Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras conducted an orientation session for the new batch of students for the academic year 2020-21 in online mode for the first time. Parents also attended the event organized to welcome the first-year students of B.Tech, Dual Degree and M.A. The orientation was held on the evening of 12th October 2020 and was webcast live on YouTube. The Academic year for the incoming students will commence on 16th November.
Addressing the students, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “We have one of the most flexible academic curriculum in the system in India and anywhere in the world. In all programs and all departments, at least 40 per cent of your courses are electives and half of these courses, you can opt for any elective in the Institute. The rest of the electives will have some restrictions but you (students) will still get to choose.”
Further, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, said, “Taking advantage of this flexibility, we have been offering, since 2018, many options for students to upgrade to a Dual Degree in an interdisciplinary M.Tech. program by spending one more year. Students can continue to do their B.Tech. in whatever branch they had selected, and from their fourth year, this sandwich program starts and students can upgrade to an M.Tech.”
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These M.Tech. courses are in several new, emerging and interesting interdisciplinary areas such as data science, robotics, computational engineering, quantum science and technology, biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and energy systems, among other areas. More and more such programs are being created by IIT Madras faculty and will be offered in the years to come.
Students can also make use of a tinkering lab called Centre for Innovation (CFI), run for and by students. The Institute is also constructing a huge new hostel, which will be ready by June 2021 and upgrading existing hostels as well.
