IITs plan to award B.Tech degree in 3.5 years from 2016

The nation's prestigious institutes, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) plan to award 4 years B.Tech degree in three and a half years, from the year 2016.

IITs are planning to introduce a new credit score system, which replaces the current 4 year B.Tech degree to 3.5 year degree from the academic year 2016-17.

IIT Kaharagpur director has announced this credit scores system. Following the US system, IITs plan to give time to the students to complete the B.Tech programme in a time frame.

Under the new system, students have to accumulate a stipulated number of credits, including class lecture, laboratory, workshop and field work. They will be free to decide how much time they need to complete it.

Average learners can take upto 8 years to complete B.Tech degree.

"A student who finishes seven semesters in three-and-a-half years will have the scope for enriching his academic career by doing something on his own in the last six months. It could be an entrepreneurship venture or a start-up. While IIT will award him the degree at the convocation, the student will get a provisional marksheet at the end of three-and-a-half years to take up a job," the IIT-Kharagpur director said.

What is US Credit Score System?
It is a number representing the credit-worthiness on a particular person on a particular course. According to this, a 4 year course can be completed in 3.5 years. Students can use the remaining 6 months for entrepreneurship.

According to the new system, the students are allowed to chose and spend couple of semesters at their chosen centres of excellence in other IITs.

Credits earned in another IIT will be added to marksheet.

This system is currently running in MIT, Stanford University and Harvard University.