IIT-M launches electronic systems programme to empower manufacturing sector

CHENNAI: IIT-Madras on Thursday announced the launching of a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electronic Systems programme to meet the fast-emerging demands of the indigenous electronics industry. The course is designed keeping in mind the industry-specific requirements and skill sets. The curriculum is designed in consultation with industry experts. The application closes on June 25, 2023, officials said.

The course will be offered in online mode and is open to all students. Those who have completed Class 12 with Physics and Maths can apply irrespective of age, role or geographical location. Course content such as video lectures, tutorials, and doubt-clearing sessions and assignments will be online, while quizzes, exams and labs will be conducted in person. The Lab courses will be in-person at IIT Madras campus. According to Invest Telangana, Telangana State's Electronics Manufacturing contributed INR 76,410 Crores in 2019-20, accounting for 13% of the State's Industrial Gross value added (GVA). The State recently attracted investments from majors such as Apple, Micromax, HFCL and Resolute, among others, besides OPPO and OnePlus establishing design and development centres creating 1000+ technical jobs. Telangana contributes 6 per cent towards Electronic Production in India and has over 50,000 workers in the state.

According to Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, the State, with its strong ESDM ecosystem, accounts for 10% of national electronics production. The State has three operational Electronic Manufacturing Clusters, employing over 30,000. Over 3.5 Million Mobile Phones are produced every month in Andhra Pradesh. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Dr Radha Krishna Ganti, faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, "There is huge potential for manufacturing in Electronics not only for India's needs but exports to the global market too. By acquiring strong fundamentals and skills, graduates of this BS (Electronic Systems) program will be able to serve in multiple industries such as Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Mobile, Medical Electronics, and Defence industries as an electronic or embedded system design and development engineer."

Speaking about internship opportunities for BS (Electronic Systems) Students, Dr Radha Krishna Ganti added, "Students can get internship/ apprenticeship opportunities with various companies where they will get to work on real-life projects and gain a better understanding of how the industry functions. These internships can be offline, in-person or hybrid, and may vary from 2-8 months in duration. The students are granted credits on the basis of these internships/ apprenticeships. Students involved in internships sometimes eventually get internally absorbed by the organization itself, enabling better career growth." The program aligns with the India Semiconductor Mission to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design. The semiconductor industry has emerged as one of the most important industries. The semiconductor industry is a major contributor to the global economy, employing millions of people and generating billions of dollars in revenue each year.

Highlighting the entry to this Program, Prof. S. Aniruddhan, Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, "Admission to the program is through an in-built qualifier process; JEE is not a requirement to join the program. Candidates who apply will be provided access to four weeks of content taught by IIT Madras faculty and the qualifier exam will be based on this content alone. Sufficient support will be provided to candidates in this period through discussion forums and live sessions. The program also features multiple exits and the students can get a Foundational Level Certificate, Diploma or the BS degree." Elaborating further about the course, Prof. S. Aniruddhan added, "The program is rigorous but flexible. The students will be continuously guided throughout the program to get the required knowledge and skills. The program is taught from the fundamentals and there will be sufficient support provided to students to learn effectively such as live doubt clarification sessions, expert sessions, discussion forums, and so on."