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ISDM - the Social Sector's next place to be

  • ISDM was established to mould future-ready leaders like YOU and equip you with real-world management and leadership skills, strong ethics, and a social conscience, to lead and manage organisations with a social purpose.
  • For a strong, progressive, and effective social sector.

ISDM at a glance

ISDM at a glance

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).

ISDM'S admissions process is fully online and has four stages:

  1. Application Submission
  2. Online Assessment
  3. Personal Interview
  4. Offer Roll Out

The admission for 2022-23 cohort starts on 10th November, 2021. Check our website for deadlines and other details.

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.

The Post-Graduate Program in Development Managementis 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.

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).

ISDM'S admissions process is fully online and has four stages:

  1. Application Submission
  2. Online Assessment
  3. Personal Interview
  4. Offer Roll Out

The admission for 2022-23 cohort starts on 10th November, 2021. Check our website for deadlines and other details.

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.

The Post-Graduate Program in Development Managementis 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.

  1. 22 Development Management core and elective courses and 10 workshops
  2. The only institute to use ‘bricoleuring’ in its pedagogy
  3. A foundation-building Term 0
  4. Access to world’s best journals and other digital resources
  5. Plenaries, baithaks, Hot conversations, guftagus & CEO talks.

  1. Personal Mastery for Development Leadership
  2. A 2 week immersive field component on Realising India
  3. A unique Context-Based Collaborative Learning (CBCL) pedagogy
  4. 12 Harvard Business Publishing Courses covering management topics
  5. Live interactions with Eminent Speakers
  6. Specially curated workshops
  7. The Development Management Writing Centre along with ‘Writing in the Discipline’
  8. A mix of courses in Development and Business Management
  9. Special capstone project

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.

people who lead ISDM

Gaurav Shah

Co-founder, ISDM
Worked with Azim Premji Foundation, Lok Capital, American Express, Procter & Gamble
B.E. & M.Sc., BITS Pilani | MBA, IIM Calcutta

Dr. Aruna Pandey

Knowledge & Research Centre Director, ISDM
Worked with Ministry of Rural Development, Swechha, TISS, SRISTI
Master's from TISS | MPhil/ PhD from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Sharad Agarwal

Co-founder, ISDM
Worked with Education sector and the automotive industry
B. Tech., IIT Kanpur | MBA, IIM Ahmedabad

Ravi Sreedharan

Co-founder, ISDM
Worked with Azim Premji Foundation, Bank Ekonomi, HSBC
B. Tech., IIT BHU | MBA, IIM Ahmedabad

Kamini Prakash

Bricoleur, ISDM
Worked with Care India, Hope Project, Pravah, WSCC
Master's in Social Policy and Planning, London School of Economics

Naghma Abidi

Associate Program Director & Faculty Bricoleur, ISDM
Works with Pravah, Rubaroo, Had Anhad
Master's in Clinical Psychology | Master's in Applied Developmental Psychology | PhD, Ambedkar University
Taught at Delhi School of Social Work, School of Planning & Architecture, Ambedkar University, University of Pittsburgh

your career post PGP-DM

Our students form lifelong relationships at ISDM and continue to remain a tightly knit community even after graduation. Alumni continue with mentorship, career guidance, attending talks and lectures at ISDM, and many even work at ISDM!

Besides that, they go on to start their own social enterprises/NGOs in areas like solar power, health, livelihoods, education, and waste management. Others join leading national and international organisations where they work in different functions including program management, fundraising, communications, research, Corporate Social Responsibility engagement, strategy, partnerships, and human resources.

where our alumniwork

+ many more

alumni testimonials

Nancy Kapoor
class of 2018-2019

before ISDM: Ernst & Young Global Limited

after ISDM: Collaboration and Knowledge Manager, The WellBeing Project

"The exposure to the unique curriculum with various facets of learning including knowledge building, learning to work in groups, and self- leadership helped me redefine learning and developed me not just intellectually but also as a person."

Shreyasi Banerjee
Class of 2019- 2020

before ISDM: Cognizant Technology Solutions, Instructional Designer

after ISDM: Dr. Reddy's Foundation, Assistant Manager, L&D

"ISDM offers a unique curriculum in a short duration. My 11 month experience was as much a journey inwards as much as it was knowing the sector. The shift in my perspective of Development, the need to network and work together rather than engaging in cut-throat competition to bring about a holistic development have been the major takeaways."

Shreya Verma
Class of 2018-19

before ISDM: Oxfam India; Lend A Hand India; Make A Difference; Teachindia -Times Of India

after ISDM: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, State Coordinator (Jammu & Kashmir)

"Besides the strong alumni base and a welcoming faculty, the course gave me a global perspective and has equipped me with the knowledge of Design & Systems Thinking which has nurtured and enhanced my leadership skills."

Amaresh Belagal
Class of 2019-20

before ISDM: Tide Technocrats Private Limited, Senior Environmental Engineer

after ISDM: Centre for Policy Research, Research Associate

"The best part of ISDM is the diversity, it’s culture, and the vision the institution has of enabling systemic societal change. This has influenced me personally and professionally."

Sparsh Maheshwari
Class of 2018-19

before ISDM: CM Fellow, Haryana; Novartis, Analyst

after ISDM: Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates Programme, Associate; Ministry Of Social Justice & Empowerment, State Coordinator (Gujarat, Daman & Diu and Dadar & Nagar Haveli)

"I don’t know of any other higher education institutions who have understood education the way ISDM has. The focus on skills, knowledge pieces along with developing inner potential and self-awareness has the potential to transform how higher education and adult learning are looked at in the country and beyond."

Kshipra Ajrekar
Class of 2018-19

before ISDM: Teach For India (Fellow)

after ISDM: Dasra, Communications Associate

"The PGP-DM enabled me to go beyond theory and provided me with an overview of roles across the sector wherein I could utilise my prior academic experience to strengthen my profile as a development communications professional. "

Mridul Upadhyay
Class of 2017-18

before ISDM: Valdel Engineers & Constructors, Sr. Engineer (Piping Stress)

after ISDM: United Network of Young Peacebuilders, Asia Coordinator ; Youth for Peace International, Co-founder & Chief Advisor, International consultant; YPS Monitor, Founding Researcher

"ISDM taught me authentic leadership, value-based action and reflection. I am now more open and committed to engage in long-term development with consciousness towards systems and unintended consequences."

Ayushi Jauhri
Class of 2019-2020

before ISDM: Tata Consultancy Services, Software Engineer

after ISDM: Tata Consultancy Services, Lead HR CSR Regional Managerr; Kayantar Foundation, Founding Director

"ISDM helped me understand how to work on strategic initiatives, and how to develop, curate or design a program from scratch. They have helped me reassess my belief system, and have brought about a shift in my perspectives."

Kunal Singh Pawar
Class of 2019-20

before ISDM: Maharashtra Village Transformation Foundation, Chief Minister Rural Development Fellow (CMRDF)

after ISDM: American India Foundation, Strategic Partnerships & Placements Officer (Project SAMEIP)

"The ISDM course has helped me immensely to continuously challenge my biases and explore issues while applying multiple perspectives in approaching complex problems of the development sector."

Krishna Vamshi Rajalingu
class of 2020-2021

before ISDM: Field Manager at Convegenius Insights (Previous Gray Matters India)

after ISDM: Assistant Manager, Design Center/Strategy at CARE India

"My heart and hands were already in the sector, but ISDM taught me cognitive coherence through which a perfect synergy of my head, heart and hands started forming. Today, I not only get emotional seeing a problem like before, but also use a critical lense to solve it through a network of people and tools such as design thinking, program theory."