IIM-B to start maiden UG school in August

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) is set to commence its inaugural undergraduate school in August, marking a significant milestone in the institution's history. The new undergraduate program, under the banner of the Dorabji Tata School of Undergraduate Studies, will operate from a separate campus, approximately 27 kilometers from IIM-B's main campus. The initiative is supported by a grant from Tata Trusts.

Dinesh Kumar, director-in-charge of IIM-B, expressed the institute's nervousness at handling the new age category of 17-year-old students for the first time. Prof. Kumar emphasized that the program aims to create a world-class institution inspired by the legacy of the ancient Nalanda University. The institute will offer two four-year, full-time residential programs, commencing in August, with a B.Sc. (Honours) in Economics being the first course to be introduced.

The curriculum for these programs will be interdisciplinary, integrating data science, economics, and business studies to prepare students for the complex, data-intensive market environment of the future. IIM-B will admit 40 students to each of these courses. The institute's approach is informed by a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which found that nearly 95% of artificial intelligence (AI) projects fail due to a lack of understanding of the technology.

Prof. Kumar stressed the importance of institutions like IIM-B ensuring that individuals have the right understanding of these technologies to create value and impact.