Demystifying the IIMA-WU Double Degree Program

For some context, I am in Vienna as a double-degree student from IIM Ahmedabad. I spent the first year of the two-year MBA program at IIMA and am spending my second year here as an MSc student in the SIMC program at WU. Once I meet the academic requirements set out here, I will receive degrees from both IIMA and WU; an MBA from IIMA, and an MSc from WU. I won’t get into why I chose to come here instead of spending my second year at IIMA.

That will be the subject of another essay, perhaps.

I said that in Studying legally in Vienna. Well, this is that essay. The time is now.

It’s been about three years since the time I applied for the degree program – it’s only fair that I write about it now.

Life went by quite quickly. By some estimates I have about 65%-71% of life left. I must hurry.

As with other essays, you must remember that whatever I say here are based on my experiences. Things might have changed, for better or worse.

That said, I hope to answer all of the questions you might have regarding the IIMA-WU Double Degree Program in this essay. Let’s begin.

Before anything, you might ask, “What even is the double degree program? What is so double about it?” As the name suggests, you get two degrees – an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and an MSc in Strategy, Innovation and Management Control (SIMC) from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.

So, instead of spending $2+2=4$ years on obtaining two master’s degrees, you can get them in $1+1=2$ years. You spend the first year at IIMA (Ahmedabad) and the second year at WU (Vienna).

It is different from the standard exchange program in the sense that in the shorter one-term exchange program the grades you get is not listed on your transcript in detail (they only mention pass/fail). So, you just need to pass your classes and the rest of the time you are free to roam around whichever part of the world you decide to go to.

In the double degree program, they actually transfer your IIMA credits to ECTS (all the courses you take till Term 4 at IIMA gets converted into ~68 ECTS), and you get a detailed transcript of your academic progress when you go to pick up the diploma finally.

The time durations are also different. The standard, short term exchange lasts for about three to four months, whereas the double degree might last about seven to nine months.

The Exchange Office at IIMA will send a detailed grade sheet to the WU International office and they will convert your IIMA credits (Term 1 to Term 4 courses) to ECTS. Usually, 68 ECTS gets transferred.

Then while you’re at WU, you must take the requisite courses (mandatory + electives), write a Master’s thesis (I wrote my thesis on “Exploring the Role of Internet Access on Education and Poverty Reduction: A Case Study of India”) and defend it to meet your academic requirements. In all, if all goes well you would have accumulated about 120-130 ECTS. That’s enough for you to get an MSc in SIMC.

You can read Review of 3rd Semester courses at WU and Review of 4th semester courses at WU if you are interested to know which classes I took. I also wrote about the classes I took at IIMA. You can read that here.

Interestingly, after you meet your WU degree requirements they don’t transfer the ECTS credits back to the IIMA grading system. So, your IIMA transcript will have grades only till Term 4. But, it really does not matter so long as they invite you to the convocation ceremony and hand over your degree document.

You may read The IIMA Convocation (Reang’s Version) if you’re interested.

I found the academic workload relatively lighter at WU compared to IIMA. I also feel everything seems easier after having been through the B.Tech. in EE program at IITK. Most things don’t even come close. Maybe that’s just me but I thought you should know.

There are no language requirements. The MSc in SIMC program is taught entirely in English. In addition, their MoU with IIMA means that you don’t have to take any standardized tests such as the GMAT. IIMA (via the Exchange Council) will nominate you, WU sends you a letter of acceptance and that’s pretty much it in terms of admission formalities. This is the easy part.

You can take a look at this outline if you are interested.

Let’s now talk about the more difficult part. After IIMA nominates you and WU sends you the acceptance letter, you are pretty much on your own.¹ Okay, maybe not anymore – lucky for you, I wrote an entire essay about the paperwork. You may want to read that now.

At this point you might ask, “Wait, you got this far without actually saying why you chose to do a double degree. What’s in it for you?” Fair question. I’m almost tempted to say I don’t know. If you are a regular reader of my essays, you might have read about the place I grew up in, the circumstances of how things came to be, and how my experiences shaped my worldview.

And if you are not a regular reader of my essays, it’s okay. In short: I grew up thinking I’d like to experience a foreign education system, I got a dog bite, fell ill with dengue at IIMA, my parents did not finish school, my grandma’s village still does not have electricity or running water, and so on. I decided one year in Ahmedabad was more than enough. In addition, getting three degrees by age 24 seemed like a worthwhile endeavor. I hinted at it here. And I actually got most of them!

One of the aspects that I get asked about frequently is the placement situation. As of this writing, I’m still (quite happy) with my first employer. So, I can’t comment on whether or not the Double Degree will be worth it in terms of finding a (well-paying, meaningful) job. Perhaps I’ll revise this essay in a decade or something.

However, since I’ve been through the process I’ll mention a few things:

The European Union.

Landing a job in Austria, and the the broader EU is hard, especially for roles that require fluency in a local language.
Since I did not explore job opportunities within the EU, I’ll not elaborate further on it.

India.

