Online BSc Degree

and Diploma Program

PROGRAMMING AND DATA SCIENCE

Batch 1: Starts January 2021

For latest updates, visit - www.onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in

Brochure Last Updated: 30th June 2020

Contents
Introduction 3
Why learn Programming & Data Science 3
About IIT Madras 4
Our Experience in Online Education 4
Academics 5
Overall Structure of the programme 5
Term Structure 6
Course Structure 6
Assessments 7
Online Assignments 7
Three Quizzes 7
End Term Exam 7
Pass Criteria for Each Course 8
Learners Who Do Not Pass a Course 8
Exam Cities 9
Fee Structure 9
Foundational Level 10
Diploma Level 10
Diploma in Programming 11
Diploma in Data Science 11
Degree Level 12
Admissions 13
Important Dates 13
Two Admission Paths 13
Regular Entry 13
Diploma Only Entry 13
Mandatory Requirements 13
Regular Entry 14
Eligibility to Apply 14
Application Process 14
Qualifier Process 14
Qualifier Exam and Pass Criteria 15
Contact Us 16
Introduction
IIT Madras, India’s top technical institute, welcomes you to the world’s first online BSc
Degree program in Programming and Data Science. For the first time, you can work
towards an undergraduate degree / diploma from an IIT regardless of your age or
location, and with a wide range of academic backgrounds.

“ IIT Madras is pioneering a completely online program to

produce graduates who will be employable in the sector
that presently has high demand - Programming and Data
Science. The program uses an innovative combination of
online learning and in-person assessment and is flexible and
affordable. I believe the program will be a gamechanger
in the field of education in India in the coming years and
inspire other top-ranking institutions to launch many such
online initiatives.
- Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras

Why Programming & Data Science?

Decision making is increasingly becoming As formal academic programs in data
data driven within the commercial sector science are only just emerging, there
and the government. There is a large is a huge gap between the demand for
quantity of data readily available for this data scientists and the supply of suitable
at present. Smart devices connected to qualified applicants in the job market.
the internet bring more input sources, The throughput of traditional classroom
apart from those generated by humans programs is limited and will not be able
as they interact with services and one to provide the numbers needed to meet
another. Data driven decision making the upcoming requirements. Online
involves the analysis of large volumes teaching has the potential to train much
of data to identify patterns and build larger numbers, but delivering scale
predictive models. This requires a without diluting quality has proven to be
combination of skills ranging from a challenge until recently.
computing, statistics and mathematics,
Our program therefore aims to create
and is broadly labelled data science.
a thoroughly trained programmer,
proficient in application development,
INCREASING DEMAND data sciences and machine learning.

BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES

UPSKILL

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About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras is one of the
foremost institutes of national importance for higher
technical education and research.
In 1956, the German Government offered The Institute today has sixteen academic
technical assistance in establishing departments and several advanced
an institute of higher education in research centres in various disciplines
engineering in India. The first Indo- of engineering and pure sciences. A
German agreement in Bonn, West faculty of international repute, a brilliant
Germany for the establishment of the student community, excellent technical
Indian Institute of Technology at Madras & supporting staff and an effective
was signed in 1959. The Institute with its administration have all contributed to the
campus in Chennai, previously known pre-eminent status of IIT Madras.
as Madras, was formally inaugurated
in 1959 by Prof. Humayun Kabir, Union
Minister for Scientific Research and
Cultural Affairs.

Our Experience in Online Education

IITM is well-equipped to provide an MHRD launched the SWAYAM MOOC
online degree course. We have been platform in 2017 and NPTEL has been
ranked number 1 Engineering Institute the largest contributor to it. NPTEL
for the past 5 years and we have been also manages swayam.gov.in  - the
ranked number 1 Overall for the past 2 national MOOCs portal, as well as the
years by NIRF. network of more than 3800 SWAYAM
local chapter colleges. With IITM
Furthermore, IITM began the NPTEL
continuing to lead the NPTEL project, it
program, the country’s first online
makes them the perfect choice to offer
content portal as an inter-IIT consortium
an online degree program.
project in 2001 and nptel.ac.in  is one
of the largest online course portals in
the world. In 2014, IITM also created
NPTEL online courses - the country’s first 2001 2014 2017 2020
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). NPTEL NPTEL SWAYAM IITM
Today, NPTEL is considered the largest Program Online MOOC Online
MOOC provider in India. Courses Degree

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 ACADEMICS

Overall Structure
There are THREE LEVELS in our Online
Degree program and to get a BSc
Degree in Programming and Data
Science from IIT Madras, a learner
has to successfully complete all three
levels.

