IIT Madras admits the first batch of students to its first-ever online BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is admitting a total of 8,154 students in the first batch of its world’s first-ever online BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science.

These students can enrol for the foundational level courses, which will be offered from January 2021. The 8,154 students included 1,922 female candidates and 6,232 male candidates across India. Learners from various age groups and educational backgrounds applied for the qualifier. As many as 1,593 learners were from Arts, Science and Commerce background while 3,450 learners were from an engineering background.

A total of 30,276 candidates had applied for the first qualifier process. They were given access to the first month online classes of the programme. A highly qualified content support team, specifically selected for this purpose, conducted nearly 400 hours of live sessions, to support the learning process of the learners. Learners enjoyed a vibrant and lively experience – the discussion forum in each of the courses had more than 2000 threads!

Congratulating the selected students, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “I would like to congratulate all the learners who have successfully cleared the qualifier process. IIT Madras is happy to welcome the first batch of students to the Foundation Level of BSc Degree program. IIT Madras is doing everything possible to give a great learning experience to the students. The courses are delivered through a state-of-the-art online portal. Students are given the opportunity to participate in LIVE sessions to clarify their doubts. The exams are conducted in-person so that the academic rigor of the program is maintained.”

Only learners with a minimum required average assignment scores in all four courses were eligible to appear for the in-person invigilated Qualifier Exam. A total of 20,396 learners were eligible to write the qualifier exam, which was conducted on 22nd November 2020. Four weeks of refreshing yet intense content, three engaging assignments, and one scrutinizing exam closed out the qualifier process.

IIT Madras launched this new degree programme building on its vast experience with online education obtained through its leadership in the NPTEL programme. The specialization of this degree, Programming and Data Science, pervades almost every aspect of human endeavour today and therefore a learner qualified in this area can expect a significant increase in professional opportunities.

Speaking about this course, Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Professor In-Charge, IIT Madras Online Degree Programme, while talking about the admission announcement said, “This program gives a lot of flexibility to students to learn at their own pace. There are three different stages in this program – Foundation, Diploma and Degree. Students can choose their own pace while registering for courses and, upon completion, receive a Certificate, Diploma or a Degree at various exit points from IIT Madras.”

The unique blend of online instruction and in-person assessment used in this programme, enables reaching a very large number of students without compromising the quality of education.

The unique features of this new programme have enabled the creation of a qualifying process in which training is imparted to the prospective students itself! The dream of studying in an IIT is now open for realization to all learners, as long as they have an interest in this field of study and are willing to put in the effort within the programme.

Highlighting the response from the students, Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Professor In-Charge, IIT Madras Online Degree Programme, added, “Since the launch of the programme, we have been receiving very good response from the learners. We are glad to know that nearly 30% of the learners who have applied for the qualifier process are working professionals from IT, banking, manufacturing, finance, law, healthcare, marketing and other sectors.”

IIT Madras is happy to announce the start of the second qualifier process. Students may fill the application form to enrol in the second qualifier process, upload the required documents and pay the application fee of Rs. 3,000.

The fees paid will give access to four weeks of course content for the qualifier training process as well as the qualifier examination. The Last date to apply is 6th February 2021. Second Qualifier process will start in the first week of March 2021. Learners can fill their applications at https://www.onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in