The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras's online BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science is open to anyone who has qualified Class 12 examination and studied English and Maths in Class 10. The online programme was launched on June 30, 2020, by the institute. As a part of the application process for the online degree (BSc) in programming and data science, all applicants need to go through a qualifier process, wherein students get access to four weeks of video content from the institute. Upon completion of the course, students are eligible to appear for the qualifier exam. Those who clear the exam get admitted to the foundation level course, Professor Andrew Thangaraj, Professor-in-Charge, IIT Madras said in an interaction with Careers360.
“When we constructed this programme, we made sure that someone who has passed 10th standard with Mathematics should be able to come in, learn only what is there in this programme, and slowly build up everything that they need to get out with a successful degree and become a successful programmer and data scientist,” Professor Andrew Thangaraj added.
“You [students] go through a month of training with us and at the end, you write an exam. If you clear the exam with more than 50 per cent marks you are admitted to the foundation stage,” he added.
Professor Thangaraj highlighted that the students do not need to crack tough entrance examinations like Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to get themselves enrolled in IITs. “We want to break that barrier and show what quality education at IIT is.”
This online UG programme is offered in three different stages - Foundational Programme, Diploma Programme and Degree Programme. Students can exit from the programme at any stage and receive a certificate, Diploma or a Degree, respectively, from IIT Madras.
Professor Prathap Haridoss, Professor-in-Charge, IIT Madras said, “You can do a basic degree at your pace. It's something different from what people are accustomed to.”
Our purpose to start a programme in Data Science was to reach out to the audience with high-quality education, Professor Haridoss said. “We want to make this course available to all people across India where anyone, from anywhere in the country can get a degree,” he added.
There is no upper limit on the number of students who can join this programme. “We have a process in place to scale up the number of seats as per the requirement, while also maintaining the quality,” Professor Haridoss said.
“The programme offered by the institute is also in line with the New Education Policy (NEP 2020). The policy encourages this type of activity where it says multiple options should be available to the students, multiple entry-exit points, etc. Many of the key recommendations from the NEP are directly being addressed through this programme,” Professor Haridoss added.