to the seniors already enrolled in the course.  Normally center coordinators are helpful enough to guide you. Make your own judgment while deciding on the same. IDL platform has a computer with headphone and software where you can see professor delivering the lecture, a chat window to communicate and a video conferencing to do video calling with professor. One can raise a hand, ask questions. The effective of the program can be gauged from the fact that EPGP-03 has 19 candidates sponsored from PATNI (PCS) and 25 of them from SAP Labs. Oracle and other organizations (though my organization doesn’t) also sponsors for the ePGP program from IIMK

• How is the course broken up?

Course consists of Year 1 and Year 2. Year 1 for EPGP is general management and Year 2 is for specialization. Year 1 is divided into four (4) trimesters (terms) each of 3 – 3.5 months duration. Each trimester has 6-7 courses each with 12 – 14 credits. E.g. Environmental management is a 1 credit course and Marketing Management is 3 credit courses.  Most of the courses carry a credit of 2.

• How intensive is the course?

The key to do the course is to attend all the classes and participate in the discussion during the class.  This would help you get the depth which a professor would go while examining during quizzes and/or exams.  Each course has an average of 2 quizzes, 1 project, attendance/class participation and a term exam. Each of evaluation criteria gets added to final total for the final grade.

• What is the Return on Investment for me?

Depends on what you are looking for. If a candidate is looking for salary hike, positioning and other tangible benefits then this course if not for them. If a candidate is looking for learning, skill enhancement, get an understanding of other organizational functions like HR, Marketing, Strategy then this course is a good fit. On an average a candidate is supposed to spend 2 hrs per day for studying the course for effective learning.

• In case I miss couple of classes and am unable to attend because of business exigencies.

In such cases there exists an option where a candidate can request for session which is stored and can be viewed later. Please note that candidate needs to make such request in advance and it takes time to download the entire lecture. Also candidate can attend classes from other cities in case if that is a possibility

• How is the evaluation done?

Evaluation is done using quizzes (on line medium), project and assignment submission using Blackboard(Learning Management System software). All messages, notifications are posted on Blackboard. Term end exams are held in a separate location in a classroom with two invigilators. Please note that End term exam is a paper and pen based exam.

• In case I am posted onsite for short term/long term?

Flexibility is provided that candidate can do the 2 years course in 4 years. During each year a candidate can take 1 year break and can rejoin again with newer batch. However each such request is dealt separately by IIMK IDL office. Also newer fees applicable would be levied on such candidates.

• How do I get admitted to IIM-K EPGP course?

IIMK conducts executive Management Aptitude test (eMAT) with multiple choice format. Shortlisted candidates are then interviewed by a panel of professors. Then a final list is circulated. Typically the average selection ratio is 1:10 for EPGP.  Candidates with 50% or more are normally considered for appearing for eMAT to be taken for EPGP.

• How do you compare PGP and ePGP?

It would be un-wise to compare PGP and EPGP as both differ in their rigor and the candidate mix. Typically a candidate in EPGP has more than 5 years of industry experience and a higher level of understanding. FYI our batch’s average experience level was 10 years. Course for PGP is of higher rigor than EPGP because the course in EPGP has been crashed for maximum of 18 hours per course. Level of interaction in PGP is higher because of active participation. However the course is taught by same professors and course curriculum is almost the same.

• AMBA certification – Is there any validity for AMBA certification

Yes, AMBA certification is valid for 2 years and then institute has to re-apply for AMBA certifications. EPGP prior to 2010 was not AMBA certified as there was some mandatory requirements were missing like lectures on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Business Proposal, Business Modelling. During in-campus modules lectures on all these subjects were conducted and thats how IIMK could get their EPGP AMBA certified.

• Are there any places to see in and around Kozhikode/Calicut?

Yes, Calicut/Kozhikode is surrounded by beaches. There is a City Beach (1-2 kms) andBaypore Beach (20-25 kms from city) which is bit isolated and is not that crowded as Mumbai’s Chowpati/Juhu beach. Then there is Kappad Beach which is situated 16 km from the city. Buses are readily available from city bus station(New Bus Stand) you have to get down at Thiruvangure three KM away from beach,  a stroll along the stretch takes you to the beach where,Vasco  Da Gama the famous Portughese traveller alighted  four centuries back, in search of the land of fantasy – India.

• I am coming to Kozhikode for the first time. What are the souvenirs I can get from Kozhikode?

One can get wooden boats – both big and small one as a souvenirs. Karachi Halwa and Oman dates are famous as well. Karachi Halwa one can get of varied taste like pineapple, banana, dry fruits etc etc. One can also buy ‘Pathimukham’ a herb to be mixed with water while drinking.

• I am coming to Kozhikode for the first time. Where are the places I can stay

There are lots of hotel in Kozhikode with Malabar Gate, Renaissance, Maharani, SPAN, Hyson, Gateway to name a few. Please note that you can negotiate with hotels for a cheaper stay as many of the hotels offer 10-20% discount if a candidate is from IIM Kozhikode. Stay includes Bed and Breakfast as well.