Q1. What is Fellow Programme in Management (FPM)?
A. FPM is a full time doctoral programme at IIMB. The programme is committed to train individuals who will excel in their area of research through publication quality work of international standard. This is a doctoral programme and should not be confused with master level programmes such as MBA
Q2. Can I complete the course on a part-time basis?
A. No, it is a full time programme.
Q3. Is it recognized as a Ph.D. programme?
A. Yes. Fellow Programme in Management is recognized as equivalent to Ph.D. by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Ref No.F.41-38/B-II/BOS (M)/92-AICTE/6319)
Q4. Who should do FPM?
A. Students/professionals who want to pursue a career in advanced research and academics (including teaching) are the ideal candidates for FPM. The applicant should have high scholastic ability, aptitude for research and excellent analytical skills. He/She should have enough motivation to withstand the rigour of the programme.
Q5. What is expected from FPM students?
A. FPM students are expected to do publication quality research of international standard and help IIMB faculty in their research and teaching.
Q6. Do I need to be an MBA for doing FPM?
A. Not necessary. The course work provides understanding of relevant fields of management. Different areas prefer students from diverse background to match the area requirement.
Q7. What is the level of rigour of the course?
A. The course is rigorous. It needs very high quality of academic commitment and integrity. It has stringent requirements at every stage of the programme. The candidates who fail to match the requirements may be asked to leave the programme.
Q8. Where do FPM students get placed?
A. FPM is oriented towards training students for careers in research. Such training is most highly valued by academic institutions. But leading Indian companies, MNCs, investment banks and consulting firms also value their training for certain positions requiring specialized research skills.
Q9. When are FPM students allowed to seek placement?
A. Students are allowed to seek employment after making their proposal presentations successfully and likely to defend their final theses in next six months. Students seeking employment prior to their final theses defence are required to take a no objection certificate from their DAC (Dissertation Advisory Committee) Chairman
Q10. Do FPMs have a separate placement process?
A. Institutes and firms looking for researchers generally contact FPM students and FPM office. FPM students also get placed through the PGP placement process. Generally people over these 4 years make sufficient contacts in the academic institutes and industry so that they have no problem with placements. There are no specific placement services for FPMs separately but that's not required either
Q11. I am working in a technical position in my company. I want to switch to a managerial position. However, I have not done any management course. My first preference is a corporate job. Should I apply for FPM?
A. You do not want to spend four to seven years doing doctoral work while you can accomplish your career goals by doing one to two years MBA programme.
Q12. What is the selection process?
A. Based on the information provided by the applicants, a small number of them will be called for Research Aptitude Test (RAT) and interview. A few areas also conduct area specific written tests prior to interview.
Q13. Do I have to take CAT for getting admission into FPM?
A. We encourage candidates to submit valid test scores from either CAT or GMAT or GRE or GATE but will also accept applications without any test score.
Q14. What is RAT?
A. The Research Aptitude Test (RAT) judges the applicant on the basis of his/her quantitative, analytical, language and research skills. RAT is usually a multiple choice type test conducted for a period of 90-120 minutes. The format of the test may change from year to year depending on the needs of the institute.
Q15. What is the purpose of area specific selection tests and the interview?
A. We attach high importance to applicant's motivation and research capability. Therefore it is natural that we probe the applicant's motivation for a research career, either in academia or in industry. We also need to know if the candidate fits well to the objective of FPM. The purpose of the interview and test is also to gauge the academic preparation of the candidate for the specific area he/she has applied. The interview also gives the candidate an opportunity to find out if the programme meets the requirements of the student.
Q16. How many students get selected per year?
A. The selection is area specific and entirely depends on the candidate’s performance. There is no lower or upper limit as such. Generally we offer admission to 2-6 students per area.
Q17. Do I apply for a specific area or can I choose my area after getting admission?
A. Students here are admitted by specific areas. You can apply to two areas but you must mention your preference for these areas in your application. Once a student is admitted to an area very rarely we allow the student to change the area.
Q18. Does IIMB allow foreign nationals to apply for FPM?
A. Yes, the eligibility criteria are same. However, foreign nationals do not get financial assistance and they do have to pay tuition fees. Please refer our website/brochure for details.
Q19. How much time it takes to complete FPM?
A. One usually takes 4-4.5 years to finish thesis work. Hence gets the degree usually in 5th year's convocation. However, there are students who have completed the programme in 3.5 years. Total maximum allowed time to complete FPM is seven years.
Q20. What's the degree/title that I get at the completion of the course?
A. You are awarded the title 'Fellow of IIM Bangalore'.
Q21. How do I sustain with my family for these four/five years?
A. IIMB provides one of the best financial packages for doctoral students. Currently the students are provided Rs 24,000/ pm as stipend. For details refer the brochure / "Financial Support" section of IIMB website
Q22. Do FPM students get any other financial support to meet academic expenses?
A. For details please refer "Financial Support" section of IIMB website
Q23. I think I might need more money to sustain myself. Are there some avenues available other than stipend?
A. What generally happens is if you are proactive, you can get projects to do with the faculty who are consulting to some outside organizations. And maybe sometimes on your own as well you can get assignments. Also, every year some FPMs get to be the teaching/grading assistants for various PGP courses. So that's another avenue of income.
Q24. Do FPM students get accommodation in hostel?
A. Accommodation is available subject to availability. However, students not residing in hostel get non residential subsidy of Rs 5000/- pm.
Q25. Do I have the scope to do interdisciplinary research?
A. Yes, In fact most of the research works done by our students are interdisciplinary in nature.
Q26. Do FPM students need to teach?
A. No, but they are encouraged to work closely with professors as teaching assistance and research assistance for which they are paid separately.
Still have an unanswered question? Ask us at fpm@iimb.ernet.in