B. Tech in Computer Science and Engineering

The programme is designed to create innovators and researchers. Students are given a strong foundation in CSE that includes electronics and hardware. Computer science courses are introduced in the early semesters, and non-IT courses in the later stages. This allows students to master the subject and carry out projects in the related subject starting from the second year. IT Workshops are specially designed courses meant to impart mastery in the use of the latest software technologies by the third semester. The courses in mathematics, sciences, engineering and humanities enable students to explore the wider applications of information technology.

Curriculum The curriculum for CSE for the next ten years, 2018-2028, is prepared keeping in mind the pace of change in computing as a discipline. Computing now is affecting many domains including the natural sciences, materials, and humanities in a big way. It is therefore imperative that the curriculum offers a student the scope to acquire fundamental knowledge quickly and the ability to specialize in some subject domain. The curriculum design used this as the main goal. Any curriculum design exercise is an expedition into the unknown future. One has to contend with making recommendations by projecting the present to the future. For instance, circa 2008, it is believed that Computer Graphics will develop in a big way given the thrust on gaming and animation. While some of that is true, the extent of that growth is not revolutionary. Similarly, circa 2008, statistical and data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning were still nascent. Today, many departments are heavily invested in these areas. Given the difficulty of this task, the committee took the view that a curriculum should be such that midterm corrections should be possible and smooth. Viewed differently, the basic structure of the curriculum need not change but some elements of the curriculum can be modified to adjust to a changing reality. On the other hand, IIIT Hyderabad strives to impart an education that does not simply train students to get their first employment but rather trains students to be thought leaders in their respective domains. Doing so requires a very hands-on curriculum and flexibility that allows individual students to focus on their strengths and interests to create a curriculum for themselves. At the same time, the curriculum will have a minimal core/foundation that helps students in making informed choices going forward. Keeping the above observations in mind the curriculum is created as a set of 52 Computer Science credits in the first four semesters of which 46 credits are common for everybody. In these 46 credits, courses include programming, data structures, algorithms, circuits, computer systems, operating systems, computer networks, database systems, and software engineering. These courses can be viewed as offering the students the basics of the discipline, preparing them for problem-solving, and including lots of hands-on projects. By the end of these courses, students will be able to create systems that are requirement and process-driven, version-controlled, talk over the network, prepare SQL queries, and are usable. Indeed, IIIT Hyderabad has a history of using several such systems. To create a good synergy between CS and ECE, within these credits, we also recommend hands-on courses in EECS. Through these courses, students will be able to build simple systems that can bring together several aspects of EECE such as sensors, converters, decision-making/feedback, communication, and the like. The remaining 6 credits in the minimal CS are driven by two credit courses that prepare them for depth in a broad area. These courses therefore serve to introduce the required body of knowledge. These 6 credits are earned by choosing three courses out of a set of about 8 courses. The curriculum across semesters five through eight is largely elective-driven. Students are encouraged to do five courses (20 credits) in Computer Science apart from other open-choice credits, science courses, and courses in humanities. The five courses in Computer Science can be from one subject area such as AI or be spread across several areas depending on the interests of the individual student. These courses can be applied to domains such as computational science, building science.

We consider that  every student will do at least one course from the Theory bouquet and at least one course from the Systems bouquet. It is therefore considered that 18 courses add up to 72 credits plus a 4 credit B. Tech. The project has a minimal CS requirement. This layer of 76 credits is appropriate for students wanting to specialize in domains outside of CS. Most CSE students will be encouraged to do additional CSE credits. The present curriculum, also allows for strange possibilities that a student can miss some subjects such as Compilers, and still obtain the degree. We would see this as a strength of the curriculum rather than as a weakness. Students are encouraged to identify their interests and pursue those interests at a deep level of engagement. Students passing through our curriculum should be known for what they are good at rather than being pointed out what they are short of. 

Salient Features: 1. A minimal core that is compulsory, and a broad definition of CS for enabling learning, projects, and research in many emerging areas of computer science. 2. BTech (CSE) has 47.5% of the credits coming from the major subjects (broader CSE). Out of this, 23.75% of the credits are preplanned core courses, 2.5% of credits as compulsory projects, 5.0% of the credits as courses that students can flexibly schedule, and 16.25% of the credits as electives. 3. More converging view of CS and ECE with courses that can be seen as EECS which are getting into the mainstream in both CSE and ECE. 4. Smaller credits in the first year so that (i) students can migrate to the new environments more easily (ii) trans-disciplinary programs get more space for introducing basic concepts in the early years. 5. The notion of breadth elective early into the course (in the second year) so that students can taste different disciplines and make well-informed choices on specialization.