IIT-Hyderabad to open up new career paths

Hyderabad: Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad is launching a Master's Programme in Development Studies, which will adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to study development. The course is being offered by the Liberal Arts Department and the applications will be available on the Institute website (https://www.iith.ac.in/) from May 4. Applications will close on June 4.

A Master's in Development studies opens up several career paths such as development practice in grassroots organizations, employment in national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donor agencies and corporate sector (corporate social responsibility). It will also aid students interested in pursuing a career in Civil Services or the academia.

Speaking about the importance of this new course, Dr Haripriya Narasimhan, Head, Department of Liberal Arts, IIT Hyderabad, said, "The concern with development encompasses all aspects of human life - physical, psychological, cultural, political, economic and ecological. How can we address each of these while simultaneously appraising their interdependence? The challenge is to train and conceive of professionals and roles that can critically inform ways in which these different areas of life affect one another. The Development Studies program at the Department of Liberal Arts, IIT Hyderabad, does just that."

Further he added that, through its interdisciplinary approach, the course will offer a plurality of ways in which the discourse of Development can be innovatively adapted to the ever-changing fabric of human life.

Faculty coordinating the different courses in this programme come from disciplines of Anthropology, Development Studies, Economics, Psychology and the Humanities. With courses offered in fields of Health, Gender, Technology Studies, Economics, Urban Settlements and Disease Management, and a dedicated Internship component, this two-year program offers students a formidable platform to engage with contemporary research in India and globally.

Students will do sixteen courses over three semesters, each course worth three credits. A total of 48 credits of taught courses and 12 credits for dissertation which the students will focus exclusively on, in their final semester. They will do internship in the summer after one year of course work.