IIT Kanpur held an ‘Open House’ session for JEE Advanced qualified candidates and their parents this week. The panel that addressed concerns and questions from students included institute director Professor Abhay Karandikar, dean of academic affairs Professor Shalabh and dean of student affairs Professor Siddhartha Panda, among others.
Here are a few questions answered by the panel:
Q. What is new at IIT Kanpur?
“The scope of learning has been expanded to include social science, communication, humanities, economics, management, environment (SCHEME). An active student entrepreneurship policy will be introduced soon for those who wish to pursue that. External activities such as entrepreneurial work will be added to the credit system. Online courses will also be considered and their credits may be added to the result. There is also an option for the students who wish to exit the programme early. We have new programmes such as Bachelor of Technology and Management and Bachelor of Technology, Honours,” dean of academic affairs Shalabh said.
Q. What about internships, research opportunities, and recruitment?
Raju Gupta, the chairperson of the student placement office, said, “In terms of placement, both BTech and BS students are offered jobs and everyone was placed in the previous year. A total of 332 students were offered internships. A few well-known recruiters at IIT Kanpur include Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Co., McKinsey & Co. and Tata Motors. The previous years’ placement statistics show that 32 students got international offers in the academic year 2019-2020, and it rose to 47 in 2021-22. The average salary package of IIT Kanpur students is increasing, and many have bagged summer internships with domestic and international firms with stipends as high as Rs 13 lakh per month.”
“From the third year, students interested in research can interact with faculty members and start research work with them. Summer internship opportunity allows you to work with faculty and be exposed to research,” said Prof Shalabh. “Internship opportunities and recruitment are equally accessible and consistent across all subjects and streams,” added Rohit Kejriwal, the President of Students’ Gymkhana.
Q. What is the entrepreneurship culture like at IIT Kanpur?
One of the student panelists said: “There are many aspects to entrepreneurship. From the first month, there will be prominent speakers coming for sessions organised by the entrepreneurship cell. These skills are instilled in you from the start.”
Adding to it, Prof Shalabh said: “IIT Kanpur will provide resources for entrepreneurial ideas. We support entrepreneurs by providing financial aid and funding. There are new policies to help their entrepreneurial spirit.”
Q. Can I opt for a dual degree?
“The Bachelors-Masters Dual Degree is a five-year programme in which a student earns a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree. The dual degree programme has three categories: Category A: In this case, both degrees are in the same discipline/department. The two combinations in this category are B Tech-MTech and BS-MS.
“Category B: This is a two-discipline/department programme where the Bachelor’s degree is in the parent discipline/department and the Master’s degree is in a different discipline/department. Thus, six degree combinations are possible in this category: B Tech-M Tech, B Tech-MS, BTech-MDES, BS- M Tech, BS-MS, and BS-MDES.
“Category C: In this case, the Bachelor’s degree is in the parent discipline/department and the Master’s degree is MBA. Thus, the two possible combinations are B Tech-MBA and BS-MBA”, said Shalabh.
Q. Can I opt for a double major?
“The double major is a five-year programme for a Bachelor’s degree with majors in two departments/disciplines that offer B Tech/BS degrees. The first major is in the parent department, while the second major is in the department to which the student is admitted for this purpose after the 4th semester”, said Prof. Shalabh.
“Students should have a minimum cumulative performance index (CPI) of 7.0 when applying for a double major. Students opting for a double major cannot apply for a dual degree and vice versa. Admission to the double major programme is subject to the CPI and availability of seats,” said Prof Ashoke De.
Q. Can I apply for a minor?
“Students may include a specialisation within a discipline other than their
parent discipline during the regular four-year BTech programme. It is acknowledged as a ‘minor’ on a student’s grade sheet. A ‘minor’ can be completed within the time and credits required for a student’s regular four-year Bachelors’ programme”, said Prof. Shalabh.
Q. When and how can I change my branch?
A BTech/BS student may choose to apply for a change to another programme in any other discipline.”When the opportunity comes, depending on the strength of the department and your scores, you can change your branch. You are given the option to change after the second semester and in some cases after the 4th semester,” said Shalabh.
Q. Is it true that academics is the hardest at IIT Kanpur?
“When exploring academics, IIT Kanpur is the best option… No student is studying across all IITs to judge but yes (IIT) Kanpur is considered the toughest,” said Rohit Kejriwal.
Q. How is a programme in physics and economics at IIT Kanpur different from the others?
“The physics programme at IIT Kanpur is unique in the country. Other IITs offer a BTech in engineering physics while IIT Kanpur has a four-year BS programme in physics,” answered Sudeep Bhattacharjee.
Professor Sarani Saha added: “The undergraduate programme in economic sciences is unique to IIT Kanpur because you get training in economics and other fields here. It is a new department introduced in 2017 and a popular choice among students.”
Q. Are the Statistics and Data Science programmes difficult?
“Statistics and Data Science are among the most demanding subjects in the industry and academics. Students at IIT Kanpur are trained in labs and work with data projects besides the theory portion. Data Science is very much in demand internationally and nationally. IIT Kanpur is the only IIT with a full-fledged four-year programme in data science. It is a successful programme,” said Abhay Karandikar.
Q. What about the students’ safety on campus?
“There is a zero-tolerance policy. Anti-ragging squads are stationed at different places on the campus and instructions are delivered to senior students, and there are disciplinary committees,” said Siddhartha Panda.
Professor Sarani Saha said, “The women’s cell helps the institution to foster a gender-sensitive campus that is safe for women and it ensures a community free from gender-based discrimination. We have zero tolerance for sexual harassment. There are sessions on gender-related issues such as casual sexism, and checks and balances are maintained within the institution. The Internal Complaints Committee and the Women Cell offer support to everyone.”
“Medical facilities such as a health centre with 14 medical officers, emergency availability 24×7, a doctor on duty, and two ambulances are available on campus,” added Prof Karandikar.
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