Nearly 40 students have chosen the path of early programmes offered by the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar. IITGn offers two unique programmes including an early PhD and an early-admit M.Tech programme for undergraduate students.
This year, the batch of 2018 consists of 6 students opting for early PhD whereas 32 students opting for early M.Tech course.
To overcome the dearth of good PhD scholars, IITGn has become the first such institute in the country to offer a PhD to a Bachelor of Technology graduate. The idea was to prevent B.Tech graduates from opting for jobs or going for M.Tech.
Dr Sudhir Jain, Director, IITGN, said, "We were not getting good PhD students as after B.Tech, most would either get lured to join big companies and the rest would join M.Tech. Of those who join M.Tech, the ratio of those opting for further studies becomes minimal due to various reasons. This was the main reason why we thought of tapping good B.Tech students for our PhD programme before they sit for an interview and give them the option to explore the world of PhD with us."
The early PhD programme is open for B.Tech students who are from NITs and other select colleges and are among the top five rank holders in their departments. Such students, at the end of their third year, are eligible to apply for the PhD. Similarly, by offering early-admit M.Tech, the institute aims to secure admissions for B.Tech students while they are in their last year so that they are not lured by placements and secure their seat in advance.
He added, "The response to both these programmes have been significant and we are very happy with the success of the same."
Says Abhi Mittal, an early Phd programme student, "I completed my graduation from IIT-BHU. The driving factor for me to join the programme was its uniqueness in terms of giving research opportunities directly after B.Tech. Until now, my experience has been quite good. The work culture here and the focus on originality has been quite impressive."
