Disrupting the Status Quo: The Impact of Next-Generation IITs on Indian Engineering Education

To understand how the new generations IITs are making an impact in the Indian engineering education sector, let us discuss the current scenario in the world of cricket. There are of course countries which are traditional powerhouses of cricket like India, Australia, England, etc., who have exemplary records in tests and one-day international matches. But when it comes to T20s their dominance is not unchallenged. Recent examples showed us that teams like Afghanistan or Netherlands could do wonders in the field of T20 cricket. Similar to this analogy, Old generation IITs like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, etc., are still on the top as far as conventional engineering streams like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, etc., are concerned. If that is so, where do the new generation IITs make their mark? To make an argument in favour of new-generation IITs, let us ask the following question. These days, what are the hot buzzwords popular in the field of technology? Of course, all of us have heard about terms like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data science, etc. Now, let us analyze some of the programs offered by a few of the new-generation IITs to see whether they have made any response to these trends.

IIT Palakkad, an IIT in Kerala has a separate department for Data Science. They have recently started a B.Tech program in Data Science & Engineering, a course which covers the broad spectrum of data science, machine learning, computer science, statics, optimization, and artificial intelligence. IIT Hyderabad has an Artificial Intelligence department. They offer a B. Tech in Artificial Intelligence. IIT Mandi also offers a B. Tech programme in Data Science and Engineering. IIT Jodhpur has a School of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. Currently, they offer courses to B.Tech., Masters, and Ph.D. students. Remember, these are just a few of the trending courses offered by various departments in new-generation IITs.

These examples tell us that, when it comes to the latest trends in the world of technology, new-generation IITs are very fast to respond and this is where they make an impact in the Indian engineering education sector. Thus giving students an excellent reason to think beyond old-generation IITs while choosing their career path after JEE.