IIM Indore IPM is the oldest of the lot, having begun in 2011. With four other IIMs (Rohtak, Bodh Gaya, Ranchi and Jammu) having started/starting their own IPM programmes, and with IIM Indore all set to conduct IPMAT 2021 on 14th June 2021, it is worth taking a look at whether it is a prudent decision to pursue the five-year Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) from IIM Indore.
Factor #1 – Brand ‘IIM Indore’
While it is an obvious fact that IIM Indore IPM was the first-of-its-kind when it was launched in 2011, it would be prudent to add the brand weight IIM Indore carries in general. There is an oft-repeated acronym, called BLACKI, amongst the CAT aspirants. You might already know what BLACKI is, but just in case, it stands for Bangalore, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Kozhikode and Indore (Note that this is just an acronym for convenience, and does not necessarily reflect the order or ranking, by any means). Noticed what the alphabet ‘I’ stands for? Yes, Indore.
The brand IIM Indore is unmistakably popular, and that has a bearing on the IPM programme as well.
Factor #2 – The course structure of IIM Indore IPM
The first two years’ syllabus can be broken into three blocks, as follows:
Block #1
Math – Calculus, Probability and Statistics, Numerical Methods get covered in depth
Block #2
Economics – Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics
Block #3
Humanities and Information Systems – Sociology & Philosophy, plus Coding 101
What can we infer from this?
The course is comprehensive and is probably the best combination to get a student geared to do an MBA. The electives in the third year should be able to cover basic accounting and marketing as well. From the point of view of getting geared for doing an MBA, this course is more relevant than either an engineering course or a basic Arts/Science Course.
Factor #3 – The opt-out mechanism and the outcomes
The option to discontinue the IIM Indore IPM course after three years (with a BBA degree) is available. Having said that, the 3-year BBA course standalone perhaps does not have a market reputation.
To explore further along these lines, we have to consider two different scenarios.
Scenario #1 – Admission into a better B-school
If the student secures admit to an even better B-School (read, the the BLACK in the BLACKI) via the CAT route, then exiting after 3 years makes perfect sense. With the fundamentals for an MBA in place, thanks to the BBA degree, the student, in all probability, will be all set up for the rigour of the two-year MBA thereon.
Scenario #2 – No admission into a better B-school
In any other scenario, the option of continuing would definitely be preferable. A MBA from IIM Indore counts more than a BBA, and that is something that needs to be kept in mind before arriving at a decision about discontinuing or continuing the IPM course.
Factor #4 – The placement: Where it comes to, finally
It is common knowledge that the IPM candidates sit for placements along with the two-year PGP students. So finally, the students are part of the IIM Indore placements. There are five batches of IPM that have graduated until 2020.
The following are the number of IPM students who got admitted into the IIM Indore IPM every year starting 2011.
| Batch | Batch strength |
| 2011-16 | 106 |
| 2012-17 | 100 |
| 2013-18 | 113 |
| 2014-19 | 96 |
| 2015-20 | 91 |
While we do not have tangible data on how many people out out after 3 years, and how many go on to complete the full five-year programme, the average salary package for the IIM Indore IPM are as follows.
| Year | Average IPM salary package |
| 2016 | 11.96 LPA |
| 2017 | 12.52 LPA |
| 2018 | 15.16 LPA |
As can be seen, there is approximately a 20% increase in the averaage salary package of the IPM batches, which is encouraging. While the placement statistics of 2019 and 2020 do not seem to give out the IPM averages explicitly, the trend from 2016 to 2018 has been positive.
In conclusion…
If you are looking at a management career and are at your higher secondary school phase now, IPM could be your cup of tea, and IIM Indore IPM is definitely a course worth taking a shot at. The aspect that any aspirant has to keep in mind is with respect to the opt-out mehanism. Unless there is a compelling reason – the best of which is an admission into a better B-school – completing the five-year programme in its entirety will be the best option. The curriculum and the financial benefits are there for everybody to see.
Source: IIM Indore Placement Statistics
Do keep following this blog and the Quora space on IPMAT to keep abreast of all things IPM. Sign up, here, to try upto 40 hours of IPMAT course content and kickstart your IPMAT preparation.
Stay safe and best wishes for IPMAT 2021.
Leave a Reply