The four-year online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electronic Systems (https://study.iitm.ac.in/es/) will be the second online BS program from IIT Madras following BS Degree in Data Science and Applications, which has more than 17,000 students studying currently.
The BS (Electronic Systems) program is open to anyone interested in Electronic Systems, irrespective of age, with the only eligibility criteria being that the candidate should have studied Mathematics and Physics as part of their Class 12 (or equivalent).
Admission to the program is possible without JEE through an in-built 4-week qualifier process. Candidates who apply will be provided access to four weeks of content taught by IIT Madras faculty and the qualifier exam will be based on this content alone. Sufficient support will be provided to candidates in this period in the form of discussion forums and live sessions.
The key objective of the BS in Electronic Systems program is to meet the significant and growing demand for skilled graduates in the electronics and embedded manufacturing sector in India. The program also features multiple exits and the students can get a Foundational Level Certificate, Diploma or the BS degree. The program aligns with the India Semiconductor Mission to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design. Prof. Boby George, Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Coordinator, BS in Electronic Systems program, IIT Madras, said, “There is a high demand for a skilled and knowledgeable workforce in the area of electronic systems. Keeping this in mind, the program has been designed in consultation with industry leaders in this domain. The graduates of this program will have strong fundamentals and industry-ready skills ensuring high employability.” Students graduating from this program can find job opportunities in industries such as Automotive, Semiconductor, and Defence, among others, for positions like:
- Electronic System Designer
- Embedded System Developer
- Electronic Hardware Specialist
- System Testing Engineer
- Electronics Research Engineer
The Graduates can also pursue higher studies in their area of interest.
To accomplish the mission of making IIT education more accessible to all, the fee for the BS in Electronic Systems programme has been kept affordable with additional scholarships being provided to students belonging to SC/ST/PwD categories and those with family incomes of less than Rs. 5 Lakh Per Annum, ensuring inclusivity.
While the course content would be delivered in online mode, quizzes and examinations would be in-person to ensure academic rigour and quality of the program. Qualifier examinations will also be an in-person proctored examination conducted in more than 150 cities across the country and abroad as well. Coaching is not required to enter this program. All those who obtain the minimum required score in the qualifier exam can continue with the program as there is no limit on the number of seats in the program.
Students who are in Class XII in 2023 can apply and secure admission and join the program after they successfully clear Class XII. Students pursuing any other academic program currently (as permitted under current UGC regulations) or working professionals can also apply and upskill themselves in this area.
The program comprises a mix of theory and laboratory courses that will be taught by IIT Madras faculty and experts in the industry. As part of the courses, students will be provided with recorded video lectures, reading materials, weekly assessments, tutorials and interactive doubt-clearing sessions, all of which can be done online. The laboratory courses require the students to be mandatorily present in-person at IIT Madras for about two weeks every semester.
Further details about the program can be obtained from the course website – https://study.iitm.ac.in/es/.
Addressing the launch event on March 6, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister, said, “All the recommendations of NEP, whether it is flexibility, job oriented, entrepreneurship oriented, credit framework is attached to this architecture, multiple entry and exits, and above all, affordability in Indian higher education system with quality and accessibility are present in this BS in Electronic Sytems. The Government of India is facilitating with good policy reforms with initiatives like PLI (Production Linked Incentive Scheme) to create a global hotspot for this ecosystem. This course is going to create to a new benchmark for all other important institutions and industry also.”
Congratulating IIT Madras for developing this unique program, Dr. Pawan K. Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras, said, “The course today on Electronic Systems is also very timely. All sectors today are becoming very electronics dependent. If I look at automobiles sector, for example, you can call a car a ‘computer on wheels.’ Even in servicing of automobiles, you need to have electronics knowledge. As we look to the future, the jobs will be more and more be moving towards electronics expertise and therefore, to offer a course like at this time to prepare the youth for being ready to participate in this growing field of electroncs is very timely.”
