How difficult is the IITM curriculum?

Word of mouth is that IITM’s curriculum is hard. But once you navigate through the initial challenges, you will fall in rhythm with the cycle of courses, assignments, quizzes, and projects, surpassing them with ease.

Attendance

If you attend lectures regularly and put in a decent effort, you'll very likely get a good GPA. A typical semester at IITM is comprised of 5 courses on average with 3 to 4 lectures per day for 5 days a week (excluding labs). 

Credits

Credits are the number of hours that a student is expected to put into a course. On average a course consists of 9 credits, which comes up to 3 hours in the classroom and 6 hours of self-study in a week. 

Students in the BTech program need to complete 432 credits in 8 semesters, while Dual Degree students need 553 credits in 10 semesters (including the Dual Degree Project).

Courses

You are expected to complete ~50% mandatory courses, ~25% constrained electives (science, humanities, or professional), and 25% free electives (where you can select any option from science, humanities, and professional)

Students can also attend courses offered by the Department of Management Studies and the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences like Economics, Operations Research, Marketing, and Finance.

Exams

The examination pattern is generally 2 quizzes and 1 end-semester or mid-semester exam along with an end-semester evaluation. Some courses may require assignments scattered in between these examinations. The curriculum is crafted to provide an intellectual experience as you'll be travelling with some of the brightest students in the country during your academic journey.

Remember, while the academic workload may seem intimidating, there are many resources available to help you succeed at IIT Madras!