POST GRADUATE PROGRAM IN DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT
"Besides the strong alumni base and a welcoming faculty, the PGP-DM gave me a global perspective and has equipped me with the knowledge of Design & Systems Thinking which has nurtured and enhanced my leadership skills." Shreya Verma
before ISDM: Graduate and Fresher
after ISDM: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government
of India, State Coordinator, J & K
What is PGP-DM?
The Post Graduate Program in Development Management (PGP-DM) is ISDM's flagship initiative designed by leading academics and practitioners from both the development and management sectors.
The yearlong program blends ideas of development with concepts of management combines in-class sessions with a two week field component on 'Realizing India', and promotes collaborative group work.
Applications to the PGP-DM Batch of 2023-24 are Now Open | Start Your Application Today
What are the signature components of the Program?
A unique Context-Based Collaborative Learning pedagogy that enables students to understand the contextual realities and complexities needed to develop sustainable solutions for impact in the social sector.
A yearlong 'Writing in the Discipline' workshop that is meant to equip students to excel in written and oral communication.
Assigning Bricoleurs, learning mentors to each student to provide personal mentoring throughout their academic journey.
Overview
The Post-Graduate Program in Development Management is the only One-Year Program in Development Management globally that blends ideas of development with management theories, combining in-class sessions with collaborative group work and a field component. The program aims to develop a cadre of Social Sector Professionals who can design interventions, and build, lead and manage organisations for sustainable social impact at scale.
Duration
One Year
Location
Delhi NCR
Course Format
Full-time
Who can apply?
Graduates from any discipline
Curriculum
The 49-week PGP-DM is divided into 8 Terms of an average of 6 weeks each.
29 Courses (each course will be 10 sessions of two hours spread over the term) offered over the year fall into three clusters
1) Understanding Society and Development
2) Design of Interventions for Social Impact
3) Curated Development Management Courses
In addition, two modules run throughout the year in both formal classroom sessions and workshop mode:
4) Personal Mastery for Development Leadership
5) Writing in the Discipline
Terms 1 and 2: Focus on the Knowing component: Intended to build a deep understanding of development to prepare one as an authentic development professional.
Two-week Realising India immersion: The two week immersion in a district that enables the student to engage with ground realities from multiple perspectives.
Term 3 follows with the question, “What am I going to do about what I saw and felt on the ground? How can I intervene to bring change?” The Term delves into the nuts and bolts of designing an intervention by adopting a unique approach to intervention design that is anchored in a systems approach.
Terms 4 to 8: Focus on management – the what and how of managing a Social Purpose Organisation as well as customised development management courses.
Pedagogy
The teaching-learning process consists of lectures, case studies, workshops, group work, readings, and individual assignments to build the students’ knowledge and application capacities.
An integral part of the pedagogy is a signature component of the PGP-DM - Context-based Collaborative Learning (CBCL). CBCL creates opportunities for students to apply what students have learnt in the classroom in specially designed group work. Collaborative inquiry and co-creation, an integral part of the CBCL process, is supported by learning mentors called Bricoleurs.
Assessment
The assessment process is intended to support the learning journey of the student and drive excellence. Assessment of the student’s learning will be through a combination of
- Class participation
- Graded individual and group assignments
- Quizzes
- Term papers and examinations
- Peer assessment in the collaborative groups
- Assessment by learning mentors (Bricoleurs)
Fee and Financial Assistance
ISDM is a non-profit institution, committed to making world-class education affordable for students from all walks of life. With this in mind, we offer the option of deferred payment, to allow students with a genuine need for financial assistance to independently fund their course.
Fees (in Rs.)
| Caution Deposit after Offer Acceptance | 25 Thousand (refundable) |
| Tuition Fees | 5 Lakhs |
Financial Assistance (in Rs.)
| Deferred Payment | Upto 3 Lakhs |
| Interest Rate | Zero |
Career Impact
Students at ISDM have access to a range of unique and diverse career opportunities in the for-profit and not-for-profit space, with regional, national and international organisations, in thematic areas ranging from health and education to water, sanitation and gender, and in research and advocacy. ISDM's collaborations and partnerships with a wide range of such organisations ensure that students are placed to make a meaningful contribution to the development sector.
Students at ISDM have access to a range of unique and diverse career opportunities in the for-profit and not-for-profit space, with regional, national and international organisations, in thematic areas ranging from health and education to water, sanitation and gender, and in research and advocacy. ISDM's collaborations and partnerships with a wide range of such organisations ensure that students are placed to make a meaningful contribution to the development sector.
Placement Overview for 2019 and 2020:
The second and third season of placement at ISDM saw enormous interest from Social Purpose Organisations participating in the process. We had over 150+ reputed Social Purpose Organisations that shared 370 roles for 141 students of the two batches. With continuous engagement and feedback from our placement partners, students and other mentors, our placement process is refined to make recruitment simple for students and organisations and maximising respect of all.
Acceptance of our placement process and the participation of diverse organisations was proof of concept- that they recognise the value that ISDM offers. It also was validation for the fact that the demand for development managers and leaders exceeds supply. Diversity was another salient feature of the placement process- be it the age range of students to the kind of organisations that showed interest. Our students were placed in diverse organisations such as International and national NGOs, Corporate and social foundations, Social enterprises, CSR entities, Social Consulting organisations, funding agencies etc. The average salary for the two batches was 5.5 LPA and the maximum package offered was 16 lakhs. The package for freshers (0-1 years of work experience) in the batch was in the range of 3.5-6 lakhs.
