The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode has become the first IIM to offer a unique MBA or PGP course from the 2020 academic year.
The MBA-LSM or Liberal Studies Management is a 2-year full-time Post Graduate Programme that aims to prepare the candidates for careers in managerial roles in marketing, human resource management, media, social enterprise, hospitality, healthcare or in other people-facing roles. The aforementioned career roles require a holistic approach and ‘Diversity of thoughts’ that the PGP-LSM aims to develop.
As per the official website of IIM Kozhikode, “The scientific method of teaching and learning alone is not sufficient for preparing future managers. There is a dire need for an alternative form of management education.” IIM-K has also introduced a new Master of Science in Finance (MSF) programme that will tend to the demand of banking and financial services sector for candidates with specialist skills and expertise in finance.
The online application for MBA-LSM will be available from 5th February to 31st March. Check all the details related to eligibility criteria, important dates, cut-off and selection process for MBA-LSM below.
PGP-LSM Important Dates
| Online Application Starts | 5th February 2020 |
| Last Date of Application | 31st March 2020 |
| Writing Ability Test and Interview | April/ May 2020 |
| Declaration of Final Merit List | May/ June 2020 |
| Commencement of Classes | July 2020 |
Application Fee
The application fee for PGP-LSM is Rs. 2,000. The fee is non-refundable and must be paid while submitting the online application.
MBA-LSM Course Fee
The course fee for PGP-LSM is Rs. 15,00,000/- (Fifteen Lakhs) for two years.
MBA-LSM Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline (with minimum 50% marks or equivalent CGPA) from a recognized college/ university.
OR
Candidates must hold a Master’s Degree in any discipline (with minimum 50% marks or equivalent CGPA) from a recognized university.
- Applicants must possess a valid CAT 2019/ GRE/ GMAT score.
- The SC/ ST/ PwD applicants will get a relaxation of 5% in the minimum marks/CGPA requirement.
- Students in their final year of graduation or post-graduation or candidates awaiting their result are also eligible to apply.
- IIM Kozhikode has also stated that candidates with Humanities & Social Science background will get an edge and their knowledge in the aforementioned areas will be the determining factor for selection.
MBA-LSM Category-Wise Minimum Cut-off Percentile
Applicants must meet the following cut-off marks in CAT/ GRE/ GMAT to become eligible for the second stage of the admission process.
| Category | Overall | Verbal Section | Other Sections |
| General | 80 | 80 | 50 |
| OBC-NC/ EWS | 70 | 70 | 50 |
| SC | 60 | 60 | 50 |
| ST/ PWD | 55 | 55 | 50 |
Note- The Verbal Section here denotes the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension in CAT and Verbal Reasoning section of GMAT & GRE.
The Other Sections here denotes the Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability of CAT, and GMAT and GRE’s Quantitative Reasoning section.
MBA-LSM Selection Process
There are three stages of the selection process for the PGP-LSM programme in IIM Kozhikode. These are as follows.
Stage-I
Candidates interested in applying for this programme must check if they are meeting the minimum eligibility criteria. Applicants can then proceed to fill the online application form of the PGP-LSM course. Only applicants who have successfully completed the application process ( after paying the fee) will be considered for the shortlisting process of the second stage.
Stage-II
Depending on various factors and eligibility cut-off, candidates will be shortlisted for the second stage. The second stage consists of Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. The factors affecting the selection is based on a computer-based AIS. The Aggregate Index Score (AIS) will assess the Verbal Section Score of CAT/ GRE/ GMAT, Class X & XII’s academic performance, work experience and gender diversity.
Stage-III
The shortlisted candidates will have to attend the compulsory WAT-PI rounds at any of the following cities.
- Bangalore
- Kolkata
- Delhi
- Mumbai and
- Kozhikode
The marks of WAT and PI rounds will determine the final selection of the applicants along with the management entrance scores.
Final Merit List
IIM-K will release the final merit list based on the final scores of aforementioned rounds.