IIT Madras offers more flexibility in curriculum for new students

Students joining this academic year may choose up to 40% of total credit for electives Candidates who join the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) for B.Tech programmes this year can choose up to 40% of the total credit for elective courses. With this, the institute has increased academic flexibility and entrepreneurship opportunities for students. The changes follow recommendations by the institute's curriculum task force comprising alumni and industry experts. The revamped curriculum will help students meet the demands of modern and technological developments. Candidates may also opt for an early exit from the programmes. The total number of credits for B.Tech programmes has been reduced from 436 to 400 hours per degree, allowing students to explore professional and entrepreneurial possibilities. Candidates may also pursue M.Tech programmes along with B.Tech, opting for interdisciplinary degrees in domains such as nanotechnology, data science, and electric vehicles. The institute's director, V. Kamakoti, said, "IIT-M will accord the highest priority for innovation and entrepreneurship. In the previous financial year, more than 380 patents were filed and, this year, the institute launched an ambitious start-up programme through a start-up will be launched at the institute every third day." The institute has nurtured innovative start-ups such as Agnikul, which recently launched the world's first 3D-printed rocket engine; Mindgrove, which designed, manufactured, and booted up India's first commercial RISC v-based secure IoT system on chip and Ather, the EV scooter; and Planys, which pioneered underwater, AI-based remotely operated vehicles. With this, the institute has solved the need for a branch change option and introduced four extra weeks of vacation for first-year students. A new recreation course has been introduced. Students may also take entrepreneurship as an elective in the second year itself. Students can build their own curriculum by choosing electives to pair with the mandatory core courses. The institute also has state-of-the-art infrastructure for activities such as sports, research, innovations, entrepreneurship, and student clubs. Read Comments