The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has approved setting up of two new departments in the fields of Design, Space Science and Astronomy, making the total tally to 20 academic departments. The decision was taken on the Board of Governors meeting on January 12.
The new Department of Design is planning to launch a Bachelor of Design programme from 2023. "The new department will also expand its very popular Master of Design program, which in past has attracted recruiters from Microsoft, Nokia, Google, Oracle, Infosys, TCS, etc. to even higher levels. The Department will also enhance its existing PhD programme," the release read. The Design Department will be headed by Prof. Nachiketa Tiwari, the current Head of the Design programme.
The Department of Space Science and Astronomy will be devoted to the broad field of Space, Planetary, Astronomical Sciences and Engineering. The department will offer both undergraduate and graduate degree programs (Masters and Ph.D.), with students having opportunities to participate in ongoing (Astrosat, Chandrayaan 2) and upcoming (Aditya L1, Gaganyaan) space missions. "The students will have career opportunities to work for space organizations, such as the ISRO, and private space companies in India and abroad," the release read.
Speaking on the announcement of two new departments, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said, "IIT Kanpur firmly believes in diversity of education. We have been continuously revamping our curricula periodically to better suit the changing education ecosystem of the country and the setting up of new departments is also part of that process. I believe these two new departments in the fields of Design, and Space Science and Astronomy will facilitate new research and innovation in these crucial sectors and would broaden up the ever-expanding horizon of research and learning practiced at IIT Kanpur."
In the 2020-2021 academic year, IIT Kanpur established two new departments- Department of Sustainable Energy Engineering and and Department of Cognitive Science. Apart from that, last year, IIT Kanpur has launched a diploma programme in geodesy, the science of measuring the Earth under the Earth Sciences Department; new courses in Statistics and Data Science; 'Honours' and 'Inter-Departmental' Degrees under revamped B. Tech curriculum; and four new e-Masters degrees for working professionals, among others, the release read.