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photo courtesy:
R.Shukla (IITK) Abhijit Das (IIT-KGP) |
Evolution of Academic ProgrammesThe small group of faculty members in 1961 set an agenda for excellence in teaching with a strong research component. Thus the doctoral programme got started right in the beginning in 1960-61. In the first convocation of the institute held in 1965, out of a total of five PhD degrees awarded, three were in Mathematics. The agenda for strong research was set with introduction of graduate level courses and comprehensive examination. So far 352 PhDs have been produced by the department (324 in Mathematics and 28 in Statistics). Currently the student strength in our PhD programme is around 50. The PhD students of the department constitute a vibrant academic community. In addition to their own research work, they actively participate in teaching through conducting tutorials and assistance in courses having large number of registrations. Based on the recommendations of the Academic Review committee, the PhD programme is currently under review. StatisticsBy 1970, some faculty members in the area of Statistics had also joined. In order to strengthen the PhDprogramme and to utilize the available faculty in Statistics, the department started a two year M.Sc. (Statistics) programme in July 1971. Initially this programme had a limited student intake of 5 per batch. More faculty members in Statistics joined and the student intake in the programme is now 40 per batch. Students in this programme are also admitted through JAM. Scientific ComputingIn the early 1990s, scientific computing was recognized as a new thrust area in many mathematics departments across the world. In order to keep pace with the new developments and also to better utilize its expertise, the department replaced the existing M.Sc. (Integrated) programme in Mathematics and Statistics with a single 5-year M.Sc (Integrated) programme in Mathematics and Scientific Computing. This new programme started from the academic year 1995-96, and had an intake of over 40 students per batch. The programme attracted some very good students and two students of this programme were awarded the President's Gold Medal (PGM) for the best academic performance in the graduating class amongst all disciplines of B. Tech. and M.Sc. (5-year Integrated) degree programmes of the institute. Since its inception, three undergraduate students of the department have received the PGM. It is worth mentioning here that three alumni of the department have also received the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award. |