The course aligns with the India Semiconductor Mission to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design
new programme has been launched today at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. The online programme, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electronic Systems was launched by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to help meet the growing demand for skilled graduates of India’s electronics and embedded manufacturing sector.
This is the second online Bachelor of Science course in IIT Madras, after the BS degree in Data Science and Applications, which has over 17,000 enrolments presently, states the institute’s official release.
Speaking at the launch, the Union Education Minister said, “IIT Madras has another feather in its cap with this course. This is the right approach to implementing National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. All the recommendations of NEP, in terms of flexibility, job/entrepreneurship mindset, credit framework is attached to this course, including multiple entry and exits, and above all, affordability in the Indian higher education system.”
The course aligns with the India Semiconductor Mission to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design.
Highlighting the unique aspects of the BS in Electronic Systems programme, Prof V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said, “With the growing prominence of electronics in the current world scenario, for example, mobility solutions including mobile phones and electric vehicles replacing conventional mechanical vehicles, education of electronics fundamentals at scale becomes crucial both for Research and Development and capacity building to meet the industry demand. Keeping this in mind, IIT Madras is launching this BS course which we expect to help meet the need of our nation and aspirations of the student.”
Discussing the need for the course, Boby George, professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, and coordinator, BS in Electronic Systems programme, IIT Madras, says, “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 programme will have strong fundamentals and industry-ready skills ensuring high employability.”
Eligibility criteria
“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 XII (or equivalent), said Pawan K Goenka, chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras.
Admission to the programme 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,” he added.
The institute will also offer additional scholarships to students belonging to SC/ST/PwD categories and also to those with family incomes of less than Rs 5 lakh per annum.
The programme also features multiple exits and the students can get a Foundational Level Certificate, Diploma or the BS degree.
Career prospects
Students graduating from this programme can find job opportunities in industries such as Automotive, Semiconductor, and Defence, among others. They can work as electronic system designer, embedded system developer, electronic hardware specialist, system testing engineer, electronics research engineer.
The event also included dignitaries such as K Sanjay Murthy, secretary, Higher Education, Government of India; Dr Pawan K Goenka, chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras, industry leaders and other faculty members.