You choose to sit for placements with your batchmates (usually in February, semester break between the $3^{rd}$ and $4^{th}$ semesters at WU):
- You will still have one semester of classes left.
- You will also have the thesis left (by then you might have finalized your advisor and the topic to work on).
- Your IIMA CV verification will happen online but it is unlikely that the institute will switch to online final interviews just for you.
- You might need to deal with the “alignment problem” – WU classes usually go on till the end of June. By that time, if all things go well, many Indian firms already start their cohorts, so you might be at a disadvantage here.²
  Technically, you might be able to squeeze everything so that your stay in Vienna ends by May or June but that assumes everything (prof saying yes to your thesis proposal, class schedules, paperwork etc.) going your way. I won’t make such assumptions! Most likely, the thesis + defense + $4^{th}$ Semester classes will keep you occupied till August. And if things go South, you might be occupied till October too.
- In any case, informing potential employers about your academic commitments might be the best way to go. If they are okay with you working on the thesis after you join the workforce, well and good. If not, well not so good. If you have a PPO (pre placement offer), you can communicate the same to them. You’ll figure it out.
You choose to sit for placements with your junior batch (usually in February of the next year, after your time at WU ends):
- I did not opt for this, so I won’t be able to describe in detail how it goes.
- One very important thing to note here that you cannot write the experience (full-time employment or any other gig) you gained after your time at WU on your IIMA CV. I don’t really know why that rule exists ³ but that was what we were told. Please verify it with IIMA - things might have changed for the better.

WU holds it’s graduation ceremony (convocation) in the month of November and you can take part in it if you meet the academic requirements by the deadline ( $31^{st}$ October in the worst case).

The ceremony is held on campus in Vienna. I did not attend it because I thought it did not make financial sense to go back to Vienna just to collect the diploma. You can just ask a friend to go and collect it on your behalf (I chose this).

IIMA will also invite you to the convocation ceremony with your junior batch. Don’t skip this please – it will be one of the most beautiful evenings of your entire life.

Some had also asked me how much I spent during the entire stay. I know the exact number, but of course, I won’t spell it out here. That’s something for my future self to worry about. All I can say is that I spent within the yearly estimate that I had provided to them while doing my paperwork. I have reproduced the estimates from another essay for your reference.

Proof of sufficient financial means. This is perhaps the most tricky thing of all. Depending on your situation, you may be required to prove that you have the living expenses for a year or the entire study duration. Refer to the website above because the various amounts keep changing yearly. Proof of sufficient financial means to cover the living costs [as of 2022]:

Students under 24 years of age: EUR 569.11/month

Students as of the age of 24: EUR 1,030.49/month

Couples: EUR 1,625.71/month for both

For each child additionally: EUR 159/month

The following example is handy in understanding the amount you need to show to the authorities (as of 2022). You are 23 years old. You are staying (or have a contract for) in a student dorm, with a monthly rent of EUR 605.00. The health insurance costs EUR 65 per month. And you plan to stay here for 12 months. In this case, you need to show proof for
$(\underbrace{569.11}_\text{min based on age group} + \underbrace{605.00}_\text{monthly rent} - \underbrace{309.92}_\text{min rent} + \underbrace{65.00}_\text{monthly insurance}) \times \overbrace{12}^\text{stay in Vienna, in months} = \text{EUR } 11,150.16$

It’ll be helpful to hand in the proof for more than EUR 12,000 so that they know you have sufficient means to support your stay here. Also, only the amount above the minimum monthly rent is added to the rent component.

You need to show that amount when submitting your application.

I had the best year of my life in Vienna. Words won’t do justice to the sense of transformation I felt while walking around the beautiful streets of Vienna. It was perhaps the most transformative year of my life in all aspects.

Maybe it was the coffee, the refreshing tap water, the people I met or the long walks in $2 \degree C$ temperature. Most people treated me fairly and with kindness. I went to events hosted by the Indian Embassy for free food, got invited to a Christmas dinner, and spent a lot of time thinking about so many things.

During my solo trip, standing on that Portuguese river bank I felt so free: the fear of death, of being mediocre, most insecurities, most feelings that I’d bottled up for so long simply vanished.

I don’t remember the exact day or the conversation that led me to the realization, but there was a point when I started seeing things in a different light. “Yes, there will be bad days. Perhaps I might not get all that I dream of. But, what else is there other than feeling hopeful; that things will go my way?”

Can you put a monetary value on that? I don’t really know. So, I cannot tell you if the Double Degree was worth it in terms of job prospects. However, I can certainly say it was totally worth it for me. Am I saying that you should follow whatever I did? Not really. In any case, a general suggestion might not even work for you.

But if you get the opportunity, and have the means I’d totally recommend taking it up. I understand that the placement season is perhaps the thing that IIMA graduates look forward to the most. However it is also true that most people leave their “dream” jobs in a few years.

In that sense, if your consideration is that you’d lose out on that dream job because the timelines might not align if you do a double degree, I would suggest thinking some more (and deciding to do a double degree). But you do you. All the best!

Imagine going back to Vienna when I have about 10%-15% life left with the love of my life. “Did you know I used to live within walking distance of one of the best cafes in all of Europe?” Or go around Cafe Central on one of those beautiful horse carts.

Notes

Neither IIMA nor WU will assist you in getting your residence permit. VFS, email servers, and anxious days and nights will be your best friends during this period. My thoughts and prayers for you. Don’t worry much, start the process early and you should be fine. Please start the process early because the paperwork might get very overwhelming later with so many things on your plate (securing finances, housing, classes, your summer internship, and others). ↩
I’m not saying you won’t get hired, but certain firms may choose to hire others instead because it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to move their cohort system just for you. If firms don’t have such issues, well you’re sorted. ↩
Let’s say you write your thesis, defend it, and complete everything by August or September. Post that, you take up a job thinking you’ll leave it in a few months to sit for IIMA placements with your junior batch. Well, you can sit for placements, sure. But, you cannot write about the experience you gained (between September to January/February of next year) on your IIMA CV. ↩

Demystifying the IIMA-WU Double Degree Program

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