In the first year of an engineering course at an IIT, is the coursework common to all branches, or is there a bit of specialisation too? Can one shift to another branch after the first year? - Sreya
The first-year coursework is common for all engineering branches. In the IITs, however, students can switch to a different branch at the end of the first year. The branch changes are limited, though, and based on marks and so on. I would recommend that the IITs enrol their engineering students without assigning a branch. Let the students choose the branch they want to focus on. The degree would be awarded depending on the course they have chosen and completed. This is what many top universities in the US do. Unfortunately, at IITs, the number of students who can switch branches is restricted. Only limited branch changes are currently allowed.
(The writer is the founder of the coaching institute Ahaguru www.ahaguru.com)