What is the Tech MBA IDDD at IIT Madras? How do I get in? Why should I do it?

What is the IDDD Tech MBA program at IIT Madras?

The Tech MBA program at IIT Madras is specifically designed for students with a solid technical background who wish to enhance their managerial skills and explore business opportunities in the technology sector. The program integrates technical expertise with business acumen to prepare graduates for leadership roles in technology-driven industries. It is separate from the MBA course offered by the Department of Management Studies (DoMS), which covers a broader range of business topics and is suitable for students from diverse educational backgrounds. In addition to the Director and Deans of the Institute, the Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Dual Degree Program comprises representatives from potential recruiters such as McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, EY, Google, the Stern School of Business, Amazon, and more.

Who is eligible?

The IDDD Tech MBA is a five-year program, with management courses offered from the third year to complete the fifth year in DoMS. UG students of engineering disciplines in IIT Madras can take the Tech MBA dual degree course based on academic performance and CGPA. The student must acquire 174 credits from DoMS, including 30 from project and the rest from the engineering curriculum. Twenty core courses and four electives have been proposed, with Capstone and Industrial projects to integrate classroom learning and industry implementation.

Curriculum and Courses

There are three-course categories: 

• Functional Core: 8 courses accounting for 66 credits help gain insights into business functions from operational and strategic perspectives in domestic and international business contexts to building teamwork and leadership skills for different work environments. 
• Performance Analytics: 6 courses accounting for 39 credits deal with training to dabble with models and tools of business research and management practice, applying qualitative and quantitative techniques to decipher complex business problems, and converting findings from analytics projects into effective and efficient action plans.
• Transformation Technologies: 6 courses accounting for 39 credits aim to develop an understanding of enterprise transformation through digital technologies and innovative solutions addressing environmental, social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of business problems.

Some of the courses offered in this program are:

• Management Thought and Practice
• Marketing Management
• Modern Corporate Finance
• Foundations of Business Analytics, and more

What after Tech MBA?

The Tech MBA dual degree has been instrumental in helping students bag non-core placement opportunities in Financial Institutes like JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citi, Axis Bank, and ICICI; consulting companies like EY, McKinsey, BCG, FinMechanics; and e-Commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart. Representative career options include engineer managers, Management Consultants, and Technopreneurs. Most significant companies hire for job profiles like Analyst, Business analyst, Management trainee, Business Finance Manager, Consultant, etc. Many looks for specialized skills: for instance, EY looks for candidates with robust financial modeling and analytical skills, and Ola prescribes significant interest in probabilistic models, optimization, etc. E-Commerce organizations like Flipkart called for Financial Analyst posts, looking for talents like financial planning and budgeting, reporting, Market/sector analysis, and more. Practical skills that all recruiters looked for in common include strategic decision-making, the development of new products for their business and global expansion, and the capability to implement innovative tech solutions to improve certain areas in social and business contexts. You can look at the AskIITM Placement website for more information. 

How is IDDD in Tech MBA different from traditional MBA?

Since the program starts in the third year of the BTech curriculum, there is an opportunity for the student to take up a management-related summer internship at the end of the fourth year. Students can utilize the final year for an exchange program or internship in a different location. The Tech MBA is an accelerated program that helps students gain management expertise along with engineering. Electives are widespread over several domains that the students may opt to major in. There are specialized electives in Tech MBA covering subjects like artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and technology entrepreneurship. The program aims to bridge the gap between technology and business, enabling graduates to excel in managerial positions that require a strong understanding of both domains. The traditional MBA program, being more general, provides career opportunities across various industries and functional areas.

To get more information on the program, visit here