IITM BS Electronic Systems Minors: App Development, ML, VLSI, IoT

The ES handbook lists four minors for BS Electronic Systems students: Application Development, Machine Learning, VLSI Design and Testing, and IoT. Each needs three courses. The first two come from Data Science and the last two from ES. Minor credits count inside the 142 credits of the BS degree.

Rules for ES minors

• The minor courses count within the 142 credits for the BS degree. They are not extra.
• You can earn a minor only with the BS degree. Exiting with the foundation certificate or the diploma does not give you a minor.
• IIT Madras issues a separate document for the minor. Your transcript and degree certificate do not change.
• You can earn more than one minor if you complete all the courses of each.

None of the four ES minors share a course, so you could in principle take all four without overlap. The ES handbook does not list prerequisites for any of the four minors, but single courses have their own prerequisites, shown below.

Minor in Application Development (from DS)

Take DBMS first. MAD II can run in the same term as MAD I or after it. The course names point to databases and building applications, so this may suit you if you want software skills next to your hardware work.

Minor in Machine Learning (from DS)

Start with Machine Learning Foundations. The names point to the basics, methods and practice of machine learning, for ES students who want to add ML to their skills.

All six DS courses above are on the ES list of open electives from the DS programme, at 4 credits each.

Minor in VLSI Design and Testing (from ES)

Note: the ES course tables list Electronic Testing and Measurement as EE2105, a 4 credit diploma course that ES students complete before the degree level. EE4108 does not appear in any ES course table. The DS handbook lists this minor with EE2105. Ask the ES support team which course counts. More detail is in the VLSI Design and Testing minor post.

Minor in IoT (from ES)

Computer Networks is a DS course. The ES list of DS open electives does not include it, and the DS course table lists Programming in C (BSCS3005) as its prerequisite. Ask support how ES students register for it. See the IoT minor post for more.

EE3106, EE5101 and EE4103 have no credit value printed next to them in the ES handbook. It says the five department electives total 20 credits, which is 4 each.

How to plan a minor with your electives

The ES degree level needs 56 credits. Out of these, you must take five department electives (20 credits) from a list of courses. Digital IC Design, Semiconductor Devices and VLSI Technology, IoT and Communication Systems are all on that list. So the VLSI and IoT minors overlap with electives you need anyway.

The Application Development and Machine Learning minors use courses from the DS open elective list. Plan them into your open elective slots. Our post on ES degree level courses and electives shows the full lists.

The DS AI minors, like Generative AI, are not in the ES handbook list. See the full list of IITM BS minors for what DS students get.

Common questions

Do I need to finish the DS diploma to take the Application Development minor?

No. The ES handbook lists only the three courses for the minor. It does not ask for the DS diploma or its project courses.

Will the minor appear on my ES degree certificate?

No. The degree certificate and transcript stay the same. You get a separate document from IIT Madras for the minor.

Can I do the Machine Learning minor and the IoT minor together?

Yes, the handbook allows more than one minor if you complete every course of each. These two share no course, so there is no overlap to worry about.

Is there a fee for the minor itself?

The ES handbook does not mention any separate fee for a minor. You pay the normal fee for each course you take.