IIT Roorkee revises PG curriculum in line with National Education Policy

Among other major changes, there is a provision to switch to a PhD Programme after earning 40 credits.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has recently revised its post-graduate (PG) curriculum aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The revision, which came after a decade, was approved by the Senate. It will be implemented from the Autumn Semester of 2024-2025.

The curriculum revision was carried out to enhance the quality, relevance, and competitiveness of the academic offerings, ensuring that the graduates are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their respective fields, IIT Roorkee said in a statement.

Students will be mandatorily required to earn credits through laboratory and project work under the new curriculum to make learning interesting and problem-solving oriented.

IIT Roorkee said it involved internal and external experts of global repute, representatives of the industries, other educational institutes, alumni and policymakers while revising the curriculum. The institute said it employed comprehensive methodologies, such as conducting surveys to understand stakeholders' opinions, brainstorming sessions, organising open-house debates, workshops, and series of discussions at various levels.

The theme of the PG curriculum revision was "RISE," which stands for Research(R), Interdisciplinary (I), Societal Connect (S), and Enrichment of Practical Knowledge (E).

Some of the key features of the revised curriculum include offering flexibility in course selection based on a basket of course offerings and providing students with a wide range of options; industrial internships and social activities in the curriculum will provide the students with hands-on experience and exposure to real-world challenges.

Further, there will be flexibility to choose courses on advanced technology themes such as AI, ML and Programming languages (e.g., Python, C++, Hadoop, Java), encouraging students to stay abreast of the latest developments in their field.

Among other major changes, there is a provision to switch to a PhD programme after earning 40 credits.

In line with NEP-2020, an exit option is also available for students, who have spent at least one year in the program and earned a minimum of 28 credits. Such students, who may opt for a different route for their career, shall be provided an exit certificate.

“The comprehensive changes in the PG Curriculum at IIT Roorkee are poised to transform the learning experience for students, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world. I am sure, with the new curriculum, graduates will have a rewarding experience in the form of brighter future engagements and holistic development. I am confident that the new curriculum will emerge as a game changer in the postgraduate technical education in the country,” said Professor KK Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee.

“IIT Roorkee has once again demonstrated its leadership in rolling out this futuristic curriculum. The curriculum is unique in the country in many aspects. The committee diligently worked on reviving the students’ interest in the laboratory and project-based work. The Institute Senate is forward-looking and accepted the committee’s proposal to link the practical and industry interaction time of the students with their credits. The students will thus get multiple advantages of identifying their career prospects while fulfilling their post-graduate degree requirements. The ‘learning-by-doing’ approach and the RISE philosophy will decisively make our graduates ahead of others in the country and competitive globally,” said Professor Apurbba Kumar Sharma, Dean of Academic Affairs at IIT Roorkee.