NITs plan major MTech, PhD reforms with focus on industry, practical learning and research

Engineering education at National Institutes of Technology (NITs) is planning major changes across postgraduate courses, doctoral research, academic accreditation, and language support. The reforms proposed will deepen industry links, promote practical learning and also improve research impact.

Under the proposed changes, Master of Technology (MTech) programmes will follow a dual-track model that will allow students to choose either industry-oriented research or research-focused pathways. These reforms have a target set for completion in six months.

The NITs are also planning comprehensive changes to their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes. The institutes have been given twelve months to implement the reforms that make doctoral research aligned with the national priorities and industry requirements. The reforms were discussed at a National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Council meeting, reports Sheena Sachdeva.

NITs plan dual-track MTech, industry-linked PhD

The MTech courses will include multidisciplinary, blended and product-focused options. Students will also gain practical experience, which will form a large part of the curriculum and is expected to include projects, internships, hackathons, labs and startup opportunities.

For PhD courses, NITs plan to create a central platform where faculty members, after expert evaluation, can list their research opportunities. Students who want to submit their research proposals can do the same from this platform.

According to Sheena, the proposed platform will also include industry-led PhDs and industry-funded coursework along with research opportunities linked to startups and entrepreneurship. NITSER council has set a target of five percent for PhD admissions to be industry-funded and ten percent must be industry-led.

Expanding multilingual learning, industry collaboration

The NITSER council has also asked NITs and the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur to develop academic models that will offer language support, particularly during the first semester. Students will be allowed to revise and learn new concepts in a language of their choice.

Both the institutes have been instructed to explore artificial intelligence-based transcription tools for multilingual lecture videos. They will also have to translate selected study materials wherever required into regional languages, as reported by Sheena Sachdeva.

The council has further decided that courses at NITs will undergo re-evaluation of suitable developing accreditation criteria. The evaluation will be done by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and a sub-committee. NITs have also been advised to appoint practising professors equivalent to five to ten percent of the faculty strength.

Moreover, administrative reforms have also been planned. The approved number of deans will increase from six to ten, while NITs and IIEST Shibpur should also start appointing deputy directors. The NITSER council has also discussed making changes to faculty recruitment and the credit-point system to make it aligned with practices followed by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).