Interview with Srinivasan Venkatesh who is an MTech from IIITB

 

1) Why did you choose IIITB for Mtech?
Ans: After my BE, when I was exploring  the various options  for pursuing  my Masters, I came across this institute called "Indian Institute of Information Technology , Bangalore".  What struck  me immediately about this young institute was the sheer quality of its faculty and the emphasis that was laid on research.' Emphasis on research' is an important aspect of your Masters program (be it in any discipline) - it really propels you to go beyond your textbooks and think beyond the confines of exams. Once I was convinced of the quality of the programme, it was not a difficult decision for me to opt for IIITB.

2) What were the exams you needed to write before pursuing your MTech?
Ans: I  had to write an entrance exam conducted by IIITB followed by an interview at IIITB. Since IIITB is a deemed university, it conducts its own exam for admissions. I think from this year onwards IIITB is going in for online exams to make it more convenient for students.

3) How different is MTech from MS?
Ans: Actually the structure of MTech program differs from institute to institute in India. MTech programs  offered by many universities have a  structure similar to the BE/BTech programs. But as IIITB is a deemed university and most of the professors are PhDs  from abroad, the program structure was similar to what  is  followed in Masters program abroad

4) What are the career Opportunities after MTEch?
Ans: There are a plethora of opportunities available for people with an MTech degree. For most it could be the means to gain greater technical expertise and know how, which in turn could further their career prospects. For the research oriented minds, it could be the gateway to a greater destination called 'PhD'.

5) What was the specialization your took up and why did you choose it?
Ans: Though my MTech was in IT, my specialisation was in the domain of DSP(Digital Signal Processing). I worked on topics like channel equalisation, speech recognition and biometrics. I went for DSP purely because it was a fascinating subject and I enjoyed working in that domain.

6) What are the other institiutions in India apart from IIITB where one can pursue Mtech?
Ans: In India, the most popular way to get into an MTech programme, is through the GATE exam conducted by the IITs and the IISC. As everybody is aware, IISC and the IITs are the first choice for MTech aspirants country over. But the seats are very few and the selection process is pretty competitive. IIITs like the ones in Bangalore, Hyderabad etc are not far behind and are very good options for MTech aspirants. Then you also have MTech's offered by popular universities like VTU, Anna university etc.

7) What is the duration of the course and approximately whats the fees for the course?
Ans: Like in most other places, MTech at IIITB is for a duration of 2 years (This includes about 6 months of industrial internship/thesis). The tuition fees comes to around 50000/- per semester and apart from this, you have the mess and hostel fees to take care of.

8) What are the placement opportunities at IIITB after completing the course? What is the average pay one can expect?
Ans: Placement opportunities at IIITB are pretty good. Many of renowned companies come to campus for placements.

The pay might vary depending on the student's previous work experience (if any) and also the company. Most people get placed with packages between 4-8 lacs per annum.