Indicative Roles for PGP Students:
Students of the ISDM PGP-DM Program are prepared to take on various roles in development sector organisations, start their own for-impact organisations and in time, take on senior leadership, and management responsibilities in the sector. They come with a unique blend of understanding contextual realities and social change along with an understanding of how organisations work. ISDM students would be able to work in social sector organisations in a variety of different areas, especially in organisational roles. Some examples of roles they could take up are:
Program Operations and Management
- Understand the overall strategy of the organisation and translate it into program design
- Manage implementation, evaluation, monitoring and review of the program
Communications and Engagement
- Define and help build the overall organisational brand
- Design, implement and manage the overall communications strategy
Fund Raising (Retail, Corporate, Multilateral sources, HNI’s etc.)
Define and help build the overall organisational brand
- Build fundraising strategy and raise organisational and programmatic funds
- Engage with Donors/ Funders to ensure regular
Strategy & Data-based Decision Making
- Help chart out the overall strategy and positioning of the organisation
- Map all data flows; analyse and present data for effective decision making
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Work with the Board level CSR Committee to define the overall CSR strategy; find partners
- Design, implement and review the interventions; ensuring good governance and compliance
Government Relations and Advocacy
- Build collateral, submit proposals for specific areas of work with the government
- Build and manage relationships with relevant wings of the government
Strategic Partnerships and Alliances
- Identify potential partners based on the collaboration needs of the organisation
- Bring partners on board after due diligence and manage the relationship
Monitoring & Evaluation
- Translate the theory of change into an M&E framework; bring on board technical partners
- Ensure collection and analysis of relevant data sets to present overall impact of the work
EA to CEO
- Help CEO implement all the areas of work being done by the organisation
- Map all data flows; Analyse and present data for effective decision making
Co-Founders
- Collaborate with individuals who have started organisations in the development sector
where our alumni work
16 LPA
Higest Package Offered
6.5 LPA
Average Package Offered across 3 batches
Alum Speak
Abhishek Paluri
Founder of Social Purpose organisation
Priyanka Gupta
Batch of 2017-18
Gopika Agnihotri
Batch of 2019-20
Faculty Speak
Shankar Venkateswaran
Strategy for SPOs
I have had occasional interactions with students at ISDM for several years and when I was invited to design and run a course on strategy, I was delighted to accept. The reason is simple - ISDM attracts an extremely diverse range of young people who are united by their commitment to development and to serve. This commitment can be seen and felt during class interactions. ISDM's culture further enables students to think independently, interrogate what they learn and act with empathy. All important qualities for a development manager!
Ankur Kulshreshtha
Financial Perspectives
Teaching finance at ISDM over the last two years has been a fantastic experience! Not only were the sessions super interactive and engaging, but they were also quite intense too. The above is more worthy because most of them had no prior knowledge of finance or commerce. What distinguishes the ISDM scholars is the pristine quality of queries/clarifications they seek. Thanks to the very thoughtfully designed program and a dedicated program team that helps transform students’ thinking from a scholar to a mature professional. The focus on learning through various resources and new age concepts, such as a bricoleur, is unparalleled. I wish the program, the team and the scholars my very best.
Cohort 2021
Learning happens in the most interesting yet challenging ways when you interact with peers from diverse academic, professional, and personal backgrounds. Class of 2021 had a healthy mix of people who were from different states and brought varied experiences to the table. This mix allowed the classroom to become more dynamic and enriched the overall learning environment.
FAQs
Eligibility
You should, if you are compelled to make a deep, long-lasting impact and you see your future in the social sector.
You are working OR you have just completed your graduation or post graduation.
No. However, some amount of professional or volunteering experience is recommended (the average previous work experience of ISDM students is 1.5 years to 2 years).
Admissions
- Application Submission
- Online Assessment
- Personal Interview
- Offer Roll Out
Applications to the PGP-DM Batch of 2023-24 are Now Open | Start Your Application Today
Financial Assistance & Placements
ISDM offers the option of deferred payment to all its students of upto Rs. 3 lakhs, which is payable in easy, interest-free instalments. This allows students with a genuine need for financial assistance to independently fund their course.
ISDM has over 150+ placement partners in the sector and, as a result, we were able to assure 100% placements in the previous cohort.
The placement process at ISDM is student-centric, and not organisation-centric. During the placement process at ISDM, students provide our placement team with their preferred organisations and/or roles. Using this information, relevant job offers are sought and presented to them, and not the other way around. This reverse process is what makes our placements unique.
About the PGP-DM
The Post-Graduate Program in Development Management is the only One Year Program in Development Management globally that blends ideas of development with management theories, combining in-class sessions with collaborative group work and a field component.
The PGP-DM aims to develop a cadre of Management Professionals specifically for Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) who can grapple with the complex context of social change, design interventions, and build, lead and manage organisations for sustainable social impact at scale.
As a Development Manager, you will be able to understand complex social issues and design interventions, lead, manage and build sustainable organisations with cultures and values for socially relevant teams, to create sustained and scalable impact.
Comparison with MSW and Public Policy
While both an MSW (Master of Social Work) and the PGP-DM Program are designed to prepare people to work in the Social Sector, they are different in many ways. An MSW is geared more towards familiarizing students with how to do field-work and work at the grass-root level, and the PGP-DM Program aims to teach the management and leadership skills required in the Social Sector. The students who do the PGP-DM Program go on to manage and lead in the Sector in many different capacities.
Public Policy courses essentially examine how government policies can impact the lives of the public at large, how policy can be implemented effectively, and the factors that impact the making of policy as well. The PGP-DM, on the other hand, is a management course designed to prepare students to work on Social Sector needs. The biggest difference is that while Public Policy is a more theoretical discipline, a PGP-DM is more hands-on. Students who do the PGP-DM get practical exposure through Rural Immersion, Professional Learning Communities, and various workshops, and go on to work in Think Tanks, Consultancies, the government, and International NGOs as well.
