IIT-Bombay adds new courses, more women faculty

MUMBAI: The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) is set to broaden its academic offerings with new undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including a four-year BSC programme in Applied Geophysics and an MTech programme in Climate and Sustainability, starting from July.
Under the educational outreach office, the institute is launching an e-PG diploma course covering AI & ML, E-mobility, and Interactive Design. These new programmes were announced by IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare during the interim convocation.
Faculty expansion is also underway. A total of 55 new full-time faculty members were appointed since last year, bringing the institute's headcount to 751, along with eight professors of practice. This cohort includes 125 women faculty — the largest number across all IITs in India.
"IIT-B continues to make forays into newer territories pertinent to undergraduate and postgraduate education in today's rapidly-evolving world. As in the past several years, IIT-B continues to be the most sought-after destination for UG and PG studies," said Kedare.
This year marked significant progress in campus infrastructure, paving the way for modern buildings worth Rs 2,500 crore.
The Desai Sethi School of Entrepreneurship, hostel 19, hostel evergreen 7/8/21, hostel 4, the new aero department building, and the new student activity centre are nearing completion. Kedare said the groundbreaking for three new academic buildings was completed, and construction activities are in progress. "Apartments for married students and 2BHK transit accommodations for faculty are set to begin. Additionally, residential towers for faculty and staff, new hostels, academic and research blocks, an alumni centre, an open-air theatre, and recreational spaces are in various stages of planning and design," he added.
The recently inaugurated A91 Eco Hub building is designed to foster collaboration across disciplines and will house the department of Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, and the Technocraft Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence.
During Saturday's interim convocation, 354 degrees were awarded to 337 recipients, including 219 PhD degrees. Additionally, 135 degrees were awarded across other programmes, including 36 Executive MBA degrees and six Master in Development Practice in CTARA, which were awarded for the first time.