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IRMA – Integrating Rural and Modern management Acumen

Dr. Verghese Kurien transformed dairy farming in India. He understood the importance of professional management in the rural sector. An engineer by profession, he took it upon himself to streamline and build a robust supply chain while managing the Kaira Cooperative in 1950. Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) is a manifestation of his idea and was established in 1979.

If this story inspires you, then IRMA is the right place for you. IRMA offers a two-year residential Post Graduate Diploma in Management in Rural Management. The course is designed to transform its students into managers equipped to understand the rural sector's real management problems and serve the economy's under-served segments using 'modern management acumen.'

Management acumen is defined as a mix of knowledge and skill fuelled by experience in the respective area. Here are FOUR ways how IRMA helps integrate rural and modern management acumen in its students:

IRMA Campus

Modern Curriculum

IRMA's curriculum follows a multidisciplinary approach. Students are taught to understand, define, and re-define problems within and outside the formal boundaries. This inculcates problem-solving and decision-making, where they are motivated to arrive at new and unique solutions for existing complex situations.

All the courses – core and electives – infuse experiential learning. As an IRMA student, you will get to study subjects like Rural Society and Polity, Rural Development, Legal Environment of Business, Agriculture Input Marketing, Written & Oral Communication, Cost & Management Accounting, Rural Innovations, E-Business for Rural Enterprises, and Data Mining and Business Analytics. These are a blend of courses focusing on rural, core, and modern management in the rural context.

Communicative Pedagogy

From day one, IRMAns are introduced to real-world problems and cases, which form the basis of their learning. These, coupled with simulations, practical work, project presentations, writing papers, and guest lectures, give a holistic learning experience. The classroom teachings specifically focus on understanding management from a rural context with a modern take.

Naranpur Express is an excellent example of the communicative pedagogy followed at IRMA. It is a simulation game developed by the IRMA faculty based on the fieldwork conducted in the Naranpur village in Gujrat. Click here to know more.


Intensive Field Work

Experiential learning forms the basis of PGDM(RM) at IRMA. Students undergo intensive fieldwork to understand the socio-economic situation of the rural sector. There are three segments to it -

  • Induction Fieldwork Segment – 4 to 5 Says
  • Village Fieldwork Segment – 8 Weeks
  • Summer Internship Segment – 9 Weeks

The aim of the rigorous fieldwork is to help students –

  • Understand and observe rural households and different aspects of the village economy, society, and polity.
  • Build a deep understanding of the working of cooperatives, dairying, agribusiness, rural finance, microfinance, and rural marketing.
  • Work and interact with experienced professionals.

Effective Management and Leadership

The General Body, IRMA Society, and Board of Governors are the three pillars of IRMA administration. They have members of co-operatives & developmental organizations, public admiration, eminent academicians, alumni, and faculty members. Together they steer IRMA in education, research, training, and consultancy apt for agencies serving the underserved segment. They also play a significant role by influencing the public policy narrative at the national and global levels.

Thus, IRMA integrates rural and modern management acumen in its students via its curriculum, pedagogy, experiential learning and effective leadership. Read here how IRMA is a pioneering institution in rural management.

If this excites you, please click here to apply now.

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Diversity, Uniqueness and Rural Ethos - IRMA’s Trinity

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