Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Offers new course in Infrastructure Management

Economic liberalization heralded the beginning of a new era of infrastructure-centric governance in the country. The Government is already putting in place a transparent and independent regulatory framework for the infrastructure sector, based on international best practices.

Path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved in the critical areas of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation. As such, an infrastructure manager today needs to have marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilising and administering project resources, engineering and technical skills for ascertaining the technological soundness of the project, and strategic environmental assessment skills to evaluate the location-specific social, economic and environmental impact of the project.

Tie-up

In a step in this direction, the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), in association with the School of Management for Infrastructure and Development Strategies-India (MINDS), is offering a new course — an MBA degree in Infrastructure Management.

MINDS is a division of the Centre for Symbiosis of Technology, Environment and Management, a professional research group with nearly two decades' standing in developmental research, consultancy and training. "With a huge investment requirement, estimated at Rs. 14.5 trillion, over the next six years, and a spate of new investor-friendly policies in the offing, infrastructure is set to become the most 'happening' sector. The immediate requirement of the Indian economy is a pool of holistically trained domain-ready infrastructure managers," said B. Bhaskara Rao, president of the Centre for Symbiosis of Technology, Environment and Management VTU and MINDS launched the first-ever comprehensive post-graduate diploma in infrastructure management (PGDIM) programme in August 2005 to meet the crying need for domain-ready managers. "What is new is that candidates now have a dual qualification option from the 2007-08 academic year. A student receives a PGDIM on completing the first year and an MBA degree in infrastructure management after the second year."

An important feature of the dual option post-graduate programme is that a student can decide to either study for one year for PGDIM or continue for another year for an MBA degree. The II year (MBA-level) comprises two semesters and includes an advanced internship by way of extended project assignments.

Both the PGDIM and the MBA degree are awarded by VTU. The highlights of the two-in-one postgraduate programme include a mandatory three-month period dedicated to corporate exposure and learning in the first year, with opportunity to work on live projects, and internship in the second year by way of project assignments.

The programme content includes Planning Tools, Project Management, Contract Management, Infrastructure Finance, Marketing and Financial Management, Information and Communication Technology Applications, Geographical Information System and Environmental Management.

Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Offers new course in Infrastructure Management

Disclaimer