The Higher Education Review

Praxis Business School was set up by a group of people with high 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. Praxis started in 2007 in Kolkata with an initial academic partnership with XLRI, Jamshedpur. Within 4 years, Praxis received recognition by ICICI Bank that endowed its Dean's Chair a rare honour for a school so young. In 2011, Praxis pioneered formal analytics teaching in the country by launching the one-year postgraduate program in business analytics. This program grew in stature to feature within the top 5 programs in the country across various ranking lists.

In 2016 January, based on market demand, Praxis added a Spring batch (January admissions) to the regular Fall batch (July admissions) and in July 2016, they added a second campus to the analytics program by extending its footprint to Bangalore. Praxis was chosen as the exclusive program delivery partner by the Andhra Pradesh Government for its one-year postgraduate program in business analytics at the International Institute of Digital Technologies (IIDT), Tirupati, a Government of AP venture. Classes started in February 2017. This is another significant milestone in Praxis' journey.

Candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in aptitude test, academic records, professional qualifications, extra-curricular activities and work experience. Shortlisted candidates are required to write an essay before being interviewed to assess their suitability for the program. The selection process aims to assess the individual's educational background and competence, personality, value system, extracurricular activities and the ability to absorb, assimilate and apply knowledge. Praxis offers two years fulltime AICTE approved PG Diploma in Management, nine month fulltime PG Program in Data Science, Cyber Security and Short-Term Programs in Cyber Security and Data Science.

Praxis ensures 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 that is a mix of lectures, case discussions, projects, labs and a high quality of in-class engagement. The selection process and the academic ecosystem have 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.

"Praxis Business School ensures that the curriculum is comprehensive, contemporary and instills scrupulous knowledge and ingenious expertise in students"

The pedagogy at Praxis is designed to teach the students to learn how to think, and how to learn. 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, encouraging 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.

Praxis has been fortunate to have a luxury of a very strong faculty team that has excelled in academics/corporate world. The faculties have studied at the IITs, IIMs, top-ranked abroad Universities and worked as partners and marketing heads of MNCs. The team brings a lot of knowledge, real-world experience and passion into the classroom, making learning a joyful experience. The design of curriculum, deliver, and assessment are driven by the single objective of maximizing learning. The faculties create a class environment that encourages and rewards critical and independent thinking. The assessment methods test the ability of the students to understand and apply to business situations.

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 and think rather than apply rote. They have an open and friendly relationship with students and are eminently approachable if a student needs direction. The professors become students' mentor, discover their strengths and learning

preferences and guide them to make good career/life choices. This relationship extends beyond the duration of the program as the alumni consistently seek the faculty for career counseling well after joining the industry. Praxis faculty counsels the students and helps them discover their strengths/aptitude so that there is a fit between what the students are good at and what the companies want.

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. These corporate associations also select students for placements in their organization as part of the career enhancement process. For the cybersecurity 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 100 enterprises who have become regular recruiters across its programs.

Government of Andhra Pradesh selected Praxis as academic partner for delivering analytics program at the International Institute of Digital Technologies (IIDT, Tirupati). Praxis has collaborated with security experts CISCO, Fortinet and Trend Micro to create a lab and give students hands-on experience for working with top tools and technologies. Praxis has forged strong relationships with over a 100 enterprises who have become regular recruiters across its programs. Praxis has created an alumni base with distinction in the corporate sector, where some of them are already holding senior positions in their respective teams. This alumni network provides immense strength, guidance to succeeding batches and opens up significant career opportunities. Praxis is now strengthening the on-line delivery presence in every Indian territory.

Charanpreet Singh, Co-Founder and Director
After completing B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and MBA from University of Lowa, Charanpreet has spent 20 years in the corporate world and has a rich experience in industries like Cyrogenics, Steel, International Trade, Consulting and IT with organizations like British Oxygen, Tata Steel, PwC and Compaq HP. He served as Country Manager in Marketing for SMB. He is a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship for young managers, awarded by the British Government and the British Council.