Published | Deccan Herald
Students can now pursue two-year Master of Science (MSc) programmes in Cognitive Science and Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.
The premier technical institute, which is one of the top 10 public-funded higher education institutions which were declared as the ‘Institute of Eminence’ last year, is set to start MSc in Cognitive Science and MSc in Economics programmes with their first batch of students from July this year.
The two new Masters programmes, to be conducted under the IIT-Delhi’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, will have 25 seats each.
Students will be enrolled to the two new MSc programmes based on their scores in an All India level entrance test to be conducted by the premier technical institute on May 3.
The institute will soon come up with details on the admission process including submission of applications, minimum cut-off grade, percentage in the qualifying degree.
The two new Masters programmes are “uniquely” designed to provide exciting learning opportunities to the students and also contribute positively to the ongoing transformation of the higher education in India, an IIT-Delhi official said.
The MSc in Cognitive Science programme is highly interdisciplinary in nature, building on theories and methods from psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, philosophy and, anthropology among others.
“The programme curriculum is research based and will familiarize students with diverse theories, methods, and tools to understand the architecture and functioning of the human mind. Students will develop necessary skills and understanding required to make complex information, technology and systems more accessible,” the programme coordinator Samar Husain said.
Yashpal Jogdand, a faculty member and part of the programme coordination team, underlined that many industries require such skills and understanding to solve practical problems.
“Thus, along with pursuing a career in academia, students will be able to work at the crossroads of academic-industry linkages,” he added.
The MSc in Economics programme aims to impart advanced training in the subject with a focus on quantitative skills. The curriculum is designed so as to give exposure to broader issues related to developmental challenges in India and beyond.
“The economics programme will inculcate in the students the skill of dealing with emerging issues and will encourage students to think out-of-the-box solutions,” coordinators of the programme, Sourabh Paul and Ankush Agarwal said.
The programme will also encompass a range of techniques from other fields of engineering and technology in keeping with the changes in the discipline of Economics, they added