Company: DEAKIN AND APESMA

State: VICTORIA

Sector: EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

In 1996, Deakin University and the Association of Professional
Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia, APESMA, joined to offer an
MBA (Technology Management) by distance education in India. The first
students graduated in early 1999; to date, over 500 students have
enrolled, making it the largest international MBA offered in India. The
success of the degree allowed Deakin/APESMA to open an office in New Delhi
in 1999; they also expanded their course offerings to include a Graduate
Diploma and a Graduate Certificate in Technology Management.

While initially starting from an Australian based course, over time
Deakin/APESMA have built strong links with other Indian graduate
institutions to develop the course and meet Indian needs. For example, the
courses were customised by leading academics from the Indian Institutes of
Management, Ahmedabad and Kolkatta, and the Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore. This makes them the only international management courses on
offer in India that are tailored to suit Indian business conditions.
Deakin built links with Delhi University through student and teacher
exchanges, and APESMA has links with sister organisations in India. They
also are developing an alumni contact base.

Six Indian based staff support the Deakin/APESMA joint venture; their
responsibilities include marketing initiatives, office coordination,
student support and academic liaison. Melbourne based Deakin and APESMA
staff also support the venture by providing academic administrative
support. The future direction of this venture is to incorporate
international and Indian readings and case studies to make the original
Australian based course uniquely international.

Source: Deakin University/APESMA, 2001.