Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)
IIT system dates back to 1946 when Sir Jogendra Singh of the Viceroy's Executive Council set up a committee whose task was to consider the creation of Higher Technical Institutions for post-war industrial development in India. The 22-member committee, headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, recommended the establishment of these institutions in various parts of India, with affiliated secondary institutions.
The first Indian Institute of Technology was founded in May 1950 at the site of the Hijli Detention Camp in Kharagpur. On September 15, 1956, the Parliament of India passed the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act, declaring it as an Institute of National Importance. Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, in the first convocation address of IIT Kharagpur.
On the recommendations of the Sarkar Committee, four campuses were established at Mumbai (1958), Chennai (1959), Kanpur (1959), and Delhi (1961). The University of Roorkee, India's oldest engineering college, was conferred IIT status in 2001.
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), are a group of fifteen autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education established and declared as Institutes of National Importance by the Parliament of India. The IITs were created to train scientists and engineers, with the aim of developing a skilled workforce to support the economic and social development of India after independence in 1947.
In order of establishment IITs:
1. Kharagpur (1950; as IIT 1951) More Details..
2. Mumbai (1958) More Details..
3. Chennai (1959) More Details..
4. Kanpur (1959) More Details..
5. Delhi (1961; as IIT 1963) More Details..
6. Guwahati (1994) More Details..
7. Roorkee (1847; as IIT 2001) More Details..
8. Bhubaneswar (2008)
9. Gandhinagar (2008)
10. Hyderabad (2008)
11. Patna (2008)
12. Punjab (2008)
13. Rajasthan (2008) More Details..
The Government of India has announced plans to add three more IITs, to be established at Indore, Mandi and Varanasi (via conversion of the IT BHU). Each IIT is an autonomous university, linked to the others through a common IIT Council, which oversees their administration. They have a common admission process for undergraduate admissions, using the Joint Entrance Examination.
Postgraduate Admissions are done on the basis of the GATE, JMET, JAM and CEED.
Admission:
Admission to undergraduate B. Tech and integrated M. Tech programs are through IIT-JEE (the Joint Entrance Examination) in which around 400,000 students appear annually out of which only 7,500 get selected. Admission to most postgraduate courses in IITs is granted through various written entrance examinations: GATE (for M.Tech.), JAM (for M.Sc.) and CEED (for M.Des.). The admission for Ph.D. program is based primarily on a personal interview, though candidates may also have to appear for written tests.
Admission to undergraduate programs in all IITs is tied to the Joint Entrance Examination, popularly known as IIT-JEE. Candidates opting for the B.Arch. program in IIT Kharagpur, and the B.Des. program in IIT Guwahati, have to clear an aptitude test as well. Candidates who qualify admission via IIT-JEE can apply for admission in B.Tech., Dual Degree (Integrated Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology) and Integrated M.Sc. courses in IITs, IT-BHU and ISM Dhanbad. IIT-JEE is a science-oriented entrance exam, testing candidate's knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Only students who have completed their 12th and secured at least 60% in their exam (higher secondary studies from a recognised educational board) are allowed to appear for IIT-JEE. The candidates belonging to the general category must secure a minimum aggregate of 60% marks in the qualifying examination of the XIIth standard organised by various educational boards of India. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Physically Disabled (PD) categories must secure a minimum aggregate of 55% in the qualifying examination.
The upper age limit for appearing for the [IIT-JEE] is 25 years. The age limit is relaxed to 30 years for candidates classified in the SC, ST and PD categories. Starting with IIT-JEE 2007, a candidate can take IIT-JEE a maximum of two times, and students who are selected for an IIT cannot attempt the examination again. Students select their institute and department of study based on what is available at the time of their counselling and interview that follows the IIT-JEE result. The interviews are usually spread over five days.
The admissions into the postgraduate programmes are made through various exams, primarily the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) for Ph.D., M.Tech., and some MS courses. This exam tests the conceptual clarity in technical subjects and is one of the most difficult in the country. Other prominent entrance exams include JAM (Joint Admission to M.Sc.) for M.Sc., and JMET (Joint Management Entrance Test) for Management Studies.
Reservation:
The IITs follow a reservation policy that is notably different from the quota policy elsewhere in India. As per the rules of admission to IITs, 15% of the admitted students must be of the Scheduled Castes, and 7.5% of seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The Other Backward classes have been provided with 27% reservation in effect from 2008 with the consent of the Supreme Court of India.
Undergraduate Programs:
The B.Tech. degree is the most common undergraduate degree in the IITs in terms of student enrollment, although Dual Degrees, Integrated (five-year) Master of Technology, Master of Science and Master of Arts degrees are also offered. The B. Tech course is based on a 4-year program with eight semesters, while the Dual Degree course is a 5-year program with ten semesters.
Postgraduate and doctoral Programs:
1. Master of Technology (M.Tech.)
2. Master of Business Administration (MBA) (only for engineers and post graduates in science)
3. Master of Science (M.Sc.)
4. Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology (PGDIT)
5. Master in Medical Science and Technology (MMST)
6. Master of City Planning (MCP)
7. Master of Arts (MA)
8. Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law (PGDIPL)
9. Master of Design (M.Des)
10. Postgraduate Diploma in Maritime Operation & Management (PGDMOM)
11. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): Ph.D. candidates have to submit a dissertation as well as provide an oral defence for their thesis. Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA) are often provided.