Business school, but not as we know it: A 7-country model for new-age leaders

How fast is business education changing? The question leaves many hanging and unanswered, but real-world challenges are also opening doors. That is how new-age programmes are emerging and defying the odds. Conventional case studies are of little relevance in the present scenario, say experts in business education. So, what is really changing? Let's take a deep dive.

In Short

• Employers increasingly want analytical, adaptable talent that can work with technology
• The programme moves students across global markets instead of one campus
• Students build projects, test products with users and measure outcomes

A few months ago, Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran raised questions around the changing value of traditional career pathways when he said the era that gave a clear advantage to software, computer science and MBA education was over. His point was not that these degrees had lost their relevance, but that the nature of the job market and the skills it demands is changing.

The question now is what business education should look like in this changing environment.

AI is altering how companies function and how work is performed. Employers are increasingly looking for people who can work with technology, analyse problems, make decisions and adapt to new business models. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies AI and big data, technological literacy, analytical thinking, creative thinking and adaptability among the skills expected to grow in importance through 2030.

This is also putting pressure on business schools to review how they prepare students for the workplace. Established institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Management, are introducing courses and programmes around AI, analytics and emerging technologies.

IIM Ahmedabad, for instance, has introduced a Business Analytics and AI pathway that combines business education with analytical methods, simulations, projects and peer learning.

The shift, therefore, is not simply about adding an AI subject to an existing business curriculum. It is increasingly about asking what students should be able to do with what they learn.

Against this backdrop, Tetr College of Business is subscribing to a new-age, and perhaps futuristic, model of undergraduate business education in India, placing experiential learning and international exposure at the centre of its approach.

The programme is designed around the idea of students taking an entrepreneurial path while they are still in college. “They are not waiting for businesses to hire them; they are building,” said Parth Mittal, founder of Tetr College of Business.

The model moves beyond traditional case studies, combining AI-native curricula with industry-led classrooms, live projects, global exposure and venture building. Students learn by working on real-world problems, testing ideas and applying business concepts in different markets.

A BUSINESS DEGREE ACROSS 7 COUNTRIES

Tetr's four-year undergraduate programme is designed around a learn-by-doing model, with students spending different terms across seven countries and business environments rather than remaining on one campus throughout the programme.

Its undergraduate offerings include a Bachelor of Management & Technology, Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, Bachelor of Finance & Artificial Intelligence and an integrated Bachelor's and Master's in Management & Technology.

For example, the Finance and AI programme involves projects where students work on financial technology products and engage with real users. The Management & Technology programme similarly combines classroom learning with business problems and projects across markets.

The approach reflects a broader discussion in higher education around the gap between what students learn and what they are expected to do when they enter the workplace.

FROM CLASSROOM LEARNING TO REAL-WORLD PROJECTS

Traditional case studies and classroom teaching continue to form an important part of business education. But there is increasing attention on whether students also need opportunities to test their ideas in real settings.

Tetr's model places venture creation at the centre of this process. Students are assessed not only through conventional academic work but also on the outcomes of projects and ventures developed during the programme.

According to Tetr's founder Pratham Mittal, ventures built by its students have generated more than $1 million in revenue and raised over $500,000 in funding.

These include Fluma, an AI-powered influencer marketing platform, BluSpru, an AI optimisation SaaS business, and consumer ventures such as ServeClub and Nothing But.

The institution also says its students have received 314 internship offers from more than 110 companies across 23 countries, with internship stipends exceeding $204,681.

“If a student gets the right learning and exposure early on, they may not have to spend years figuring out what the market has to offer. By then, the individual could already be earning, building a venture or pursuing an entrepreneurial path. At that point, the question is: what more does one need from education?” said Parth.

AI MOVES CLOSER TO THE CORE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

The integration of AI into business programmes reflects changes already taking place across industries.

AI is being adopted in areas such as finance, marketing, consulting, operations and customer service. The World Economic Forum expects AI and big data to be among the fastest-growing skill areas over the next five years.

At the same time, analytical thinking, creative thinking, leadership and resilience are expected to remain important.

This combination is increasingly shaping the design of new business programmes.

Tetr's Bachelor of Finance & Artificial Intelligence brings financial decision-making and AI together, while its Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence is offered with Illinois Institute of Technology as the accreditation partner.

The objective is to give students exposure to both the technology and business sides of emerging roles.

THE EMPLOYABILITY QUESTION

The debate around business education is also closely linked to employability.

The WEF estimates that 39% of workers' existing skill sets could be transformed or become outdated between 2025 and 2030. It also found that 63% of employers consider skill gaps a major barrier to business transformation.

For students, this means that a degree may increasingly need to be accompanied by practical experience and the ability to work with new technologies.

It does not necessarily make conventional degrees irrelevant. Instead, it raises questions about what additional experiences students should gain during their education.

Tetr's undergraduate programme is built around industry exposure, venture creation and academic partnerships ranging from UBI Business School, Illinois Institute of Technology and Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

The wider direction of the sector is clear: business education is being asked to move closer to the workplace.

The degree, therefore, may not be disappearing from the business education landscape. But what happens around the degree is changing.

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