IIT Gandhinagar introduces PG course for graduating students

While the pandemic seems to stay in the country a bit longer than initially expected, institutes from all over the country are taking necessary steps to keep students hooked to their books. In a recent announcement, IIT Gandhinagar revealed that the college has introduced a one-year PG diploma course for students graduating from IIT-G, who got their employment and higher education plans disrupted due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The new postgraduate diploma programme will be offered in the following domains - Computer Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineering, Earth System Science, Mechanical Engineering, Material Science Engineering and Electrical Engineering. This programme will also make students eligible for lateral entry in M.Tech programmes.

In light of the current situation, the authorities also mentioned that IIT Gandhinagar students can avail direct admission in the above-mentioned course this year. Even though the institute has decided to continue this course when the pandemic is over, the facility of direct admission will not be available from the next academic year.

The Director of IIT Gandhinagar mentioned that this new programme is meant to help bright students of the institute whose plans of higher education got deferred due to the COVID-19 crisis. He added that the diploma will feature course work that will be on lines similar to that of M.Tech, but students will not be required to undergo thesis or research work. It is meant to aid candidates who are interested in research but aren’t willing to invest in a full-time master’s program, said he.

In addition to the launch of this PG course for graduating students, the institute will also offer two Fellowships - Sabarmati Bridge Fellowship and IIT Gandhinagar Junior Fellowship in Leadership. These fellowships will not only allow students to take up exciting, unconventional and professional research opportunities to pursue their passions but will also help them develop leadership skills. Around 10 Junior Fellowships on leadership will be offered to students for the academic year 2020-21.

The Sabarmati Bridge Fellowship is designed to empower young researchers among the final year students of MSc, MA and B.Tech of IIT Gandhinagar. Under this fellowship, students will work with a faculty member of IIT Gandhinagar on research problems that could finally lead to scholarly publications. Also, the fellows will gain relevant exposure to the numerous skills required for a research career or a PhD program.

Earlier, various institutes and colleges were asked to shut down on March 16, 2020, due to the sudden outbreak of Coronavirus. Later, a nationwide lockdown was imposed in the country which has now been extended to 17th May 2020. This notice comes as a relief to many students whose plans of employment as well as that of higher education got cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Here is a list of other guidelines and information issued in the interest of students to better handle the lockdown: