IITM BS Apprenticeship: Credits, Stipend and Pre-Placement Offers

At the BS level, you can work as an apprentice with a company or on a research project and earn credits for it. It is optional. A full 8 month, full-time apprenticeship earns 12 credits in Data Science (DS). In Electronic Systems (ES), the credit table gives 8 credits for 8 months. You pay Rs 5,000 per credit to transfer the credits. Any stipend is agreed between you and the company.

Steps in an apprenticeship

The steps are the same in both handbooks.

1. Get the company approved. If a company that IIT Madras has pre-approved accepts you, your apprenticeship is approved directly. For any other company or organisation, you submit its details and the Apprenticeship committee decides.
2. Name your reporting manager. After approval, send IIT Madras the details of your reporting manager at the organisation.
3. File a weekly log. Every week, you submit a work log to the IITM BS office.
4. Review after 4 weeks. Your reporting manager confirms whether they want to keep you for the next 7 months. This confirmation letter goes to the BS programme office.
5. Possible exit after 4 months. After 4 months, you or the company can end the apprenticeship. The company sends a letter on the work you did and whether it was good enough for partial credit.
6. Final letter after 8 months. Your reporting manager sends a letter on company letterhead describing your work and whether it was satisfactory.

Credits by duration

The duration that can be credited is 8 months, full time. Apprenticeship credits count towards your total credits but not towards your CGPA.

The ES credit numbers do not match

The ES handbook opens by saying you can earn up to 12 credits through apprenticeship at the BS level. Its credit table then gives only 8 credits for the full 8 months. Its course list has four apprenticeship courses of 4 credits each. These three numbers do not agree, so confirm the current rule with the ES support team.

None of these courses has a prerequisite or corequisite.

Rules while you are an apprentice

• Courses alongside: in DS, you can take at most 2 courses each term during the apprenticeship. In ES, the handbook recommends at most 2 courses a term so you can do well in both, which reads as advice rather than a hard limit.
• Stipend: agreed between you and the company when you finalise the apprenticeship. The handbook sets no amount.
• Remote or on-site: this depends on the company's policy.
• Pre-placement offer: after you complete the apprenticeship successfully, the company has the option to offer you a pre-placement offer. It is the company's choice, not a promise.

Fees

The credit transfer fee is Rs 5,000 per credit. You pay it at registration, when you choose to credit the apprenticeship at the BS level.

For other charges in the programme, see other IITM BS fees.

Apprenticeship and the MS upgrade

If you take the upgrade to the on-campus MS, the campus project fills the apprenticeship slot. In DS it counts under the 12 credit apprenticeship. In ES it is 8 credits of project work counted as apprenticeship. Read the MS upgrade for how that works.

Common questions

Does IIT Madras find a company for me?

The handbooks mention companies pre-approved by IIT Madras, and being accepted by one gets you direct approval. They do not describe a placement service. You apply to the company yourself.

What happens if the company ends it after 2 months?

Under 4 months earns 0 credits. After 4 months, either side can end it, and the company's letter decides whether you get partial credit.

Can I do an apprenticeship in the diploma level?

The handbooks describe apprenticeship only at the BS level. For what else is in that level, see the IITM BS degree level and, for ES, ES degree level courses.

Will the apprenticeship raise my CGPA?

No. The handbook says apprenticeships count only for credits and not for CGPA.