Increasing stress among students, six Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have abolished the option to change branches at the end of first year. Now, as many as nine IITs have done away with the practice. The IITs, which have closed the branch change option very recently, are IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Dhanbad, IIT Dharwad, IIT Mandi, and IIT Bhubaneswar. Before it was the turn of IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Jammu, they had already discontinued this tradition in 2023,.

Students at IITs had the advantage of using the branch-change option and shift to a new engineering stream at the end of their first two semesters, provided they met the much-yearned-for cut-off CGPA score in the first year. But the option often creates the impression in the minds of students that they are allowed to switch branches freely, which is not really the case. The reason for discontinuation has been to avoid the disappointment and related stress caused by not all students being able to avail this branch-change option.

Alternatives to Branch Change

IITs have proposed alternative choices to the students on discontinuation of the branch-change option in order to let students follow their interests and do well in their subject. These include free electives, double majors, and dual degrees.

Free Electives: Electives are courses or subjects that any student can choose according to his liking towards the course and in alignment with his career goals. While the word mandatory or core courses is used, it scoped and allowed students to have a wide area of studies other than what has been enrolled or set as a major/core curriculum. A student pursuing a definite number of electives in a particular area can claim a minor degree in that discipline at the time of graduation.

Dual Majors: IITs encourage dual majors that allow a student to choose to have a second major in addition to their major. In this way, the student is able to study in an area of their interest other than their basic program. The dual major program is expected to attract brilliant students and provide them an opportunity to study in their preferred field without much mental stress. The students can complete the BTech (Hons)/BS (Hons) double major program in four to five years.

Double Degrees: Another alternative addition being provided by the IITs is the recently launched double degrees. For example, IIT Madras provides MTech along with BTech in five years, and also there are some degrees where the students can switch from one interdisciplinary degree to another, such as in nanotechnology, data science, and electric vehicles, etc. Such degrees would give an added advantage in more specialization and expertise in the streams the students choose.

Impact and Rationality

Which in fact necessitated the decision to scrap this very option of branch change: to reduce the first year academic stress of the students and allow first-year students to really experience and learn about their chosen branches/environments in a much more focused and natural way. However, a large number of students take it for granted that changing one branch in the next year is not a big deal; in reality, only a thin proportion of students gets this option to exercise. That threw the students into disappoint and stress. By making the branch change unavailable, IITs will leave students with clear expectations and an alternative way to follow their interests.

The change was due to careful deliberation between task forces, academic bodies among other stakeholders of the institute’s curriculum. The emphasis is on enhancing the learning process by the students and, at the same time, making it a better experience for the learners as they ensure they receive ample support and resources to help propel them to even greater heights in whatever field they choose or have a knack for.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to mitigate the sprouting pressures among the students that have been a significant cause of stress, six more IITs have closed the door on the branch-changing process that was allowed to take place after the students had completed a year of their majors. This brings the total number of IITs who have stopped this practice to nine. Measures contrary to branch change, such as free electives, double majors, or dual degrees, provide the opportunity for ample chances with their interests and excel in the chosen subject. This move was made in a bid to let down the disappointment and stress the students have to go through and make them experience learning in a more focused and engaging manner.