IIT Madras, which currently stands first in the country according to NIRF rankings, has launched an online diploma and degree programs in data science and programming. It has become the first university in the world to do so. In a webinar on Tuesday morning, Union Minister for HRD Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched this program.
The base qualification for this program is the completion of class 12 and does not have an age bar. Additionally, it also does not require the JEE exam qualification that is usually necessary for joining IITs or NITs in the country.
While talking about it, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras said that through these courses, the institute aims to reach a larger number of students. The course comes with multiple entries and exit points. Students can get a certificate, diploma, and degree based on when they exit the course. After completing class 12, students will have to pursue a foundation course while those who have a college-level degree can directly enroll at the diploma level. Those who have dropped out of college are also eligible for this course.
The course curriculum is structured in such a way that it is compliant with the industry. While the entire coursework will be based online, those who take the course will be required to take the assessments alone offline.
In a scenario where the pandemic has been posing a looming uncertainty to the educational system, this has come as a welcome initiative, as online education has become the need of the hour to tackle the crisis.