IIT Madras launches world’s first online degree, diploma courses in programming, data science

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Indian Institute of Technology- Madras has launched the world’s first ever online degree (B.Sc) and diploma courses in programming and data science. Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Tuesday launched the programme through a webinar. Anyone who has passed class 12th examination can enrol in the online course. Moreover, there is no age restrictions for learners. The online application process will begin soon. Candidates are advised to visit the official website at onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.

“As formal academic programs in data science are only just emerging, there is a huge gap between the demand for data scientists and the supply of suitable qualified applicants in the job market. The throughput of traditional classroom programs is limited and will not be able to provide the numbers needed to meet the upcoming requirements. Online teaching has the potential to train much larger numbers, but delivering scale without diluting quality has proven to be a challenge until recently.Our program therefore aims to create a thoroughly trained programmer, proficient in application development,data sciences and machine learning,” said Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras in his address.

Three- level online course:

There are three levels in the online degree program. To get a BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras, a learner has to successfully complete all three levels namely- foundation level, diploma, and degree level. Moreover, there are three exit levels as well. Students can exit from the course at any level. They can either complete the degree (3rd level -BSc) or exit after completing either foundation level or diploma level.

There are a total of 31 course. The completion time is between three to six years. Learners will have to complete the online courses and assignments, quizzes and exams to gain 116 credits.

At the end of a term, there will be an end term exam of 3 hours duration for each course.

Two entry points: 

Candidates have to options to get entry to the course.

Regular Entry:

The first one is regular entry for the class 12th pass students who will take admission in the foundation level course.

The Foundational Level courses allow for interested applicants with a variety of educational backgrounds to learn the basics (Math, Statistics, Computational Thinking, Python programming and English) which help them take up the Diploma Level and then the Degree Level courses.

Diploma entry:

The Diploma Only Entry is primarily aimed at working professionals or learners who already possess the fundamentals taught in Foundational Level courses and wish to exit with one or two Diplomas (Diploma in Programming AND/OR Diploma in Data Science) from IIT Madras. Learners entering via diploma only entry can only do diploma level courses and cannot proceed to the degree level courses.

Eligibility to Apply for Regular Entry: The candidate must have studied Mathematics and English in class 10. They should have cleared class 12 or equivalent. They should be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree Program OR should have graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, BCom, etc.) OR they may have dropped out from a Bachelor’s degree.

Fee: The total fees for full course is Rs 2,42,000.

Foundation level- 8 months- 3years — Rs 32,000 (8 courses)

Diploma level — 12 months- 3 years — Rs 1,12,000 (12 courses)

Degree level –12 months- 3 years– Rs 1,00,000 (11 courses)

Important Dates:

Applications Open (Regular Entry) — Check website

Applications Close (Regular Entry) — September 15

Weekly release of Term 1 Qualifier courses content starts — October 5

Qualifier Exam Hall Ticket (only for those who get minimum required marks in Assignments) — November 2

Qualifier Exam (only for those with Hall Ticket) — November 20/21/22

Qualifier Exam Results — December 7, 2020

Registration for Term 1 (only for those who clear Qualifier Exam) — December 11 to January 3

Foundational Level Batch 1 starts — January 4, 2021.

Check official brochure at the official website of IIT Madras.