an animation specialization wherein skills specific to animation are honed.” The bachelor’s degree programme in the National Institute of Design (NID) follows a different pattern. It has a two semester long ‘Foundation Programme’ followed by three years of specialised study in fields like furniture design, interior design, communication design, etc. The Foundation Programme is geared to assist in the development of values, attitudes, sensorial skills and aesthetic sensitivity necessary for specialisation in design in general while the next three years focus on the specialisation you choose.
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Future prospects There are a vast number of opportunities for the Bachelor of Design graduates to secure a job in the private sector in organizations such as Hotels, Fashion Media, Furniture Manufacturing Units, and Quality Control Offices, etc. However, Prof. Chakravarthy said that he doesn’t want to link up the placements of the B.Des students with the Placement Cell of IIT-B. He wants to open up the placement scenario such that students apply themselves and get jobs - the process usually followed at most of the foreign universities. “I feel that the current placement scenario at IIT Bombay is highly money centered, which isn’t good. This race for money is definitely not good for the young bright minds that we have nurtured here at IDC”, he adds. In addition to the variety of jobs offered in India, the candidates can also look out for a profession in various foreign countries. Exhibitions and auctions of one’s creative works can be conducted in various parts of the world. Higher studies in other Indian or foreign universities is also an option for students enthusiastic to further explore the research areas in design.
IITs are known for. Apart from the formal projects at the end of every year in the summer, the course evaluations also happen on presentations which are scheduled at regular intervals. For instance in a course on Mechanism Design, the students had to make catapults with a given small amount of material- so that they know the loads, the situations, the bending, etc. In Prof Chakravarthy’s words, “The idea is to impart powerful experiential learning to the B.Des students.” B.Des students have definitely benefitted from the small classrooms, which have led to effective interaction between students and professors. Considering the large intake of B.Tech students, this is hard to implement there but something that should definitely be given a thought. It is fairly obvious that the B.Tech and the B.Des programmes are as different as can be and thus require very different approaches. But the positives that can be noted about the B.Des programme can largely be attributed to its relative novelty and how it has taken inspiration from other successful programmes across the globe. Following a similar approach, maybe a revamp to the B.Tech curriculum is in order. After about a year and a half of its inception, the B.Des programme at IDC, IIT Bombay has simply grown in stature and its popularity has increased tremendously among aspiring designers. The feedback in general has been positive and it is definitely here to stay.
What can the B.Tech programme learn from B.Des? Being a Design programme, the course load is heavily practical-tasked and project-based which is very different from the traditional problem solving and engineering approach Ever since completing my matriculation, I had always had an inclination towards design. I was pursuing B.Tech in civil engineering at IITB for one year. But, after a year of being relatively disinterested in the B.Tech academic curriculum, while also having spoken to the B.Des freshmen about their courses, I became quite sure that the B.Des programme is where I
belong. Since IDC is a more reputed school than IIT-G’s Department of Design, I chose B.Des at IIT Bombay. I did a fair amount of research before making the jump and haven’t experienced any major gaps between the expectations I had and the current reality. Well, to future aspirants–this isn’t a programme you should enrol in if you’re not genuinely interested in design, engineer-
→→There is an option to convert to M.Des at the end of the third year and get a dual degree instead, much like how the B.Tech and M.Tech dual degree works. →→Students admitted to the B.Des programme will not be eligible for branch change to any other undergraduate programmes offered by IIT Bombay at any time during the entire duration of the programme.
ing is far better in that respect, if you can get in. The workload here can and will burn you out if you’re not into it. If you are interested in design, and especially if you have some vision of what you want out of IDC, this is probably the best place to be. Vineet Srivastava 1st Year B.Des at IDC, IIT Bombay
→→The students in the B.Des 13 programme are not allowed to take up a minor in any other department of the institute, unless you are enrolled in the Guwahati B.Des programme, in which case you are! →→With just 30 students per batch and 22 eminent faculty members, the students undoubtedly have the opportunity to explore into the fields of their choice and learn the skills and experience required to excel in them.
Being a Design programme, the course load is heavily practical-tasked and projectbased which is very different from the traditional problem solving and engineering approach IITs are known for.
Comparing B.Des. Programmes IIT Guwahati
IIT Bombay
Total Credits: 295
286
Can pursue minors in other departments
Can’t pursue minors in other departments
6 projects worth 50 credits
7 projects worth 90 credits
No such compulsion
Compulsory semester exchange