IIMB to start two new BSc Honours programmes from next year

Bengaluru: The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) is set to launch the most-awaited undergraduate honours programme from the 2026-27 academic year in offline mode.  The four-year undergraduate BSc Honours programme will be offered in Economics and Data Science as major subjects with an exit option after completion of three years as per the National Education Policy (NEP). It is a residential programme offered at the new campus located near Bannerghatta National Park.

The BSc Honours programme in Economics will have minors in data science and business. The potential electives will include public policy, auction theory, development economics, algorithmic game theory,  environmental economics, and health economics, among others.

The BSc Honours in Data Science will have minors in Economics and Business. There are plenty of elective options, including quantitative risk management, supply chain optimisation, big data computing, combinatorial optimisation, etc. As details shared by the IIMB, it is mandatory for students to study mathematics in class 12 to join these courses. The admission will be through a national-level entrance test and interview. The test will be held in December. The aptitude test will be based on Mathematics, logical reasoning, English and General Knowledge. 

In the beginning, IIMB plans to have 40 seats in each programme and to scale it up to 640 by 2031. The fee for the programme is Rs 8.5 lakh per annum. Concessions will be provided for deserving students. In an interaction with the media on Monday, IIMB Director Rishikesha T Krishnan said,  “Introducing the undergraduate programme was mooted a decade ago. This was proposed by the Centre in 2017. At that time, the permission was given only to institutions that were offering multi-disciplinary programmes.”

Highlighting the need for a quality UG programme, he said, “We feel it is the right time to introduce UG programmes. There is a shortage of high-quality undergraduate programmes outside engineering, medicine, etc. Having experience in running high-quality programmes, we feel it is the perfect time to introduce undergraduate programmes. We aim to give students a good foundation in basic discipline and also a flavour of business and
management.”

There will be a mandatory internship in the UG programme. The institute is also having talks with foreign institutions regarding exchange
programmes.