1.
FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL

2.
DIPLOMA LEVEL

3.
DEGREE LEVEL

There is also the flexibility to exit at

any level. Depending on the courses
completed, the learner can receive
Foundational Certificate from Centre
for Continuing Education, IIT Madras
or Diploma(s) from IIT Madras. (Pg 13
for Admissions related information)
We are currently formulating a
Diploma Only Entry (Pg 13) option for
those who are interested in doing only
Diploma Level courses and exiting
with one or both Diploma(s) from IIT

Total Courses: 31
116 credits

Completion time: 3 - 6 years

based on preferred pace & performance

Fees for full course Rs.2,42,000*

*Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).

Online Courses & Assignments

12 weeks of coursework for each course

Quizzes and Exams

3 Quizzes and one End Term Exam for
each course - in person and invigilated.

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Term Structure

Every year is divided into three Before progressing to the next level,
terms- January Term, May Term and the learner has to clear all the courses
September Term. in the current level.
In a term, a learner may register A learner has to clear all Foundational
for a course only if they have level courses successfully, before
already successfully completed the registering for any Diploma Level
prerequisites for that course. courses. Similarly, learners have
to clear Diploma Level courses
The learner may be allowed to
successfully before registering for any
register for upto 4 courses in a term
Degree Level courses.
depending on their performance in
the previous exam(s).

Course Structure
The duration of the core courses
in Foundational, Diploma and
Degree Level is 12 weeks and the
courses carry 4 credits each.
The Skill Enhancement courses
and Electives in Degree Level
have varying credits and may
be of different duration.
The fee for each term depends on the
total credits one registers for in that
term. Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9). There will be 3 quizzes for each
course, one each at the end of weeks
The recorded video content released 4, 7 and 10. Each course further
every week will comprise a series of culminates in an End Term Exam. All
lectures, sample problems and step the quizzes and the end term exams
by step instructions on how to solve have to be completed by the learner,
them. in person, at designated exam centres,
The duration of each video would be held under invigilation.
15 to 30 minutes amounting to a total All in-person, invigilated quizzes and
of about 2 - 3 hours of video content exams will be scheduled for weekends,
each week in each course. subject to availability of dates with
Weekly assignment(s), which will be exam partner.
released along with the videos, will
have to be completed and submitted
online in the specified period of time.

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Assessments
There are 3 types of assessments for each course - online weekly assignments,
monthly in-person invigilated quizzes and an in-person invigilated end term exam.

Online Assignments
A 12-week course will have at least one If the Average Assignment Score for a
assignment every week. course is less than 40/100, the learner
will not be eligible to write the end
Each assignment has to be submitted
term exam for that course.
online within the specified due date.
From the 12 weekly assignment scores
for a course, a learner’s best 8 scores
will be considered to calculate the
Average Assignment Score.

Three Quizzes
IN PERSON, INVIGILATED

There will be 3 quizzes for each course, one each at the end of Weeks 4, 7 and 10.
Every quiz will be based on content covered up to that point in the course. These
quizzes have to be attempted in person, in the specified exam city (Pg 9).

Each quiz will be conducted in a single The best two out of the three quiz
session and will consist of sections of scores will be considered to calculate
45 minutes duration for every course the Average Quiz Score (Q) out of 100.
chosen.
40% of Q will be used to calculate Total
It is mandatory to appear for at least Course Score T and course grade.
one out of the three quizzes to be
eligible to write the end term exam.

End Term Exam

IN PERSON, INVIGILATED

At the end of a term, there will be an This exam score (out of 100) is called
end term exam of 3 hours duration for End Term Score (E) which accounts for
each course. 60% of the Total Course Score (T).
To be eligible to write the End Term
Exam, a learner’s average assignment
score should be >= 40/100 AND they
should have appeared for at least one
out of the three quizzes.

