IIT-Madras launches BTech in AI and Data Analytics; admissions through JEE

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has launched a first-of-its-kind BTech programme in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics from the upcoming academic year 2024-25, officials said.

The course will have 50 seats and the admissions will be through the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), they said.

"The programme aims to cultivate expertise in diverse aspects of AI and data analytics, offering a panoramic view of its applications across industries,” IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti told PTI.

“It will have a student strength of 50 admitted through JEE. There will be a strong emphasis on Math Fundamentals, Data Science, AI and Machine Learning Foundations, Application Development and Responsible Design besides a distinct interdisciplinary flavour," he said.

AI is evolving across engineering, science and humanities disciplines. It is essential to understand these multi-disciplinary connections to be successful in this field, Kamakoti said.

“The BTech in AI and Data Analytics is uniquely positioned to address this aspect. It is the first of its kind in the world," he added.

The course will be offered through the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, established with an endowment of Rs 110 crore by Sunil Wadhwani, an alumnus of IIT Madras and the co-founder of IGATE and Mastech Digital.

"This BTech course will offer a lot of academic flexibility, allowing students to tailor their learning journey through a wide range of electives from within the department and outside,” the director said.

From delving into the intricacies of speech and language technology, and computer vision to exploring applications in time-series analysis, students can delve deeper into areas of personal passion and interest, he said.

"The curriculum has evolved based on the experience gained by our faculty over more than a decade. Through this, IITM aspires to produce top-notch AI professionals, entrepreneurs and researchers who can take up with great confidence the grand AI challenges in the evolving market," Kamakoti added.