Applications are invited for the M.Sc. (Digital Society) programme at IIIT Bangalore for the academic year starting July 2021.
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About IIIT Bangalore
The International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT Bangalore) is a private technical and research university in Bangalore, India. The Institute is a registered not-for-profit society funded jointly by the Government of Karnataka and the IT industry under a public-private partnership model.
About the Programme
Societies everywhere are grappling with rapid transitions to digital modes of living. Even as digital tools are heralded for making life easy, they can also throw up a range of complexities that demand competence in understanding the social lives of technology and the bearing they have on our everyday life. The proliferation of the digital as a ubiquitous part of our routine has also created an urgent need for nuanced discussions that account for both social and the technical dimension of a digital society.
Recognizing the need for professionals that can serve the demands of society’s digital needs and disruptions, IIIT Bangalore invites applications for a two-year, full-time, interdisciplinary, Master’s degree in Digital Society, open to graduates from any discipline.
The programme is designed to create a group of professionals who will:
- Contribute to the design, development and deployment of digital technologies for diverse social groups;
- Provide and manage solutions that address persistent challenges in domains such as finance, education, governance, health and entertainment;
- Engage in policymaking and advocacy for deploying digital technologies; and
- Enrich interdisciplinary research on digital society.
Curriculum Structure
A two week programme orientation on Technical and Social Science Foundations: This will consist of a series of sessions, including lectures, readings, and audio-visual media to expose students to the foundational logic of the programme and its interdisciplinary underpinnings.
Core Courses and Electives: Specifically designed for a heterogeneous student group to learn about and address various challenges of the digital society, including:
- Developing, deploying and managing large-scale digital systems;
- Designing interfaces for diverse populations;
- Socio-historical aspects of the “digital”;
- Policy and regulatory issues in the contemporary digital society;
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods, tools, and techniques, to examine user needs and outcomes, and to evaluate the impact of ICTs;
- Technologies such as cloud or mobile platforms, data analytics, social media, human-computer interaction, and spatial-information systems;
- Domain-specific understanding of the technology-society interface, including issues pertaining to education, governance, gender, identity, poverty, and public health.
Project-based learning: This involves small-group projects to address challenges of the digital society by applying learnings from the courses.
Thesis/Internship: In the final term, students will be required to either: (a) work on a Master’s thesis to hone their research skills; OR (b) undertake an internship to further sharpen their professional skills by applying the learnings from courses undertaken during the previous terms – this could involve working on a project within their parent organizations.
Career Opportunities
Career opportunities for M.Sc. (Digital Society) graduates may exist in:
- Organizations engaged in human-centered computing for product development
- Development sector organizations interested in ICT-Society interface
- Government agencies and e-Governance programmes
- Consulting organizations working with the public and development sectors
- CSR units of corporates interested in leveraging the digital ecology
- Corporate research labs and Design organizations
- International development agencies and Policy think-tanks etc.
Eligibility
- An undergraduate degree (of at least 3 years duration) in any discipline (including arts, science, commerce, design, management, law, engineering etc.) with a first division/class from a recognised University. Those expecting to graduate by 1st August 2020 may also apply.
- The candidates who have a valid score in CAT 2020, CEED 2021, CUCET 2021 or TISS NET 2021 may be exempted from appearing for a written test at IIIT Bangalore.
Tuition Fees and other Expenses
- The tuition fees, as applicable for admissions in July 2020, is Rs. 1,60,000/- per semester. The total tuition fees for the entire duration of the programme (for four semesters) will be Rs. 6,40,000/-
- Hostel and Facility fees will be Rs 39,000/- per semester, Medical Insurance premium of Rs 1,250 per year, and Mess charges of approximately Rs 25,800/- plus applicable taxes per semester (Mess charges are subject to revision from time to time). Other costs for books and supplies, travel, purchase of a laptop need to be factored by students depending on their individual circumstances and Institute norms.
Scholarships and Financial Support
- Scholarships will be made available to up to 20 admitted students as per existing Institute policy. For students joining in July 2021, the scholarship amount is expected to be Rs. 12,400/- per month (subject to a maximum of four semesters).
- In addition, M.Sc. (Digital Society) students can also expect a stipend of Rs. 15,000-25,000/- per month during the last six months of the programme while working on their internship/thesis.
Timeline for Admissions
- 15th March 2021: Application process for the 2020-21 academic year opens
- 15th June 2021: Last date for submitting online applications (extended)
- 5th-6th July 2021: Written test will be conducted online for candidates without a valid score in CAT 2020, CEED 2021, CUCET 2021 or TISS NET 2021, followed by personal interviews through video calling application.
- 5th-6th July 2021: Personal interviews through video calling application for shortlisted candidates
- 15th July 2021: Release of first list of selected candidates (additional lists may be released if required)
- Offer acceptance and payment of fees: As noted in the offer letter
- 14th August 2021: Registrations for the new batch at the IIIT Bangalore campus
- 16th August – 27th August 2021: Program orientation sessions
- 30th August: Semester 1 classes begin
How to Apply?
- Interested applicants can apply for the programme through this link.
- Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee of Rs. 1000/- as mentioned in the instructions on the aforesaid webpage.
- Candidates whose application is found in order will have to take a written examination online conducted by IIIT Bangalore that will test numerical/quantitative, analytical, and design awareness. Sample questions for the entrance examination are available on the aforesaid webpage.
- Candidates who have a valid score in CAT 2020, CEED 2021, CUCET 2021 or TISS NET 2021 can be exempted from appearing for the written test depending on their scores. Such candidates will have to submit a copy of the scorecard.
- All the shortlisted candidates will have to appear for an interview online through a video calling application which will including a writing exercise to test their verbal, IT and social awareness. The decision of the Admissions Committee on this matter shall be final.
- The final list of candidates to be admitted will be decided after the interview. The selection will be based on performance in the interview, scores in the written test (or, in one of the four national level entrance tests mentioned above), professional experience and marks obtained in 10th, 12th and Under-graduate/Bachelor’s examinations.
- For more details, click HERE.
Incase of any queries, Contact
- Admissions Committee M.Sc. (Digital Society) IIIT Bangalore
- Email: admission-ds@iiitb.ac.in
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