IIIT Bangalore launches M.Sc in Digital Society programme

The International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore has launched an interdisciplinary M.Sc (Digital Society) programme for the academic year 2015.

The two-year programme is scheduled to begin in the month of July.

Graduates in any discipline, who are interested in the use of digital technology in various fields can pursue the programme.

The programme enables students to develop and implement information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for an "inclusive and sustainable digital society."

About The Course

The programme is set to begin with a two-week preparatory semester on `designing the digital' through sessions including lectures, readings and audiovisual media focusing on its basic logic and interdisciplinary flavour.

"It synthesises insights from the arts, the humanities, the social sciences and information technologies," says Parthasarathy, ICICI Professor and Dean.

Programme will cover topics on developing, deploying and managing large-scale digital systems; designing interfaces for diverse populations; socio-historical aspects of the "digital"; policy issues in contemporary digital society; quantitative and qualitative research methods, tools and techniques to examine user needs and outcomes, and to evaluate the impact of ICTs.

Technologies such as cloud or mobile platforms, data analytics, social media, human-computer interaction and spatial-information systems; and domain-specific understanding of the technology-society interface, including issues related to education, governance, gender, identity, poverty and public health will also be taught.

Learners would be required to carry out interdisciplinary research or go for an internship as well.

What Are The Career Options?

"The programme enables students to address the challenges posed by the analysis, design and deployment of digital systems, across economic sectors and functional domains, for an inclusive and sustainable society," says Parthasarathy.

Speaking to TOI he said "The progarmme could potentially lead to careers in consultancies, corporate research labs and design organisations, enterprises dealing in human-centred computing for product and service development, government agencies and e-governance programmes, international development agencies and policy think-tanks, non-profits engaged in related work; corporate social responsibility (CSR) entities, etc."