Soon seamless shift to PhD at IIT-B by Hardeep Saini

Soon seamless shift to PhD at IIT-B

Students pursuing a B.Tech-M.Tech double degree at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, will now be able to make a shift to the institute?s M.Tech Ph.D programme seamlessly. A proposal on seamless integration of the undergraduate programmes with the doctoral programme at the point of admission/entry was lately approved by the institute. The B.Tech degree will be awarded in the interim.

IIT Bombay will be the first IIT to introduce such a scheme for its students. ?Normally, students who register for Ph.D have to complete a certain number of credits. The proposed scheme will enable them to complete these courses while they are pursuing their B.Tech M.Tech dual degree by plan them out. This will save a lot of time. Such a scheme will thus be beneficial for those who are keen on doing a PhD. It will also facilitate further growth of our Ph.D programme,? said professor Shiva Prasad, dean of academic programmes, IIT Bombay.

Such a scheme will, however, not be made mandatory for all departments. Instead, it will be applicable for academic units which are in favour of it. ?The initiative will help students save almost a year. This is because the students who will shift to the M.Tech-Ph.D programme would only be required to give an interview. Normally, students who have completed their masters have to clear the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering or GATE for admission to the PhD programmes,? said V S K Murthy Balijepalli, general secretary of academic affairs, postgraduate programmes, IIT Bombay.

A dual degree (B Tech-M Tech) student would already be tuned to the IIT Bombay system and would be familiar with the research area also. Further, it will help students complete their thesis in less time,? said a senior faculty member.

The initiative is part of the institute?s Ph.D review programme. The details of the scheme and mode of implementation are at present been chalked out. It will come into effect from the coming academic year. A body comprising the post-graduate programmes committee and the UG programmes committee will finalise the details for consideration and approval by the institute.

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