Praxis was set up by a group of people with excellent academic pedigree and superior industry experience with a view to creating a high-quality institution that believes in the concept of Praxis, i.e., the translation of theory into practice, and making a compelling difference to the business world in particular and the society in general.
The journey so far
Praxis started the 2 year PGP in Business Management in 2007 in Kolkata with a small but high-powered faculty team, and an initial academic partnership with XLRI, Jamshedpur. Within 4 years of its beginning, Praxis was recognized for its potential by ICICI Bank who endowed its Dean’s Chair – a rare honour for a school so young.
In 2011 Praxis pioneered formal teaching of data science in the country by launching the one-year post graduate program in business analytics. This program grew in stature to feature within the top 5 programs in the country across various ranking lists.
Building on to its positioning of a school with complex and technology oriented business programs, Praxis launched a full time program in Cyber Security from its second campus in Kolkata and a full time program in Data Engineering from Bangalore campus.
A new but a significant name in the B-School fraternity
Praxis has ensured that the curriculum for the programs is comprehensive, contemporary and addresses the three pillars of problem solving – tools & technology, techniques and the business context. The curriculum is delivered by highly experienced faculty team that ensures an effective pedagogy – a mix of lectures, case discussions, projects, labs and a high quality of in-class engagement.
The selection process and the academic ecosystem has helped Praxis in creating a stimulating student community – people from diverse geographies, backgrounds. industries and aspirations. A strong peer group is a priceless asset for any program. A well established campus placement program has helped students get career opportunities in the domain of their interest.
Training students how to think, not what to think
The pedagogy at Praxis is designed to teach the students to learn how to think, and to learn how to learn – so that the students become better thinkers and learners for life.
Classroom delivery is a combination of lecture sessions, case-study discussions and lab sessions. While lecture sessions are interactive and encourage students to appreciate different perspectives, case-studies enable students to apply concepts to real-life situations. The lab sessions help the students to gain hands-on comfort with tools and techniques.
Term papers, projects and presentations ensure that the students seek knowledge beyond the textbook, learn to structure their thoughts and gain confidence in public speaking.
Continual assessment in the form of quizzes and term examinations ensures that learning is a continuous process. These test the student’s ability to apply the concepts to solve business problems.
Learning enablers
Praxis boasts of a very strong faculty team – people who have excelled in academics and in the corporate world. The faculty team brings a lot of knowledge, real world experience and passion into the classroom – making learning a joyful experience. The quality of faculty enables the development of curriculum which is innovative in content, contemporary in nature and precise in delivery. This has ensured that students get the highest quality of academic inputs which make them think rather than apply rote.
The faculty have an open and friendly relationship with students which makes them eminently approachable if a student needs direction. The professors become mentors to students, discover student strengths and learning preferences and guide them to make good career and life choices. This relationship extends beyond the duration of the program – as our alumni consistently seek our faculty for career counseling well after joining the industry. Praxis faculty counsels the students and helps them discover their strengths and aptitude so that there is a fit between what the students are good at and what the companies want.
Industry participation in curriculum design and delivery
Praxis started with an initial academic collaboration with a top management institute, XLRI. Praxis has collaborated intensively with ICICI Bank and PwC – these two corporate giants have provided knowledge support and guidance to make the data science program effective and relevant.
For the cyber security program, Praxis has collaborated with security experts CISCO, Fortinet and Trend Micro to create a lab that gives students hands-on experience of working on the top tools and technologies.
Praxis has forged strong relationships with over a 100 enterprises who have become regular recruiters across its programs.
Industry endorses Praxis
The endorsement of Praxis by the industry is reflected in its quality of placements.
Praxis has put in place a well thought out and structured process for campus recruitment – the Praxis Placement Program – and is committed to creating quality placement opportunities. A well-above 90% placement rate in all batches since inception bears testimony to the success of the placement program.
The way forward
Praxis would like to create resources who are responsible citizens and can play compelling roles in the new digital world, in the process strengthening the industry and the community they are a part of. Every initiative of Praxis is driven by this objective – starting from the program design, to the students targeted and selected, to the way the programs are delivered and the industry relationships that are forged.
In the years to come Praxis would like to grow the footprint, both in terms of the kind of programs offered, to the number of students touched and impacted. Praxis is also proposing to strengthen the on-line delivery presence to get access to time-poor students.
Praxis believes that data and technology are going to define the future in astounding ways – Praxis wishes to play a significant role in creating a strong pool of resources who understand the interplay among data, technology and business and can contribute effectively in an increasingly complex world.
Additional Information:
- Name and small bio of the spokesperson
Charanpreet Singh is the Co-founder and Director of Praxis Business School Foundation. Charanpreet has completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and his MBA from the University of Iowa. He is a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship for young managers, awarded by the British Government and the British Council.
Charanpreet has been a part of the corporate world for 20 years and has a rich experience in industries as varied as Cryogenics, Steel, International Trade, Consulting and IT with organizations such as British Oxygen, Tata Steel, PwC and Compaq-HP. At HP he was Country Manager, Marketing for SMB when he decided to switch to his first passion, academics, and embarked on a mission to set up a Business School of the highest quality in the country. He has strong professional interests in the areas of information technology, analytics and business communication. He has taught at the University of Iowa and has been a visiting faculty at IIM Lucknow, IIM Raipur, IIM Shillong and IIM Udaipur. While his courses are rooted in academic theory and fundamentals, they never let the student lose sight of the real business value of each concept.
