IIM-L Inks Pact With ESCP Europe

Lucknow: Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM-L) inks pact with the ESCP Europe, a European business school, to offer a dual degree programme. Students now will able to walk away with dual management degrees from IIM-L and ESCP, Europe. As per sources, a co-operation agreement, to this effect, was inked between the two business schools on January 12, 2011. The IIM-L and ESCP Europe dual degree programme agreement has been signed for a period of five years.

Also, the dual degree programme will debut at IIM Kolkata campus, with effect from the academic session 2011-13. Devi Singh, Director, IIM-L, has said that the dual degree programme has been available to students of IIM-L since 2003. The aim was to expose our students to the European business markets and job conditions. He added that they have decided to extend this facility and alter a few clauses for everyone's benefit.

Moreover, the new edition of the dual degree programme, which will be offered to students from the academic session starting June 2011, will only be open to students of post graduate programme (PGP) in business management at IIM-L. For enrolling to the course, students will be selected by an in-house panel of the two institutes. In addition, IIM-L and ESCP, Europe will also set up a joint interview panel, including at least one representative from each institution, who will award a mark to each applicant for an oral interview. Selected students are not required to pay any additional fee for pursuing the dual degree.

According to the agreement of the dual degree agreement, an exchange of students and faculty members from IIM-L and ESCP Europe in programmes at both academic institutions will also be undertaken. Besides, as per the prescribed curriculum of the dual degree programme, students who enrol will need to complete Semester I, from June to December 2011, at IIM-L. The period between January and May, 2012 will be spent at ESCP Europe, Paris campus, while students will have to attend internship programmes between June and August 2012. In the second year of the PGP programme, from September to December 2012, IIM-L students will continue their study at ESCP Europe, and return in the last semester, from January to March 2013, to IIM-L.

Students pursuing the dual degree during their period at ESCP, Europe will be assessed by the host institute using the same measures as for regular local students. Also, the performances of students enrolled in the dual degree programme will be monitored by a supervisory committee which will comprise of permanent faculty from both institutes. Apart from monitoring students accepted into the programme, the committee will also be responsible for pre-selecting students for participation in the programme and putting together the assessment panel for the Master's thesis.

(Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com)