Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is partnering with National Defence College (NDC), an apex inter-services training institute at New Delhi, to offer an Executive MBA Programme in ‘Strategic Leadership and Public Policy’.
This user-oriented program will last for one year. The programme will be for a 48-week duration with lecture-based courses and Practical modules including a thesis.
It is aimed at the intellectual development and strategic enculturation of selected senior officers of the armed forces of India and friendly foreign countries, along with civilian government services of India (IAS, IPS, IRS, DRDO, etc.), for higher leadership positions.
An MoU towards this program was signed by Prof. M Thenmozhi, Professor and Head, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Brigadier Rajesh Raman, Secretary, National Defence College on 27th August 2024 at New Delhi, in the presence of Prof. V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, and Dipti Mohil Chawla, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
Air Marshal Hardeep Bains AVSM VSM, Commandant, National Defence College, Prof. HSN Murthy, Professor and Head, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, Lt. Gen. P R Shankar (Rtd.), Professor of Practice, IIT Madras and other senior NDC Officials were also present during the event.
Highlighting the importance of this program, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The next-gen world needs managers with deep understanding of contemporary technologies. This MBA programme is conceived to address this need.”
Faculty members from the Department of Management Studies and Aerospace and other departments at IIT Madras, faculty from NDC and subject matter experts will teach the programme at the National Defence College.
The programme will have 120 members drawn from the Indian Armed Forces, Indian Civil Services, Indian Police Services and other organs of the Government. They would be selected after a rigorous screening process. The course also includes officers from friendly foreign countries.
While the Service Officers eligible for this program would normally be Brigadier or equivalent, the Civil and Diplomatic service officers are at the level of Director/Joint Secretary to the Government of India.
The main purpose of this MoU is to integrate technology-based leadership and policy issues in the curriculum and develop future leaders with knowledge of AI, Cybersecurity and emerging technology applications in strategic decisions.