Chennai (The Hawk): IIT Madras’ BS Degree in Data Science and Applications, which is going to complete four years, has enabled more than 2,500 of its students to get jobs or promotions.
850+ students have secured admission for Masters and PhD programs at esteemed universities such as Cornell University & Georgia Institute of Technology, US and Aalto University, Finland, among others, even being able to switch streams from their primary domain to Computer Science or Data Science.
Launched in June 2020, this first-of-its-kind programme makes it possible for students to study from IIT Madras without writing the hypercompetitive JEE. More than 27,000 students from across India are enrolled currently. Being taught online with examinations held in physical mode at 150 centres all over the country and abroad as well, the BS Degree has succeeded in democratising access to IIT-Quality higher education, breaking down barriers such as geography and age.
Applications for the May 2024 Batch will close by 26th May 2024. Those interested can apply through the website - https://study.iitm.ac.in/ds/
Congratulating the program on its success, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “I am proud of the achievements of our BS data science program and its students. The program has opened the doors of IITM to anyone who is willing to work hard and is interested in learning. We hope to introduce more such programs to reach all sections of society.”
The Program ensures equitable access to education even for the socially and economically challenged sections by providing fee waivers and other forms of support.
The Fee is completely waived for all female students with annual family income of less than Rs. 5 lakh per annum (LPA) and male students with annual family income Rs. 1 LPA, thanks to CSR support from companies such as Verizon, Renault Nissan, HSBC, Tata AIA, Sutherland, LTTS, L&T Thales, Dun & Bradstreet and Walmart, among others, besides donations from private individuals and support from various Government scholarship schemes. More than 3,645 students have availed these benefits, allowing the students to focus on academics alone and not let monetary concerns hold them back.
Elaborating on this, Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Professor-In-Charge, BS (Data Science and Applications), IIT Madras, said, “It is noteworthy that the inaugural batch of the 4-year BS degree program is yet to complete their 4 years in the program and graduate. However, the remarkable accolades already achieved by these students are quite impressive. From gaining admission into esteemed universities to securing valuable research and internship opportunities with reputable companies, their accomplishments speak volumes about their potential and the program's quality.”
Further highlighting the distinctive features of the BS programs, Prof. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Professor-In-Charge, BS (Data Science and Applications), IIT Madras, said, “The program's integration of multiple exit options empowers students to acquire the necessary skills at each level and pursue their desired goals effectively. Moreover, its holistic approach, which encompasses project-based assignments, research projects, academic competitions, and leadership roles within student communities, enhances the educational experience and cultivates valuable skills among participants.”
IIT Madras BS team has also been proactively enhancing the opportunities available for students who perform well. It is partnering with various prestigious institutes to enable Degree level BS students to attend courses in-person on their campuses and credit the courses into the BS program. This permits such students to interact in-person with the faculty and explore options of working with them. The program also has created positions of Teaching Assistants and Mentors who provide academic assistance to the learners in the courses and are provided hostel accommodation on IITM campus for their duration of work.
CASE STUDIES
The flexibility that this program offers where the students can choose their pace of learning based on their academic background and time availability with contents being available for students to study anytime has seen students such as Ms. Renee Noronha and Ms. Aradhana Anand balance their alternate interest with academics, compromising neither.
Ms. Renee Noronha, who is 18 years old, is India’s Youngest Female ‘Ironman’ Athlete who completed Ironman in New Zealand in record time of 16 hours, training for this every single day for a couple of hours and is set to enter the Diploma level in May 2024. Ms. Aradhana Anand, 21 years old, is a professional Harikatha exponent who continuously hops across cities and countries for her performances. Examinations are conducted in more than 150 cities across India and abroad and by online remote proctoring for students in countries where centers are not available. Students can choose a different city for every single exam depending on where they are at that point in time. This has enabled her to keep up with the academics and she will be entering the Degree level this year in the program.
The awards for the academic excellence at the Diploma level for the year 2023 were recently announced and the standout factor was the diversity of students.
This includes students pursuing this as their primary degree such as Mr. Shubham Gattani, professionals from various walks of life such as Mr. Kaushik V and Mr. Nagarajan M, CA professionals, Cardiologist Dr. Ganesh P, homemaker from Abhu Dhabi, Ms. Soumya N and a school teacher Ms. Shilpa Paul, Start-up entrepreneur such as Mr. Neeraj Kumar. Others include students pursuing two degrees such as Mr. Saranath P and Mr. Viroopaksh Chekuri who are engineering graduates while Mr. Sherry Thomas’ primary degree is BA in Philosophy.
Students have secured admission for Masters and PhD programs based on this as their primary degree or showcased this along with their campus degree. While Ms. Shreya Singhal received acceptance offers from four renowned institutions – Harvard, CMU, UPenn, WPI, and Columbia University – for her Master's degree, each accompanied by scholarships, Viroopaksh who is a BTech graduate from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering IIT Madras, 2023, has gotten admits into Masters in Computer Science in UChicago and UC San Diego, primarily based on courses done in this program. The BS degree is the primary sole degree for Pranav Balakrishnan from Kerala who has secured admissions in 4 US universities for Masters in Computer Science.
Mr. Shubham Gattani from Ahmedabad and Mr. Prashant S from Chennai, brilliant students who cannot attend physical colleges in person due to their medical disabilities, now have access to the best quality education from the comfort of their home and are excelling in the program, even having secured internships.
