IITs to Introduce New Courses

Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) will soon introduce new courses in medicine, humanities and design among others.

IIT Kharagpur (IIT- Kgp) has invited private partners for setting up a super speciality hospital in its premises this year.

The institute is planning to initiate a MBBS programme once the hospital starts functioning.

The institute has been venturing into different disciplines like opening a law school dealing with property rights as well.

IIT, Guwahati (IIT-G) has stepped into humanities by introducing masters' programme in development studies from this academic year.

It will comprise of six subjects - Economics, English & Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology & History and Archeology.

Although, all IITs offer humanities department and offer electives to engineering students, but there are very few full-fledged undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

IIT, Kanpur (IIT-K) and IIT-Kgp offer an integrated M.Sc in Economics and research programmes in humanities.

The Yash Pal committee setup by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had recommended in its report that IITs should become full-fledged universities and also offer broad-based university curriculum on the lines of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

IIT, Delhi (IIT-D) is planning to introduce two-year MA programme in development and cultural studies.

IIT, Bombay (IIT- B) offers PhD programmes in humanities.

IIT, Madras started a five-year integrated MA program in English, Economics and development studies in 2006.