We have seen an increase in Indian applications for the past five years: Judy Olian

Interview with Dean, UCLA Anderson School of Management

UCLA Anderson School of Management that launched the PGPX programme in India last year will have almost 50 executives attend it in the first session. In an interview with M Saraswathy, Judy Olian, Dean, UCLA Anderson School of Management talks about this programme and the way forward:-

The PGPX programme for Indians has been the School's first such initiative for Indian students. Could you elaborate on the programme?
The PGPX, being offered in partnership with Northwest Executive Education is a comprehensive programme that will cover all aspects of General Management curriculum. Here, senior faculty members from the UCLA Anderson School of Management as well as industry experts from India and abroad would conduct the entire programme.

How many executives would be part of it in the first session?

The first session begins in May 2015.  We are anticipating that 45-50 executives will attend it. This will be from May 2015 to April 2016. This will be held both in India and the UCLA Campus in California.

The alumni network for the School in India is also on the rise. Do they play an active role in admissions as well?
There are currently 122 UCLA Anderson alumni in India. They are in some of the top corporate and consulting firms in India. They do play an important role in helping us to create awareness about the institute and also assist in admissions and related queries of students. Further, there are regional ambassadors as well, apart from alumni helping in admissions.

Two of our current Indian students also hosted a webinar on March 26 to provide insight in to UCLA Anderson for fellow MBA hopefuls from India. Some 80 people registered to participate in the session.

UCLA Anderson also works with Indian companies for executive education needs. How has the progress been?
There will be approximately 35 different companies/corporations represented. We work on specific needs of each company and offer customised programmes for them. We work with the companies to understand your business needs and key challenges. Post this, specialised learning programmes are created. Further, top executives in companies can also take our Executive MBA programme which is designed for working professionals.

Has there been a rise in number of Indian applicants to the School?
We have seen an increase in Indian applications for the past five years. Applications are still coming in for the full-time MBA 2017 academic year, so I am unable to provide you with a total number of applications received this year. In 2014, there were 860 applicants (Indian citizens) compared to 512 applicants in 2013 and 267 in 2009.