How IIMs are infusing values of liberal arts studies in management courses

NEW DELHI: Medha Dhall described her experience of the Post Graduate Programme in Liberal Studies and Management (PGP-LSM) at Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) as “truly transformative”. Dhall was a student of the third batch (2022-2024) of PGP-LSM at the premier management institute and now works as manager at Tata Administrative Services.

“I had always sought a course that would help me get a holistic understanding of management. PGP-LSM provided the perfect opportunity to develop a strong social sensitivity, a quality often missing in traditional Masters in Business Administration (MBA) courses. While the programme incorporates foundational courses of traditional MBA, it goes a step further by including subjects like social psychology, management of corporate accountability, and social transformations in India. This focus on social awareness equipped me with a well-rounded perspective on management,” Dhall told Careers360.

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IIM-K introduced PGP-LSM – a two-year full-time master’s programme – in 2020. IIM Kozhikode had pre-empted the multi-disciplinary approach of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and became the first among the IIMs to conceptualise this unique MBA programme – merging management and liberal studies, said IIM-K director Debashis Chatterjee.

“The programme was announced in 2019 and the first batch was inducted in June 2020 with an initial intake of 40 students,” he said.

Out of 21 IIMs across the country, only IIM-K has a full-fledged course in liberal studies. Others, including IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur, have faculty members in liberal arts.

In November 2020, IIM Bangalore had announced it will start a four-year UG programme in liberal arts from 2024, but that’s yet to materialise.

“By combining the technical expertise of business education with the holistic approach of liberal arts, students are better equipped to navigate the complexities of the modern business world and contribute to society meaningfully,” said Mrunal P Chavda, assistant professor of humanities and liberal arts at IIM Raipur.

The popularity of PGP-LSM at IIM Kozhikode has led to a gradual increase in the number of seats and more IIMs showing interest in offering such courses. Course alumni support this growth while recommending the PGP-LSM to Common Admission Test (CAT) qualified candidates.

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PGP-LSM at IIM Kozhikode

IIM-K director Chatterjee said PGP–LSM was started in 2020 considering the current gaps in management education.

“PGP-LSM intends to offer a well-rounded, holistic course that promotes an understanding of cultural, social, and ethical issues while equipping students with critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. A blend of the much-needed soft and technical skills, with an emphasis on communication and thought leadership, prepares our students to promote Indian philosophies, values, and business practices globally, enhancing India's soft power and cultural influence,” Chatterjee said.

“This unique offering is designed to integrate and equip participants to pursue careers in managerial roles in marketing, human resource management, media, social enterprise, hospitality, healthcare or in other people-facing roles.”

The popularity of PGP-LSM at IIM-K has led to an increase in the number of students admitted from 40 in 2020 to 53 in 2023 and 60 in 2024.

Riddhi Dhar, a student of 2023-25 batch was looking to utilise her skills in technical and strategic fields after earning a BA (Hons) Sociology from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College for Women. “I thought this programme was unique and a perfect blend of sociology and management. You get the best of both management and liberal studies. Learning is interdisciplinary in nature and helps bridge the gap between society and business management,” she said.

Kavya Piyushbhai Thakar who completed her PGP-LSM in April 2024 is working as category manager at the e-commerce site, Meesho, a job she secured during campus placement.

“I wanted to study an MBA course which had a humane side of business management. I got to know about this course while looking at course curriculums offered by IIMs on the internet. The PGP-LSM course has subjects like sociology, social psychology, history and others,” she said.

IIM Liberal Arts: Fee and diversity

The fee of the two-years PGP-LSM course is Rs. 20,50,000.

“The PGP programmes (including PGP-LSM) have the lowest fees amongst top IIMs in the country. IIMs are not covered by the government for running the programmes and the fees cover the expenses for each of the programmes. Moreover, educational loans are easily available to students at our institution. Hence, it is not a deterrent. Further, we don’t believe fees affect diversity. Scholarships are also available at the institute,” he said.

“All the programmes, including PGP-LSM, attract students from a variety of backgrounds – education, social strata, cultural strata, experience strata etc. This diversity of backgrounds is the strength of public institutions such as ours which helps students develop a deep understanding of the subject and helps them contribute back to the society.”

Dhar added: “My peers have come from diverse backgrounds like pharmacy, engineering, law, commerce etc. They bring fresh and new perspectives in discussions.”

In Thakar’s batch, there were people from science, arts and design backgrounds. “The diversity helped me get different points of view during discussions in classrooms and outside. It has been an enriching experience for me to study this course. I will definitely recommend this course to CAT aspirants,” she said.

Curriculum and placements

Chatterjee said PGP-LSM course is driven by the industry's need to hire and retain well-rounded management graduates and aligns with the growing recognition of interdisciplinary education globally.

“The carefully curated programme’s curriculum integrates liberal arts with management education and has been well-received for its innovation and relevance to contemporary business challenges. The success stories of the previous batches in various industries have further strengthened the demand for the PGP-LSM course,” he said.

A summer internship in the first year is followed by a “rural immersion” and an “international immersion” in the second.

“Rural immersion involves field-based experiential learning to solve rural problems innovatively. By broad-basing management education and practice, this unique experience helps bridge community-institution gaps by adopting villages and work towards their holistic development; understand village economy, socio-political underpinnings of social and individual behaviours of villagers and realising what management skills work or do not work in the setting. The international immersion module is aimed at providing participants with a definitive international experience that involves both academic instructions as well as experiential and cross-cultural learning, including visits and interactions with relevant local businesses,” Chatterjee said.

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It offered Dhall “invaluable” first-hand experiences through international immersion in Japan and rural immersion in the villages of Kerala. “These provided me with a crucial grassroots understanding of societal issues and the opportunity to contribute directly at the local level,” she said.

IIM-K has been receiving tremendous response for this programme from the industry and all the four batches that have graduated witnessed 100% placement, said Chatterjee.

In other IIMs

Even though IIM Raipur does not have any formal full-fledged liberal arts course, it is integrating the values of liberal arts into its courses in several ways.

“The curriculum at IIM Raipur is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of various management theories, soft skills, and analytical methods. This holistic approach aligns with the principles of liberal arts education, emphasising a broad-based, interdisciplinary understanding of knowledge. Our students have the opportunity to choose from a range of elective courses which give them unique chances to explore the intersection of humanities, innovation, and leadership. This reflects the institute's commitment to infusing liberal arts values into its courses,” said Chavda.

IIM Raipur, Birmingham City University, UK and Ronkel Media Education and Research Institute, Mumbai, offer an elective from the ‘Going Global Academic Industry Program’ of the British Council. It also offers the elective ‘Bridging humanities and innovation change management through creative entrepreneurial leadership’ to integrate liberal arts into its courses.

IIM Ranchi has seven faculty members in its ‘Liberal Arts and Sciences’ area but they offer courses and electives that support the main programme.

IIM Bangalore said it is “still working” on the four-year UG programme announced in 2020.

IIM Bodh Gaya has integrated liberal arts values into its curriculum through various core and elective courses. “We offer a range

of courses that cover subjects such as ethics, philosophy, sociology, psychology, history, and sustainable development,” it said in a statement.

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Recognising the growing importance of liberal arts in management education, IIM Bodh Gaya is exploring the possibility of introducing a dedicated programme that blends management studies with liberal arts. “While we currently offer various courses that incorporate liberal arts principles, we are in the process of evaluating the feasibility and design of a comprehensive programme similar to the PGP-LSM at IIM Kozhikode. Our goal is to create a curriculum that not only meets the needs of the industry but also fosters a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of business. We believe that such a program will significantly enhance our students’ ability to lead with integrity and innovation,” it added.