Focus shifting towards integrated, multi-disciplinaryand tailor-made courses.

Updated on: Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The removal of trade barriers has changed the global scenario in many aspects. The concept of global village has facilitated the flow of knowledge across geographical borders. And this has pushed forward the era of integrated culture or integrated knowledge. In tune with the developments, the academic curriculum, especially in regard to engineering study, is poised for a change. The focus is slowly shifting towards integrated approach and multi-disciplinary approach and tailor-made courses.

The integration is happening at two levels. One is that B. Tech. is being integrated with M. Tech or PG for that matter and secondly it is happening within the curriculum.

Many universities have started the five-year integrated B.Tech and M.Tech programmes. The former Head of the Department of Computer Science Engineering, Andhra University College of Engineering, P. S. Avadhani says that the integration of graduate study into PG was the brainchild of University Grant Commission (UGC). “The basic idea was to bring more students into higher studies and research. Higher studies and research has taken a backseat ever since the campus recruitments have begun. Integrating two degrees (Bachelors and PG) within a period of five years proved to be fruitful,” says he.

A students not only gains one year, as B.Tech and M.Tech is for six years, he also gains the knowledge of a post-graduate student and will have a relative edge. “More essentially, by taking up a five-year integrated programme, one saves time and energy that is involved in taking up tests such as GATE for higher studies,” says the professor.

Andhra University offers five such programmes. While two are in computer science (Software engineering and CSIT), there is a programme each in ECE, Mechanical and Civil. The university also has plans to start five-year programmes in chemical engineering and instrumentation engineering. The programmes are approved by AICTE and the admission is through a separate entrance test called AUCET.

This apart, integration is also happening within the curriculum. JNTU-Kakinada has included the topics of Intellectual Property Rights and Patents and Professional Ethics and Moral as subjects in the B.Tech curriculum from this year. While IPR is included in the third year, ethics is embedded in the second year curriculum. And the subjects have been made mandatory across streams.

Explaining the inclusion, Director Academic Audit of JNTU-K G.V.R. Prasad Raju says, “Inventions and innovations have become part of the life for engineers and technocrat and with the lifting of trade barriers, it is essential that every engineer should have knowledge of IPR and Patents.

Infrastructure development is the buzzword. And when it comes to that, engineers play a key role. Keeping quality of production in mind, it is important that every engineer should have an understanding of professional ethics and moral.”

Multi-disciplinary approach is fast making inroads into engineering curriculum. The Secretary and Correspondent of Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering P. Somaraju, feels that the multi-disciplinary approach can make an engineer have an edge.

“It not only enhances ones perspectives but paves the way for making him or her, a multi-tasking professional. The opportunities also open up,” he says.

GVPCOE, an autonomous college, has given the opportunity to the final year students to choose two out of four electives from a different stream.

Giving details, Prof. Somaraju says, students from any stream can choose aerospace engineering or aero structure engineering as electives. “For that matter a civil engineering student can opt for Embedded System or Data Structure as electives,” he adds.

Tailor-made course or industry-specific course is another aspect that is fast catching on. “Tailor-made courses may not have a long life, as the demand may change with the trends. But if the development aspect and the trend can be foreseen, such courses do make an impact,” says the Principal of GMR Institute of Technology Prof. C.L.V.R.S.V. Prasad.

In tune with the industry trend, GMRIT has launched a B. Tech programme in Power Engineering. “There is a lot of emphasis on power sector in the 12 and 13 Plan. The focus is on generation and transmission of power from all models such as hydro, thermal, nuclear, unconventional and renewable energy. It is estimated that there will be a requirement of 5 to 6 lakh professionals, with 75 per cent catering to technical side. Keeping this aspect in mind we have started the course,” says Prof. Prasad.

The course is designed as per the programme that is offered by National Power Training institute. It is a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering.

JNTU-K has also started similar industry-specific courses catering to the oil and petroleum sector.

They have launched B.Tech programmes in Petroleum Engineering and Petrochemical Engineering. Both the courses are multi-disciplinary and cover topics under chemical and mechanical engineering.

Focus shifting towards integrated, multi-disciplinaryand tailor-made courses.

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