The session was taken by Shashank Inamdar (TFE), Atharva Deshpande (CIM) and Vidyut Balaji (CADA). They discussed their reasons and motivations to choose their particular specialization as well as converting to the dual degree programme and the procedure for the same.

Steps for conversion

The process starts by filling out the student application form (sent by the DAMP Coordinators) which asks about the motivation for conversion to the dual degree programme and the semester-wise course layout plan to complete the required credits. An extra 8 courses (4 honors and 4PG level courses) along with 72 credits of the dual degree project are required to be completed before graduation. Finally, the form is uploaded on the AMS portal and is to be signed by the faculty advisor and the Head of Department.

Shashank Inamdar (TFE)

Shashank Inamdar is working on a company project under Prof. Shankar Krishnan and has Prof. Sandeep Anand from the electrical engineering department as a co-guide. The project entails designing an inverter for open grid operation and the thermal management of the inverter. He was interested to enter the automobile industry and wanted to do so with a strong base and good knowledge, in addition to being interested in the TFE courses and being impressed by the professors working in the thermal and fluids domain. These aspects in addition to the strong research opportunities, industry contacts of professors and application across wide job sectors made him choose the TFE specialization and convert to the dual degree programme. The TFE curriculum is a bit rigid with the 4PG electives and 1 honor course being fixed, thus having the freedom of choosing only 3 courses.

Atharva Deshpande (CIM)

Atharva Deshpande converted to the DD programme after the midsems of the 7th semester after realizing that she did not want to sit for placements yet. Having completed a SLP and a BTP under Prof. Suneet Singh from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, it made sense to pursue a DDP under him with a co-guide from the mechanical engineering department. The CIM specialization gives a lot of freedom in choosing the guide and the project and has only 2 fixed honors courses out of the required 8 extra courses. Other reasons for converting included getting to complete masters in just one extra year utilising the great opportunities at IIT Bombay while saving costs on an expensive MS abroad. The CIM specialization also has a lot of research internship opportunities and a good shot at getting a PhD abroad. Atharva also mentioned the wide scope in CIM related to IoT, AI & ML, blockchain, robotics and opportunities in Industry 4.0 in manufacturing and supply chain. Converting to DD in CIM also helps in boosting one’s cpi and improves non core prospects. She felt that the research is not as ‘cool’ as in TFE and CADA and there is limited practical knowledge in this specialization. All in all, it is a great choice for someone who relates to the above reasons as Atharva, and she is now headed to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to pursue a PhD in Nuclear Engineering!

Vidyut Balaji (CADA)

Vidyut Balaji did his fair share of exploring institute activities, from being an assistant manager in the racing team to doing a research internship in the TFE domain. He was finally attracted to the domain of controls and robotics and decided to pursue his DDP under Prof. Abhishek Gupta and Prof. Leena Vachhani from the SysCon department to design a controller for a spherical robot. The CADA domain has a lot going for it including the growth of design and automated services, and for someone with interest in control systems and robot software, it is the perfect specialization.Vidyut was already a dual degree student and believes it is the perspective that ultimately matters, whether an additional year of academics can be a burden or a chance to explore. He believes being in the dual degree program worked out for him as he did not have to be concerned with placements early on and could explore more freely. He participated in a semester exchange program in his 7th semester which is easy for dual degree students to do.

Q&A

• How do you choose your project and guide?
  Decide the professor/s you want as your guide first, you can start with some professors you have interacted with previously. Discuss your ideas for a project and the domain with multiple professors to take their insights and opinions, and discuss the field and variety of projects with the possibility of a DDP, the professors have had multiple projects before and they may end up offering a project which is right up your alley.

• What is the latest time to switch to the Dual Degree Programme?
  The speakers advised that it is best to convert as early as possible, that is before the start of the 4th year so the credits can be completed in enough time without overloading yourself. If someone is unsure, it is fine to explore and come to an informed choice and the decison can be taken latest before the end of the 7th semester.

• Did you consider an IDDDP in some other department like SysCon instead of the CADA specialization?
  An IDDDP in the SysCon department may be the right choice for someone who is very sure of their interest in controls, but the mechanical engineering department offers a more holistic approach and with a co-guide from the other department, one can get the best of both. Also, one has to apply for IDDDP earlier and thus plan in detail beforehand.

• Do all DD students have to undertake a Teaching assistantship?
  Yes, it is compulsory for all DD students to pursue a TAship, usually in a course by their guide to get their stipends processed.