Design, arts, policy: The other side of IITs

TNN / Updated: May 29, 2026, 12:43 IST

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Design, arts, policy: The other side of IITs

HYDERABAD: Want to study at an IIT without pursuing engineering? TOI breaks down the entrance tests, admissions, seat trends and placement records at IIT Hyderabad, IIT Tirupati and IIT Madras to help students and parents make informed choices about emerging non-engineering opportunities at the IITs.

How To Get Into Non-Engineering Courses At IITs

Entrance Exams

BDes: Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED)
Most Master’s programmes: Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM)
Master’s in Development Studies at IITH: University entrance test (usually held in May)Master’s in Development Studies at IITH: University entrance test (usually held in May)
MBA programmes: Common Admission Test (CAT)MBA programmes: Common Admission Test (CAT)
MDes: Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)MDes: Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)

Mission Admission

IIT Hyderabad

Liberal Arts programmes

Like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, our IITs too must be known for programmes beyond engineering. For this, they need to introduce more courses in liberal arts. At IITH, Master’s in development studies is quite popular. But we need more scholarship programmes to attract the best students.— Aalok Khandekar, Head, Liberal Arts Department

Department of design

Design students receive salaries on par with engineering students. There is huge demand for the course as students are selected and admitted through a common entrance test. Graduates can enter fields such as industrial design, manufacturing for product design, and communication design for creating logos, posters and films.— Shiva Ji, Head, Department Of Design

IIT-T sees rising interest in math & statistics

IIT Tirupat

Popular non-engineering programmes

MSc mathematics and statistics
MSc chemistry
MSc mathematics
MSc physics
Master of public polic

Seat intake

20 seats in all MSc programmes
MSc mathematics has 10 seats

Demand trends

All seats filled consistently over the last three academic years
Students with AIR 10–100 in JAM opting for mathematics and statistics
Some students leave after securing admissions abroad or job offers

IIT Tirupati placements

These programmes offer strong pathways to advanced research. The curriculum provides a strong theoretical and computational foundation that prepares students for cutting-edge research— Chaman Mehta, Joint Registrar, IIT TirupatiWhile AI has had a moderate direct impact on traditional core disciplines, the curriculum has evolved to include modern computational and data-driven components. Courses such as ML, statistical learning, quantum computing and data visualisation help students build interdisciplinary skills— Pantchacharam Mariappan, Faculty Of Mathematics & Statistics

IIT Madras

Popular non-engineering programmes

Undergraduate

Science
BS biological sciences
BS physics
BS chemistry
BS mathematics

Data science and technology

BSc programming and data science
BS data science and applications
BS electronic systems
BS management and data science

Diploma programmes

Diploma in programming
Diploma in data science

Postgraduate programmes

Management programmes

MBA in digital maritime and supply chain
Executive MBA in strategic leadership and public policy
PG diploma in management for executives in manufacturing

Humanities and public policy

MA development studies
MA economics
MA english studies
MA public policy

Core sciences

MSc physics
MSc chemistry
MSc mathematics

AI, analytics and data science

MSc data science and AI
MSc sports analytics and AI

Sustainability and technology

MSc sustainable energy systems
MSc sustainable engineering
MSc water security and global change
MSc materials and manufacturing
MSc offshore and maritime engineering

Demand And Occupancy

BS online degree programmes have flexible intake and continue to expand every year, allowing students without a JEE score to get an IIT degree
MBA programmes: 65–90 seats annually, consistently full
MA humanities: Around 100 seats annually, consistently full
MSc science programmes: 170 seats annually, consistently full

The demand for these courses is growing fast. Students and employers realise that solving modern problems requires a mix of technology, business, and social understanding— Prathap Haridoss, Dean Of Academic Courses, Iit Madras