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Pass Criteria for Each Course
Total Course Score (T) = 40% of Average quiz score (Q) + 60% of End Term Score (E)
A learner is deemed to have passed a course only if the below mentioned two
conditions are met:
Total Course Score (T) >= 50/100 AND
End Term exam score (E) >= 40/100
These criteria are the same for all learners participating in the course.
An absolute grading system, as described in the below table, will be followed:

Condition satisfied by ‘T’ - Total Course Score (Out Of 100)

and ‘E’ - End Semester Score (Out Of 60) Letter Grade
(T ≥ 90) AND (E ≥ 24) S
(90 > T ≥ 80) AND (E ≥ 24) A
(80 > T ≥ 70) AND (E ≥ 24) B
(70 > T ≥ 60) AND (E ≥ 24) C
(60 > T ≥ 50) AND (E ≥ 24) D
(T < 50) OR (E < 24) OR Average assignment score <40/100 U (Fail)
OR No quiz attended

Learners Who Do Not Pass a Course

For any learner, if Total Course Score (T) < 50/100 or average assignment
score < 40/100 or no quiz attended, they have to repeat the entire course. This
includes submission of assignments and redoing all the subsequent quizzes and
end term exam. Fees for repeating the course is the same as the course fees.
If Total Course Score (T) >= 50/100 but End Term Score (E) < 40/100, the learner has
2 options:
They can attend only the end term exam whenever it is conducted in
the subsequent term. The fee to repeat an end term exam will be Rs.1000 for
foundational level courses and Rs.2000 for diploma / degree level courses.
Average Quiz Score Q will be carried over from the previous attempt.
They can repeat the entire course by paying the full course fees and
completing all assignments, invigilated quizzes and the end term exam.

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Exam Cities
The Invigilated Quizzes and End Term The list of exam cities where
exams are scheduled to be conducted invigilated exams will be scheduled
in a limited number of cities across may change later depending on the
India. Learners can select 3 options location of majority of our learners.
among the cities, and they will be Here is the link to view the current
expected to attend the exam in the exam cities .
City / Centre that has been allotted
to them. The allotted city will be from
these 3 options.

Fee Structure
Fees for each term depends on the Course Level that the learner has registered for
and the course credits.
The fee per credit for Foundational Level courses is Rs.1000.
The fee per credit for Diploma / Degree Level courses is Rs.2500.
There’s a 50% fee waiver for
Learners belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
Persons with Disabilities (PwD >= 40% disability).
There’s a 75% fee waiver if a learner is both PwD >=40% AND belongs to the SC / ST
category.
For learners who have not passed a course - please refer section about Learners
Who Do Not Pass a Course (Pg 8) for details on whether they will need to repeat the
entire course or only repeat the end term exam. Fee to repeat an entire course is
the same as the full course fee. Fee to only repeat the end term exam is Rs.1000 for
foundational level courses and Rs.2000 for diploma / degree level courses.

General / EWS / SC / ST / PwD PwD with

OBC-NCL with 40% 40% disability
disability & SC / ST
Regular Entry Application Fee ₹3,000 ₹1,500 ₹750
(includes Qualifier Process &
Exam Fee) 
Foundational Level (32 credits) *₹32,000 *₹16,000 *₹8,000
Diploma Level (44 credits) *₹1,10,000 *₹55,000 *₹27,500
Degree Level (40 credits) *₹1,00,000 *₹50,000 *₹25,000

*Note: The fee structure described in the table above applies to the case when a
learner successfully clears / passes each course in one attempt. Every time a learner
does not pass a course, the fee for that course will need to be paid again while re-
registering for it as per norms given in the section Learners Who Do Not Pass a Course.

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Foundational Level
8 courses
The Foundational Level comprises 32 credits
courses in Mathematics, Statistics, Basics
of Programing and Python, and English. 1 - 3 years
These courses have been chosen to 10 hrs/course/week
ensure that the learner who passes these
successfully is well prepared to proceed Rs.32,000*
to the Diploma Level courses. *Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).

Requirements for registration

The learner should apply for and clear the Qualifier Process (Pg 14).

Options on successful completion

Learners have the following two options when they successfully complete all 8
Foundational Level courses:
Exit: The learner may exit with a Foundational Certificate from Centre for
Continuing Education, IIT Madras.
Proceed to next level: The learner can join the Diploma Level (Pg 10).

Courses in Foundational Level

Mathematics for Data Science I Statistics for Data Science I

Mathematics for Data Science II Statistics for Data Science II

Computational Thinking English I

Programming in Python English II

Diploma Level
6 + 6 courses
There are two sections in the Diploma 22 + 22 credits
Level with courses for Diploma in
Programming and courses for Diploma 1 - 3 years
in Data Science. Each of these diplomas 10 hrs/course/week
comprise 5 core courses and 1 skill
enhancement course. These Diploma Rs.55,000* + Rs.55,000*
Level courses assume that the learner is *Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).
well-versed with fundamentals.

Requirements for registration

The learner should have cleared all 8 Foundational Level (Pg 10) courses or should
have joined via Diploma Only Entry (Pg 13).

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Options on successful completion
Learners have the following options based on the courses completed in this level:
They may exit with a Diploma in Programming from IIT Madras.
They may exit with a Diploma in Data Science from IIT Madras.
They may exit with both Diplomas from IIT Madras.
The learner can join the Degree Level (Pg 11) if they have completed all 12
Diploma Level courses AND have not entered the program via Diploma Only
Entry option.

Diploma in Programming
The Diploma in Programming lays a 6 courses
sturdy foundation in Databases and 22 credits
Programming concepts with Data
Structures and Algorithms. The learner 1 - 2 years
goes on to apply these in the building 10 hrs/course/week
of a web application by the end of the
diploma. Rs.55,000*
*Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).

Courses for Diploma in Programming

Database Management Systems Modern Application Development I

Programming, Data Structures and Modern Application Development II

Algorithms using Python

Programming Concepts using Java Skill Enhancement I

Diploma in Data Science

The Diploma in Data Science exposes 6 courses
the learner to the holistic approach of 22 credits
gathering, analysing, and interpreting
1 - 2 years
data for a variety of problems. The
courses on Business Data lays down the 10 hrs/course/week
context and the need for the data, while
Rs.55,000*
the Machine Learning courses equip
the learner to use and analyse this data *Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).
towards impactful conclusions.

Courses for Diploma in Data Science

Machine Learning Foundations Business Data Management

Machine Learning Theory Business Analytics

Machine Learning Practice

Skill Enhancement II

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Degree Level
11 courses
The Degree Level has courses that 40 credits
complete the requirements for the BSc
degree. 1 - 3 years
10 hrs/course/week
Requirements for registration
Rs.1,00,000*
The learner should have come in via *Refer Fee Structure (Pg 9).
Regular Entry (Pg 14), cleared all 8
Foundational Level (Pg 11) courses and
all 12 Diploma Level (Pg 11) courses.

Allied Area of Study

The learner will have to pick ONE of three allied areas of study. The core courses &
electives the learner will need to clear in Degree Level will vary based on selected allied
area of study. List of allied areas:
1. Computer Systems
2. Computer Applications
3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI & ML)

Exit: Once the learner successfully completes 11 Degree Level courses (40 credits
minimum), they can exit with a BSc Degree in Programming & Data Science from
IIT Madras.

Courses for Degree Level

Allied Area Core I Allied Area Project I

Allied Area Core II Allied Area Project II

Allied Area Elective I Strategies for Professional Growth

Allied Area Elective II Skill Enhancement III

Allied Area Elective III Skill Enhancement IV

Allied Area Elective IV

Allied Area Elective V

Allied Area Core I Course Core II Course

Computer Systems Operating Systems Computer Architecture

Computer Applications Software Testing Software Engineering
Artificial Intelligence AI: Search Methods for Deep Learning
and Machine Learning Problem Solving

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 ADMISSIONS

Important Dates
Applications Open (Regular Entry) - Check our website  for dates
Applications Close (Regular Entry)* - 15 September 2020*
Weekly release of Term 1 Qualifier courses - 5 October 2020
content starts
Qualifier Exam Hall Ticket (only for those who - 2 November 2020
get minimum required marks in Assignments)
Qualifier Exam (only for those with Hall Ticket)** - 20 / 21 / 22 November, 2020**
Qualifier Exam Results - 7 December, 2020
Registration for Term 1 (only for those who clear - 11 December, 2020 to
Qualifier Exam) 3 January, 2021
Foundational Level Batch 1 starts - 4 January, 2021

*We are limiting the maximum number of applications to 2,50,000. Hence, we will close receipt of
applications on 15 September 2020 or once we receive 2,50,000 applications, whichever occurs first.

**Dates for in-person exams are subject to government restrictions prevalent at that time.

Two Admission Paths

1. Regular Entry
Anyone joining the program via Regular Entry will join at the Foundational Level.
The Foundational Level courses allow for interested applicants with a variety of
educational backgrounds to learn the basics (Math, Statistics, Computational Thinking,
Python programming and English) which help them take up the Diploma Level and
then the Degree Level courses.
There are three exit options for those who enter the program via Regular Entry:
Exit 1. Foundational Level certificate from Centre for Continuing Education, IIT Madras.
Exit 2. Diploma in Programming AND/OR Diploma in Data Science from IIT Madras
Exit 3. BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras
View Regular Entry (Pg 14) for details on Eligibility, Application Process, Qualifier
Process, Qualifier Exam and Passing Criteria.

