The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras launched the institute’s first-ever completely online programme in data science and programming on Wednesday. The course is open to students who have passed 12th grade as well as working professional. The learners can choose the extent of the course - foundational certificate, diploma and BSc programme - and exit it accordingly. 

The foundation course will cover the basics of programming and data science, the diploma will cover the application of these skills and the BSc students will choose specialisations. The course, designed with the support of the industry experts, will have video lectures by faculty and weekly assignments to be submitted online. The exams will be conducted offline and in-person. 

Candidates need to have cleared Class 10 level English and Maths and need to have passed Class 12 in order to apply for the course. Further, to be eligible for any of these courses, candidates will first have to undertake a 4-week-long course in subjects such as maths, English, statistics and computational thinking. Only the students who clear the entire course via assignments and in-person exams will be eligible for the online courses. 

Interested learners can apply for the course on online degree.iitm.ac.in as soon as the applications open. The last date of the application is 15 September.