IITM BS MAD 1 Project (BSCS2003P): Scope and Tips

The MAD 1 project (BSCS2003P) is a 2 credit diploma level project course in the IITM BS in Data Science. You build a working web application from scratch, then explain it in a viva. It has no prerequisite, but Modern Application Development I (BSCS2003) is a corequisite, so you take the theory course before it or in the same term. It is one of the two projects in the Diploma in Programming.

The project page lists the same instructors as the theory course: Thejesh G N and Prof. Nitin Chandrachoodan.

What the project involves

The project page names the technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flask, API work, and SQLite for storing data. It asks for an app that brings together what MAD I teaches. Three things are named directly:

• Secure login. The page calls it secure authentication.
• Good data handling. Sensible tables, and data that is saved and read back correctly.
• APIs. Your app implements and uses APIs, not only web pages.

The page also mentions performance, deployment and security as skills you build. It lists a few "Best Projects" from past students. Look at them for a sense of size, never to copy.

The page does not list milestones or dates. Your term's project statement gives the exact features and deadlines. Always build to that statement, not to an older one.

How it is graded

The DS handbook describes the viva process for the MAD projects:

• Your app must first pass the app development check. Then an L1 viva is scheduled.
• Each term has two L1 cut-offs. Below the lower cut-off, you resubmit within a few days. If you are below it again, you redo the project next term.
• Between the two cut-offs, you answer some extra questions and get a D or E. That is a pass, and there is no L2 viva.
• At or above the higher cut-off, you go to an L2 viva. Pass it and your grade uses both viva scores. Fail it twice and you get a D or E based on L1.

Grades matter later. To enter the degree level, the handbook needs an average of 7.0 across your diploma project grades. See how projects are graded.

If you do not finish in time

• Not finished in the registered term: you get an I grade and the fee carries over to the next term.
• Still not finished in that second term: the grade becomes U and you pay the full fee again.
• The project fee is Rs 2,500 for earlier students and Rs 6,000 for students who joined from January 2026, before any category waiver.

Projects also count for your diploma level checkpoints.

A simple plan for the term

1. Week 1: read the statement twice. List every required feature as a checklist.
2. Weeks 1 and 2: design your tables on paper, with keys and links between them. Use what you learn in DBMS.
3. Weeks 3 to 6: build the core flow end to end. Login, the main create, read, update and delete actions, and the main pages. Plain is fine.
4. Weeks 7 to 9: add the API and the remaining required features. Tick them off the list.
5. After that: optional extras and styling only if everything required already works.
6. