Hi,
SPJIMR has a decent reputation in India. This year, it has tied up with Coursera for a PGDM Online: https://www.coursera.org/degrees/pgdm-spjimr. The diploma will mention it is online.

The program is AICTE-approved. The admissions team mentioned that the first batch will have 100 students only. The cost is 10 Lakhs INR/12,200 USD.

For someone with 5 years of experience in Tech as an engineer and a 2-year career break looking to move into more generalist roles(product/management focused) in India (government entities as well), should I consider this program, considering it is the first batch? I am not sure about how the industry will perceive the first batch as it is an online program and there is no way to check the quality of lectures/student interaction and other aspects.

How should I approach this decision? Are there any other programs from reputed universities in this price range? I see that UIUC has the iMSM in a similar price range. How differently is an iMSM received compared to an iMBA, specifically in India?

Thanks!

This depends on your career goals. Does either school have a stronger alumni network in your target market segment? SPJIMR has a strong course design, with three weeks on campus. 

Hi Duncan, thanks for answering. My goal is to move into a more generalist role, especially in the Indian government. SPJIRM's course looks good but as it is the first batch and the diploma mentions online, I am not sure about how it will be received. How do I go about figuring out what kind of roles might be available to me after this program? As this is the first batch, even the admissions counselors from the institute gave a generic answer as to how they would help us with resume reviews and prepare for interviews, etc.

This seems like a question for someone in the Indian state

Hi Duncan,
I see that the SPJIMR online PGDM doesn't have any of the 3 accreditations as this program is brand new. Do you see that as a problem? 

You are mistaken. AACSB accreditation applies to the school as a whole. 

You are mistaken. AACSB accreditation applies to the school as a whole.