Pearl Academy and EY India Partner to Launch AI-Focused MBA and BBA Programmes

Pearl Academy School of Business has joined forces with EY India to introduce two new business education programmes centred on artificial intelligence. The MBA and BBA in AI for Business represent a structured knowledge partnership aimed at addressing the growing demand for professionals who can translate AI capabilities into tangible business outcomes.

The programmes diverge from traditional AI or analytics courses by prioritising business application over technical expertise. Students need not possess coding backgrounds to enrol. Instead, the curricula position AI as a fundamental business competency applicable across diverse functions—marketing, finance, operations, consulting, and strategy—and relevant to sectors ranging from banking and finance to retail, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, and emerging startups.

According to Amod Vijayvargiya, Director of Pearl Academy School of Business, the programmes address a critical gap in business leadership development. "The future of business leadership lies not in simply understanding AI, but in applying it meaningfully to solve complex problems," he stated. The partnership with EY ensures students engage with practical challenges from their first semester, developing strategic thinking, ethical decision-making, and leadership capabilities suited to an AI-driven economy.

The collaboration brings substantial industry involvement into the classroom. Practitioners from EY India will shape curriculum design and contribute over 300 hours of integrated teaching in the MBA programme and more than 200 hours in the BBA. These sessions encompass AI tools training, live case studies, industry problem-solving laboratories, and simulation exercises. Students culminate their studies by undertaking a real-world AI industry capstone project that demonstrates job readiness.

Md. Furqan Warsi, Partner at FAAS within EY India, emphasised the urgency of developing talent that bridges business strategy and AI implementation. "As AI adoption scales across industries, the real challenge is not access to technology but the availability of talent that can translate it into business outcomes," he noted. The collaboration seeks to cultivate professionals capable of connecting strategy, operations, and AI-informed decision-making through a practice-centred learning methodology.

The programmes benefit from Pearl Academy's partnership with OpenAI, granting students access to cutting-edge AI tools and frameworks. This collaboration aligns with Pearl's broader institutional commitment to integrating AI across its academic disciplines through its AI Studio facility.

The degrees operate under affiliation with Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, combining academic rigour with industry applicability. Upon completion, students receive both degrees and professional certificates from EY India, strengthening their employment prospects.

The MBA programme spans two years across four semesters, progressing from foundational management and AI literacy to advanced applications and industry engagement. The BBA extends this framework to undergraduate students, establishing advanced capabilities early in their academic careers. Both programmes employ case-based learning, problem-solving simulations, consulting-style projects, and mentorship from senior executives and faculty specialists in AI.

Pearl Academy's 33-year history in design thinking informs these programmes, particularly their relevance to India's expanding creative economy. Sectors including retail, fashion, content creation, and consumer experience increasingly rely on AI, making the combination of analytical rigour and creative problem-solving particularly valuable.

Graduates will be prepared for positions encompassing AI strategy and digital transformation, business analytics and intelligence, generative AI and innovation, operations and supply chain management, and AI governance and risk management.

Both programmes are offered exclusively at Pearl Academy School of Business in Delhi South.