Indian Society for Training and Development PG Diploma Program – Eligibility, Fees, Schedule
Are you keen to do a distance education online course in HR training and development? This article provides complete information about the Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Development from the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD), Delhi
At the outset, it should be made clear that, as stated on the official website, the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) is an autonomous body not affiliated with any university, educational institution or organization. The Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Development, admission to which are now open for the July batch, is independently administered by ISTD.
Brief profile: ISTD has over 40 branch offices across India. It offers HR-associated training programs for developing skills and leadership abilities to allow people to take up senior positions and advance their careers in government, public, and private sectors.ISTD PG Diploma in Training and Development Features
The PG Diploma in Training and Development is a Distance Learning program in hybrid mode, with weekend online classes and classroom sessions in select regions. Mentoring and coaching will be provided by senior ISTD professionals.
[Image source: ISTD official brochure]
Schedule: Batches start twice each year, once in January, and the second time in July.
Duration: 18 months. Once you register, the registration is valid for four years (this is subject to remittance of the full course fee), which is the maximum subject to the provision of an extension in the validity period. All 12 papers and the subsequent internship should be completed before the validity's expiry date.
Medium of Instruction>: The entire program is in English only.
Study Materials: You will receive the study material for all 12 papers at the address given in the application. In case of a change of address, ensure that you inform the Diploma office at least 6 months before shifting to a new place, otherwise, there will be additional charges for re-mailing the study material. Once you receive the study materials, you should check all the contents and if anything is missing, you should inform the Diploma Office within a week of the receipt of the study materials (the address of the Diploma Office is provided at the end of this article). Books will be available on loan from the ISTD National Library for which you may have to give a security deposit. You will also receive ISTD's quarterly journal.
Additional services and facilities: Contact classes will be scheduled with access to senior ISTD professionals. Your response sheets will be evaluated, and you will receive feedback about it. In order to get hands-on exposure, fieldwork will be scheduled. If you are interested, you can avail of free membership for one year on completion of the course, and also get discounts on fees for workshops, conferences and programs that are conducted by ISTD.
Internship and Viva: It is mandatory to take up a three-month internship project upon completion of the first and second semesters under the guidance of a mentor. The project report has to be submitted followed by a presentation to a panel of ISTD experts.
Assignments and Exams: You have to submit assignments and appear for exams in proctored online mode twice a year. There is an exam fee of Rs. 500 + 18%GST per paper that you need to pay prior to the exam by the scheduled date of payment. Weightage is given to 80% for the exams, and 20% for assignments.
Course Curriculum: There are 12 mandatory papers, including one Elective that you can choose out of three papers in the third and final semester of the program.
The training modules with 4 papers in each semester are as follows-
First Semester: The initial focus is on understanding the fundamentals of business strategy and HR development, and then on the designing, development and implementation of instructional design models. You will also learn cognitive and experiential training methods.
Second Semester: You will be introduced to various facilitation skills and the role of Trainers, work on enhancing your verbal, written, and presentation skills, and learn about the tools used for training measurement and evaluation. Finally, you will get an insight into various aspects of training plans, including the budget, marketing, etc.
Third Semester: In the final semester, the curriculum brings in the importance of Data Analytics in training and development and how effective the tools are in business. Later in the semester you will learn about how to develop a high-performance team and bring in innovations to enable an organization to be successful. The final module is to understand the purpose of digital transformations in training, the risks involved, etc.
Electives: In the third semester you can choose two out of these three papers as Electives- (i) Talent Management – strategies, retention of manpower, dealing with attrition, etc. (ii) Development Centre – working on the mapping of competency, creating a framework on leadership competency, etc., and (iii) Research Methodology – processes, reports, presentations, etc.Eligibility requirements
Academic Qualifications: You should be a Graduate or have an equivalent Diploma from a recognized University. If you are waiting for the result of the final semester, then also you can apply for the PG Diploma program and will be given provisional admission till the result is declared and you submit the supporting document. A postgraduate degree or an equivalent PG Diploma in any discipline is also acceptable. Those having a professional degree such as B.E./B.Tech., M.B.B.S., ACA, AICWA, M.ED. etc. can also apply.
Experience Criteria: Experience is not essential to get admission for the PG Diploma in Training & Development.
Note- Armed Forces Personnel, Ex-Servicemen/Central/State/Police/Paramilitary Forces Personnel and senior citizens are also welcome to apply.How to apply
You should first register at https://www.istd.in/
Select the payment mode and pay the application fee online. Next, download the admission form and fill it up. The form is available at- https://www.istd.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/admission_form.pdf
In the application form, select the category of admission, namely-
After you complete the form, attach the relevant documents to it, and send it to the Diploma Office, Indian Society for Training & Development, Training House, B-23, Qutab Institutional Area, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi – 110016.
Documents to be enclosed: Attach the self-attested copies of the highest qualification Degree or Diploma, as applicable, to support eligibility criteria, and two recent passport-size photos. If applicable, also attach the SC/ST/Divyang Certificate; and the Armed Forces Official Status/Institutional membership.
Important note: The application must be accompanied by the registration fee and the course fee as well as the required documents duly attested, otherwise your application may be rejected.Fees
Application fee
The application processing fee for all candidates is Rs 1500/- + 18% GST (Rs 270/-). This fee is not refundable.Course Fee
The course fee as indicated in the Table below can be paid in installments if you so wish, and once the registration number is allotted and admission is granted, you will not get any refund of the course fee. 
[Image source: ISTD official website]
Note: The course fee will be refunded only if the application is rejected.Important dates
Application forms should be submitted by 30th June 2024 for the July batch, and 31st January 2025 for the January 2025 batch.
2024 Fee Schedule: The full fee should be paid with the submission of the admission form. If you are paying the course fee in installments, the first-semester fee should be paid at the time of submitting the admission form. The second installment should then be paid by 30th September 2024 for the July batch, and 31st March 2024 for the January 2025 batch. The third installment should be paid by 31st December 2024 for the July batch, and 30th June 2025 for the January 2025 batch.Contact information
ISTD Diploma Program Office
Training House, B-23, Qutab Institutional Area,
New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi – 110016.
Contact Ph: 011-41688772
Email: diploma@istd.in
Website: https://www.istd.in/
Quick references-
General Guidelines: https://www.istd.in/diploma-guidelines/
Exam Information: https://www.istd.in/diploma-examinations/
While waiting for the batch to start, you could explore more PG Diploma Courses in India
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