IITs Plans One Year Executive MTech for Working Professionals

The IIT council, the top decision making and governing body of the country’s premier engineering colleges IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), has cleared a proposal for one year executive MTech course designed for professionals short of time to do a full two-year term. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar. Besides professionals, the course will ensure more IIT students opt for research work.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the IIT directors recommended the council about the short MTech programme for working people seeking a postgraduate degree. In India, the Master of Technology “M.Tech” degree is a professional degree awarded after completion of 2 years program (Four Semester of classroom study which include theory, practical, projects & Seminars). This course is usually offered by an IIT or any Government, Private & Deemed University (University of High performance U/S 3 of the UGC Act).

IITs currently offer a two year regular MTech programme and the institutions pay Rs 12,400 per month as fellowship for MTech students and charge approximately Rs 20,000 per annum as fees.  IITs are seeking to hike their PG courses fee by six fold.

The MTech programme is an essential step towards good research work. Generally, Students get placed after graduation and this programme can cater students to enhance their qualification and be updated with technical knowledge and improve their professional career.

READ Too: IIT Heads Worried About Quality Of India’s Engineers

There are 23 IITs in the country with a total count of 72,000 students. Around 14,000 students are enrolled for MTech in the institutes. The board of governors of each of the 23 IITs in the country will decide the fee structure. For the shortened and compressed, executive MTech course, IITs have proposed a fee equivalent of the “market rate” that will help increase revenues. The rate would be equal to the fee of private institutes which charge much more than the government funded IITs.

A number of IITs reported facing problems in retaining their MTech students as many of them quit midway after landing jobs in public sector undertakings (PSUs). IIMs and other management schools offer similar program executive MBA programmes in managerial domain for working professionals.

The IIT Council comprises the minister-in-charge of technical education in the Union Government (as Chairman), three Members of Parliament, the Chairmen of all IITs, the Directors of all IITs, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Director General of CSIR, the Chairman of IISc, the Director of IISc, the Joint Council Secretary of Ministry of Human Resource and Development, and three appointees each of the Union Government, AICTE.

If you have any queries or comments regarding “IITs Plans One Year Executive MTech For Working Professionals”  article, please post on our Aftergraduation Forum and we would be happy to discuss.