The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Zanzibar campus has welcomed a new undergraduate programme – Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemical Process Engineering. The four-year full-time degree programme will be held in the 2025-26 academic year and will be held on the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus. Like all its programs, the program is available to students from all countries, including Indian students, yet another demonstration of the institution’s global focus and educational openness.

The new curriculum is a landmark development in the evolution of IIT Madras Zanzibar’s educational curriculum. The curriculum marries core and advanced concepts of chemical engineering with applied and interdisciplinary methodologies aimed at solving industry problems in the contemporary age. The curriculum balances solid core foundations in chemical process engineering with experimentation in the laboratory and capstone projects and energy, data science, and sustainability electives.

According to a press release put out by IIT Madras, the institute emphasized the collaborative aspect of the teaching format. The course will be taught by a mix of faculty members from IIT Madras (India), the Zanzibar campus faculty members, and from cooperating institutions. The collaborative academic system is geared to provide students with a rich and diverse learning experience with theoretical expertise as well as practical skills that can lead to a successful professional career in chemical engineering and related sciences.

Applicants who are interested in joining the programme should ensure they have passed any of the following qualifications: Class XII or equivalent, Form VI, GCE Advanced Level, IB Diploma, or Cambridge AS & A Level. The one commonality among all the qualifications is that Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics must have been taken by the candidate.

Application is already underway and shall be shut down on July 6, 2025. After closure of application, screening tests are to be organized on July 13, 2025, in various places such as Chennai and Zanzibar. Shortlisted candidates are further to appear in online interviews, which are to be held between July 25 and July 31, 2025. The initial classes of the program are to be launched on October 6, 2025.

Eager candidates can check out more details and apply on the official admissions website at admissions.iitmz.ac.in/bscpe. Further queries may also be sent through the official admissions email: [email protected].

Talking about the introduction of the new program, Prof. Preeti Aghalayam, in-charge director of IIT Madras Zanzibar, said she was thrilled to introduce this program at IITM Zanzibar and further added, “As a chemical engineer myself, it is such a pleasure that we are launching this program to IITM Zanzibar. We believe it will be an important step forward for the campus.” She also emphasized the need for creating an international, inclusive learning culture that brings various learning needs and professional goals together.

This new BS in Chemical Process Engineering is among the increasing number of cutting-edge programmes being undertaken at IIT Madras Zanzibar. The campus also has a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, an MTech in Data Science and AI, and an MTech in Ocean Structures. All of these programs are designed to satisfy the changing needs of science and technology education, and chemical process engineering further broadens the academic scope of the institute.

IIT Madras Zanzibar is the first overseas campus of any of the Indian Institute of Technology and is a giant leap in the direction of globalization of India’s top technical institutions. The Zanzibar campus started functioning from October 2023 and was opened with the objective of providing world-class education in a foreign land while establishing academic collaboration between India and East Africa.

The recently launched BS in Chemical Process Engineering is especially unique in its interdisciplinary approach. In addition to a well-established chemical engineering background, students will also be trained via project work with the help of the nearby industries so that they can gain suitable knowledge for handling real-life issues. The focus on energy systems and sustainability in the curriculum also depicts global initiatives towards going towards greener and more efficient industrial processes.

By offering this programme to students from all over the globe and granting them an IIT Madras degree, the Zanzibar campus is emerging as a global centre for technical education. This programme not only expands India’s educational reach but also helps build capable professionals with the expertise to address some of the world’s largest technological and environmental issues.

With a strong faculty, cutting-edge curriculum, and open admissions policy, IIT Madras Zanzibar’s Chemical Process Engineering program has all it takes to set new standards for engineering education not only in the country but globally as well.