New Delhi: To give aspirants a chance to study at the coveted Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), its Guwahati branch has launched an online Bachelor of Science program in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, where students from across the country can enroll without appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
The four-year undergraduate program, launched in partnership with online learning platform Coursera, will have multiple entry and exit options.
The course will teach programming languages like Python, Java and will offer insights and expertise on emerging domains such as Artificial Intelligence, Deep learning, Natural Language Processing, Big Data and Cloud Computing.
IIT Guwahati’s Officiating Director Professor Parameswar K. Iyer told ThePrint that this course — compliant with the National Education Policy 2020 – is aimed to provide an opportunity to those students who miss out on admission by a few marks.
He said, “We have tried everything to increase the number of students coming to an IIT, right from expanding seats to increasing the number of institutes. Everything has been tried. But given the sheer size of our nation and talent pool, we need better solutions.”
The professor also said that the institution will ensure adequate assessments to ensure that the quality and reputation of an IIT degree is not diluted.
Students, who have studied mathematics in Classes 11 and 12, will have a definite advantage for admission.
But those who did not study the subject at the higher secondary level will also get an opportunity to enroll in this programme.
Professor Iyer said: “These students will have to study a few bridge courses, clear the exams and then enroll for the online bachelors degree. Students can complete this course in a duration of up to eight years.”
The course has no limit on the number of seats and the institute will hold classes in multiple batches.
Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC of Coursera, said the platform would also take the initiative to make students job ready during the course. Gupta said, “Given the increasing demand for Data Science and AI professionals, students will also be enrolled in industry-led certificate courses by companies like Google, Meta etc to give them industry micro-credentials and to make them job ready.”
IIT Guwahati is yet to decide if these students will be allowed to sit for placements alongside students who entered the institute after clearing the JEE exam.
Applications open in July and the course will start in October.