Faced with growing demand from students for admission to prestigious engineering institutions, three Indian Institutes of Technology have decided to start new courses from 2005-06 academic session.

Besides, a number of additional courses are also being planned for introduction from the academic session 2006-07 or subsequently.

IIT, Bombay will start a five-year Integrated dual degree B. Tech programme B.Tech (Engineering Physics) and M.Tech with specialisation in Nanoscience from 2005-06.

The courses being introduced at IIT Kharagpur are a five year dual degree course with B.Tech (Hons) in any branch of engineering and MBA, a five year Integrated MSc course in Statistics and informatics, a five-year Integrated MSc course in Economics and a two-year MSc course in Statistics and Informatics (for lateral entry after BSc).

The IIT Kanpur would have a five year Integrated MSc Economics Programmes. Other IITs are also at various stages of finalising the new courses, depending upon the level of their infrastructural readiness, an official release said.

Observing that HRD Minister Arjun Singh has been emphasising the need for broadening the activities of the several leading IITs, the release said "the changing national scenario has thrown up new challenges as well as new opportunities. IITs are, therefore, called upon to meet the demands of the time".

At present a good number of equally meritorious students appearing in the Joint Entrance Examination fail to find a berth in the IIT system solely due to the intake limit fixed, forcing them to go for other disciplines for want of good institutions.

The introduction of new courses was purported to arrest this unhealthy trend and the emphasis has been to introduce certain new integrated programmes at undergraduate level.

The decision was taken in a meeting held with the directors of IITs in January this year. The proposal was further discussed and concretised in the first meeting of the standing committee of the IIT Council, held this month under the chairmanship of C N R Rao.

The proposed expansion would also lead to sizeable increase in undergraduate intake in the IITs. IIT Kharagpur envisages an increase by about 20 per cent in the forthcoming admissions in July 2005.

IIT Guwahati has decided to increase the intake in B.Tech and Bachelor of Design programmes through JEE by about 12.68 per cent in 2005-06 compared to 2004-05 in take.

The IITs are also planning to introduce a number of additional courses from the academic session 2006-07 or subsequently, the release said.

IIT Bombay has plans to start a five year integrated dual degree B.Tech (Environmental Science and Engineering) in M.Tech with specialisation in Water and Waste Water Science and Technology, five-year integrated dual degree in B.Tech (Engineering) and Master of Management a five-year integrated M.Sc. in Mathematics and Computing. MSc (Physics).

IIT-B also plans to offer M.Tech (Electrical Engineering), M.Sc (Physics) and M.Tech (Engineering Physics) with specialization in Nanoscience, M.Sc (Physics) and M.Tech (Materials Science) with specialisation in Nanoscience and M.Sc-M.Tech integrated programme with specialization in Biomedical Sciences.

The IIT, Bombay is also likely to start two year M.Tech in Natural Resources Engineering, two-year M.Sc (Applied Geophysics) and two-year M.S (Applied Economics) specially designed for engineering students.

It also proposes to starts courses in Integrated M.S-Phd in Environment Science and Engineering (post BSc/BE/B.Tech), Integrated MS-Ph.D in Applied Economics, Integrated M.Sc- Ph.D in Biosciences and Bioengineering and Integrated M.Sc-Ph.D in Physics.

The IIT, Kanpur hopes to start courses in Environmental Science and Engineering and Earth Sciences Programmes.

IIT, Roorkee is planning to start five year Integrated M.Tech (Engineering Chemistry/Chemical Technology, five year Integrated M.Tech (Engineering Physics) and five-year Integrated M.Tech (Mathematics and Computing).

Other courses on the offing are five year Integrated M.Tech (Geophysical Technology), five year Integrated M.Tech (Polymer Science and Technology and a Dual Degree B.Tech in Pulp and Paper Technology and MBA.