The first year of the PGP Programme provides the incoming students with a thorough grounding in the functional areas of Management. The first year courses in the core curriculum are common to all students, and, considering the level of rigour with which it is taught, will enable them to enter into any stream of management when they embark upon a career, regardless of the choice of specialization they make in the second year. The first year also lays the foundations for molding a unique IIM-R brand where, as stated earlier, a concern for the wider society and an abiding value system are firmly imprinted. Besides, formal instructions in Business Ethics and Socioeconomic Transformation of India start at the very beginning of the Post-Graduate Programme. The summer internship is an important building block of the programme. While offering an opportunity to put learning into practice, it also serves as an important experiential channel for students to move towards finalizing their preferences on various specializations, even if it requires switching to earlier affiliations in many cases.

The second year courses, apart from one compulsory course, are elective offerings in the areas of Business Environment, Financial Management, Information Technology Systems, Operations, Marketing, Human Resource management, and Strategic Management. IIM-R Faculty, as well as professionals from industry and academia (as adjunct and guest faculty), conduct these courses, which give in-depth insights into the subject matter, and hands-on experience through projects and diverse case studies.

Student interest groups in the various functional areas meet regularly, and an active industry interaction cell ensures additional inputs from industry. Advanced management seminars organized by the institute ensures that the IIM-R academic community is able to keep pace with the latest developments in theory and practice of management.