Is PGEMP (Executive MBA) at SPJIMR worth it ?

Is PGEMP at SPJIMR worth it ? 

I would say 'Yes' if you are a working professional and want to continue working while completing MBA from one of India's Top Business School. It is a 21 month long modular program.

I was a PGEMP participant from 2016–18. It was a back to college experience for me while continuing to work. We spent 9 days in a contact at the SP Jain Andheri Campus and live in the hostel. It is an amazing experience and the campus life is really awesome.

About PGEMP, what I value most is the peer group we will have. You will have working professionals that even include very senior level people who have experience from very different backgrounds from the renowned companies. You will be able learn from their experience and network with them.

Classroom learning is really experiential. While theory is taught by World Class Faculty, practicality of these theories are shared by our own peer group only in most of the cases from their own work experience. The In Campus and Off-Campus assignments are rigourous. You really need to spend time to complete them on time.

One another important aspect of PGEMP is the Capstone Project which you can choose related to your own organization and can even be implemented.

To summarise, PGEMP was a little tough but a wonderful experience for me.

Efforts During Off Campus 

The off campus period is typically 10–12 weeks between two Contacts (On Campus Study). During the off campus period, we will have to go through the classroom learning's, go through some online modules, submit assignments (about 3 per week), prepare for exams, work on Capstone project etc. In addition, periodically we have to meet our Mentor (who will be a Senior from our own Organization) to discuss the progress on assignments and Capstone project. Mentor will also fill and opine on our progress in the quarterly assessment report which is to be submitted to the school.

While study time and efforts varies from student to student, the school estimates total learning hours to be over 1800 during the program. Out of this, about 12 hours per day of study time is required while on Campus. That is 720 hours (12 hours x 60 days) for on campus study. So, off campus learning hours would be around 1080 hours during the entire program of 21 months which is approximately 51 hours per month or 13 hours per week. By spending little extra time over weekend for off campus study would help us manage the off campus assignments.

On ROI 

I am unable to share ROI typically in terms of a numerical. However, I would say it is good. Most of my batchmates have been promoted since they graduated. With promotion comes increments, hence people definitely earn more post graduating. The most important point to note is that, it changes your trajectory of growth. Many of the PGEMP alumni go on to take up senior roles in their Organisation which definitely comes with higher renumeration & hence higher ROI at that point of time. Also, to be noted, many companies provide financial aid as part of their internal HR policy to take up this program. Financial aids range from full scholarships to paying part fees, giving paid leaves during contact classes etc. Hence ROI is very subjective and case to case for the PGEMP program.

Full Time Course ? 

PGEMP (Post Graduate Executive Management Program) is the flagship Executive MBA program at SPJIMR, Mumbai for working professionals. It is a Modular Program. It is 21 months long and having 8 contacts. A participant has to spend a total of 60 days at SPJIMR Andheri Campus during the eight contacts. Typically one contact is 9 days long and the contact classes are conducted once in almost every 3 months. Once a contact is over, off campus assignments have to be completed as per pre-defined schedule before the beginning of the next contact. These assignments are graded ones. Exams are conducted during the contacts at the campus.