Over the past few decades, one of the challenges for Indian schools has been the inability to partner with institutions outside their country to offer dual degrees, joint programs, or on-ground campuses operated by non-Indian institutions. There is now hope that over the next few years those kinds of partnerships may be possible. An opportunity for Indian B-schools is on the horizon, as the demand for partnerships between international schools for graduate business schools is present.
In February 2021, The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, the governmental body charged with overseeing higher education in India, has put forward a recommendation to allow Indian institutions to partner with foreign institutions in the areas of dual degrees, joint degrees, and campuses. This possible change in regulation is a significant step for higher education in India.
Demonstrating Quality with Accreditation
Business programs have been in the lead asking for these types of partnerships. Accrediting bodies, such as ACBSP, IACBE, AACSB, and AMBA, have been helping Indian schools demonstrate that they meet the needs and quality standards of those in the United States and much of the world. These accrediting bodies have the power to bring institutions from different parts of the globe together to demonstrate quality and deliver high-caliber business education.
According to UGC, this new recommendation will make connections and collaboration easier for the institutions and ultimately benefit students. With this proposed change in regulation, the demand for partnerships between Indian schools and those outside of India will be higher.
Making Use of Lessons Learned
The process for partnering will be akin to the process used 20 to 30 years ago with Chinese institutions. However, the hope is that we have learned from those experiences and will refine how we partner to ensure the process for partnership with the Indian schools is more seamless and better regulated. If you remember, many institutions rushed to partner with Chinese institutions. The consequence was that Chinese institutions partnered with more than one external institution, and the cooperatives struggled to achieve the deliverables outlined in the corresponding agreements.
According to UGC, this new recommendation will make connections and collaboration easier for the institutions and ultimately benefit students. With this proposed change in regulation, the demand for partnerships between Indian schools and those outside of India will be higher.
The Demand for Dual and Joint Degrees
Indian institutions have a strong desire to offer dual degrees and joint degrees with foreign institutions, particularly in graduate business programs. Many Indian institutions offer a postgraduate diploma in Management (PGDM). By achieving a dual degree program agreement with a foreign institution, Indian schools will demonstrate that their PGDM will be equal to the MBA offered in that same school. In the past, because of governmental regulations on class size limits and admissions policies, MBA classes have not met the demand for graduate business education. The recommendation by UGC will open the doors for prospective students who aim to obtain a graduate business degree.
The danger is that there could be a “Wild West” like the atmosphere of institutions outside of India rushing to seek out Indian institutions. Indian institutions will likely aim to partner with institutions belonging to the top 500 institutions as rated by the Times Higher Education or QS World University ranking. It also needs to be remembered that the recommendation is not yet a regulation. Change in governmental regulations takes time, so it may be several years before Indian schools can partner outside of India. Still, it would be in the best interest of all institutions who plan to benefit from the eventual change to regulation to begin thinking about the benefits and implications now. When dual degrees and joint degree programs with Indian institutions are possible, the partnering higher education institutions will be ready.
Preparing for the Future
One of the key ways we can prepare is to ensure we can effectively demonstrate quality. The demonstration of quality is only one of the key aspects of conducting Assurance of Learning (AoL). AoL is primarily driven by governmental and accreditation agencies and uses quantitative and qualitative results to demonstrate whether learners have achieved learning goals. Peregrine Global Services has partnered with accreditation bodies to ensure higher education institutions can effectively demonstrate quality and have the resources needed to conduct efficient Assurance of Learning activities.
Our assessment solutions consist of summative, nationally normed assessments that are accreditation-based and customizable. Peregrine’s assessment is more than an exam, as we provide you with unlimited access to a wide variety of individual and summative data and reports that you can use to drive quality. Check out more on our assessments here.
