Now, minor degrees in emerging technologies to be offered at engineering colleges

The approved electives/minor degrees include artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics, quantum computing and augmented reality/virtual reality

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From this year, all engineering branches can offer courses in emerging technologies either as minor degrees or electives. The approved electives/minor degrees include artificial intelligence; Internet of Things; blockchain; robotics; quantum computing and augmented reality/virtual reality.

Institutions however, cannot increase their intake for regular courses. The specialisation in emerging areas is “permitted within the approved intake without hampering the generic course” according to the approval process handbook released by the All India Council for Technical Education.

The Council has permitted Universities to evolve syllabi for any minor degree/honours for which model syllabi are not available on its website. Undergraduate degree courses in the emerging areas shall be allowed as specialisations from the same department, however.

Candidates who take the courses must do a minimum of 18-20 credits in addition to the 160 for major degree and it will be mentioned in the degree as a specialisation in that particular area. A candidate from another department who takes courses in the emerging areas for the additional credits will received “a degree with minor from another department”.

Colleges with CSE and EE department can offer AI, machine learning, blockchain, IoT, cyber security, virtual and augmented reality and data science as minor degrees. ECE can offer AI, ML, blockchain, IoT, cyber security and data science. EE and Mechanical Engineering can offer systems engineering as minor degree.

The Council has given a new breath of life to civil and chemical engineering by allowing minor degrees such as GIS and remote sensing; sustainability engineering; strategic civil infrastructure; smart cities; and underground space utilisation.

However, only institutions with the required infrastructure can run specialisation in emerging areas. If a technical institution is unable to accredit 60% of the eligible courses in the next three years then the extension of approval will be cancelled, the Council has decided.

But are the colleges equipped to offer such courses?

AICTE chairman Anil D. Sahasrabudhe said, “These are add-on courses, minors and not full degree nomenclatures. Moreover, these courses will come in the third year or, at most in the second year. Over the last one year we have trained more than 8,000 faculty members through 200 faculty development programmes in one of these areas each. Next year we have targeted 500 programmes and 20,000 faculty.”

50% reduced intake

The Council will reduce by half the approved intake of colleges where admission has been consistently 30% or lower than the approved intake for the past five years.

Colleges will have to present to the inspection committee the ECS of salary paid to faculty members, besides presenting the faculty in person. Colleges have also been instructed not to “demand for the original degree certificates from the faculty at the time of joining the institution”.