New Delhi: IIT Bombay will offer a master's course in filmmaking.
The proposal to offer courses in new areas, including filmmaking and medicine, was part of a recent document outlining the IIT's growth plan for the next five years. The document was created by an institute strategy and planning committee headed by IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar.
The institute's student strength went up from 7,767 in 2011 to 10,169 in 2016. The document has suggested further expansion by starting new programmes.
It mentions a master's course in filmmaking as it is "a programme relevant for (the) large film industry in Mumbai".
The details of the course are being worked out by the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at IIT Bombay. Professor G.V. Sreekumar, the head of the IDC, said it could take a year to finalise the details of the proposed course on filmmaking.
The Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has been offering diploma courses in acting, cinematography, editing, direction and screenplay writing and art direction and production.
"Our master's course will be different from what the FTII offers," Sreekumar said.
The document also suggests introducing programmes related to medicine in collaboration with local hospitals. Professor Ranjan Banerjee, head of the Energy Science Engineering department and a member of IIT Bombay professors' committee ISPC, said the tech school might not offer courses such as MBBS or MS, but it might collaborate with hospitals to help research scholars in medicine to work on integration and application of technology in medicine.
The other courses being planned by 2022 are in areas of fine arts, finance, commerce, data science and corporate law.
The vision document has been discussed by the board of governors, the highest decision-making body of the IIT. "The plan will be rolled out now. It has been approved," Banerjee said
The document proposes enhancing outreach with schools and local communities to create awareness about the programmes.
"(An) Information campaign will be carried out to inform school children and their parents of the opportunities in engineering, particularly engineering graduates from IITs," the document said.
It also emphasised on improvement in students' experience on campus. The document suggested setting up more hostels, including one for married students, on a priority basis. There is a hostel for married students at IIT Bombay but with limited accommodation.
For extra-curricular activities, the document recommended creation of 10 cafeterias and food courts by 2022. There will be an annual students' satisfaction survey too.
It also speaks about creating a business development and industry interface office to enhance intellectual property commercialisation.
To augment resources internally, the document proposed that the amount received in donations be increased to Rs 100 a year by 2022 and the income from consultancy and industry to another Rs 100 crore. Income from tuition fees and other charges should be increased to Rs 150 crore, the document said.
It wanted IIT Bombay to offer teaching assistantship and tuition waiver to international PhD students on a par with Indian students.
The institute has an alumni strength of over 50,000, with whom the IIT plans to engage by providing them the opportunity of interacting with students, visit hostels and departments and conduct networking events.