Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) today launched India’s first online BSc degree in programming and data science. The programme is open to anyone who has passed class XII, with English and math at the Class X level, and enrolled in any on-campus UG course. Even the current batch of students who are completing their class XII in 2020 are eligible to apply. Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme irrespective of their age, discipline or geographic location.

The programme was launched today in the august presence of Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, union HRD minister and Sanjay Dhotre, minister of state for HRD, communications and electronics and IT; along with Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman, board of governors, director and the faculty of the institute; and Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of AICTE. Pokhriyal congratulated the institution for launching a unique course during the pandemic situation. 

The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2022, data analyst and scientist will be the number one emerging job role in the world.

Interacting with media, Prof Prathap Haridoss, IIT Madras ranked No.1 in India Rankings 2020 by NIRF, said the programme holds valid even in the field of medical science too. “During this pandemic, medical staff can collect so much data about the history of the patient, when and how he/she was infected and they can decide on the strategy of treatment based on the information they anaylse from the data,” he says adding that the courses are designed flexibly so that working professionals can too sign up for it.

Structure of the programme

“The programme includes recorded video sessions and one can access them anytime and anywhere. There are no live sessions but we can arrange live interactive sessions with the faculty to clear doubts and if a student is not convenient with it, they post their doubts on the forum and their queries will be cleared within hours. Students will also be given 10-day time to complete their assignments. They need to be only physically present for the examination at a centre close to their state and it will be held on weekends,” he adds.

The online BSC degree programme in programming and data science by IIT Madras aims to hone students’ skills in managing data, visualising patterns to gain managerial insights, model uncertainties and build models that assist in producing forecasts to make effective business decisions. The programme will be offered in three stages – foundational programme, diploma programme and degree programme. At each stage, students will have the freedom to exit from the programme and receive a certificate, diploma or a degree, respectively, from IIT Madras.

Unlike conventional system of entrance exams, all students can enroll for this online programme if they clear a qualifier exam that will be held after they attend one-month course paying a fee of Rs 3,000. Students need to score at least 50 percent to qualify for the rest of the programme.

For further details, one can log on to onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.

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