2. Diploma Only Entry

The Diploma Only Entry is primarily aimed at working professionals or learners who
already possess the fundamentals taught in Foundational Level courses and wish to
exit with one or two Diplomas (Diploma in Programming AND/OR Diploma in Data
Science) from IIT Madras.
Learners entering via Diploma Only Entry can only do Diploma Level courses and
cannot proceed to the Degree Level courses.
We have plans to open applications for Diploma Only Entry later in 2021. All details
related to Diploma Only Entry will be provided soon on our website .

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Mandatory Requirements
Access to good internet connection as Learner should be able to travel to
well as a laptop/desktop device will be assigned exam centres for quizzes and
a key requirement to learn effectively exams, each term.
from our courses.

Regular Entry
Eligibility to Apply
1. The candidate must have studied Mathematics and English in class 10.
2. They should have cleared class 12 or equivalent*.
3. They should be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree Program OR should have
graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (BA, BSc, BE, BTech, BCom, etc.) OR they may
have dropped out from a Bachelor’s degree.

Anyone wishing to apply via Regular Entry must satisfy each of the 3 criteria above.
*As an exception this year, we are accepting applications from students who will
complete their class 12 or equivalent in 2020. They will be allowed to take part in the
Qualifier Process and Qualifier Exam, but will be allowed to join Foundational Level
only upon joining a Bachelor’s Degree Program at a college.

Application Process
When applications open, anyone who is eligible may apply by filling in the
application form, uploading required documents and paying the application fee.
Further details regarding application form and required documents will be made
available soon.
Regular Entry application fee is Rs.3,000. Lesser fee for applicants belonging to
Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) category or Persons with Disabilities
(PwD >= 40% benchmark disability). For details, check Fee Structure (Pg 9).

Qualifier Process
All applicants will have to go through a Qualifier Process, like a trial month,
wherein they will get access to 4 weeks of content for the four foundational level
courses - English I, Mathematics for Data Science I, Statistics for Data Science I and
Computational Thinking.
Video content of 2 - 3 hours duration will be released for each course on a weekly
basis.
Along with the content, the first three weeks will also include an assignment for
each course that need to be completed and submitted online within the given
deadline.
Average assignment score in each course will be calculated. Only those who get
minimum required average assignment scores in all four courses will be allowed to
write the Qualifier Exam (refer next page).

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 Minimum Average Assignment
Score required in each course
General Learner 40%
SC / ST / PwD with 40% disability 30%
PwD with 40% disability & SC / ST 30%
OBC-NCL / EWS 35%

Qualifier Exam and Passing Criteria

Only learners who get minimum required average assignment scores in all four
courses will be eligible for the in-person invigilated Qualifier Exam conducted at the
end of 4 weeks of coursework. Only these candidates will receive hall tickets.
The Qualifier Exam is of 3 hours duration and covers all 4 subjects with 45 minutes
allotted per course.
To pass the Qualifier Exam, the learner has to get a minimum Total Qualifier Exam
Score and a minimum Qualifier Exam Score in each course individually. Refer table
below.
Only those who pass the Qualifier Exam will be eligible to register for Foundational
Level courses.

Minimum required Minimum required

Qualifier Exam Score Total Qualifier
in each course Exam Score
General Learner 40% 50%
SC / ST / PwD with 40% disability 30% 40%

PwD with 40% disability & SC / ST 30% 40%

OBC-NCL / EWS 35% 45%

Note: Relaxations in pass criteria indicated for various categories of learners, is

applicable ONLY for the qualifier process. There will be no relaxations in terms of
grades / pass criteria once registered into the program.

Though everyone who passes the Qualifier Exam will be allowed to register for
Foundational Level, there will be limitations on the number of courses a learner will
be allowed to register for in the first two terms based on the Total Qualifier Exam
Score (S).
Number of courses allowed to
Total Qualifier Exam Score (S) register for in first two terms
Minimum required <= S < 50% up to 2 courses
50% <= S < 70% up to 3 courses

S >= 70% up to 4 course

Maximum number of courses a learner will be allowed to register for in later terms
will depend similarly on the average of course scores in the previous two terms.

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Contact Us
Online Degree Office, 3rd Floor, ICSR Building,
IIT Madras, Chennai - 600036

support@onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in
www.onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in 

iitmadrasonline

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