Jamshedpur, June 30: The four-year wait has finally come to an end for students of the city with Adityapur-based National Institute of Technology (NIT) all set to introduce new post-graduate (PG) courses in various branches of engineering subjects.

This move follows the initial change where the institute increased its student capacity in the batches from the current academic session in various engineering streams.

The dean of NIT has already asked the heads from various departments to submit their proposals for introducing new post-graduate courses. The proposals would be placed in the senate meeting slated for July 12.

At present, the institute runs post-graduate courses in only three subjects-- metallurgy, electrical and mechanical.

?The new courses should be more job oriented and relevant as per the current market scenario. Some of the departments have already submitted the proposals while some are in the process of doing so. The proposals from various departments would be placed in the senate meeting before it is sent to All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which is the statutory body which grants affiliation to new courses in engineering colleges across the country. This will be done for necessary approval,? said RJ Singh, dean of academics in NIT.

According to Singh, the main thrust of introducing new post-graduate courses is to further promote research and development activities and to attract more students towards the institute. Officials admitted that so far their four-year long wait for the courses seems to be near fruition at last. They expressed confidence regarding the new courses.

?Introduction of new PG courses would further boost up research activities in the institute. The departments which are presently running post-graduate courses can also opt for more professional courses.

?Union ministry of human resource development, which manages the affairs of NITs across the country has asked us to go ahead with the new initiative to introduce the refresher courses in all branches of engineering,? he added.

Sources in NIT informed that introduction of the new post-graduate courses would be top of the agenda at the senate meeting, which will take place after a gap of about 15 months.

The authorities of the institute further revealed that efforts are also being made to introduce post-graduate courses in subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics. For this NIT has taken up the issue with Ranchi University.

Such initiative is a first of its kind for the institute, in its four decades of academic experience. According to the institute sources, a five member team from AICTE, which visited the NIT campus in April this year expressed satisfaction over the infrastructure facilities for introducing any new course.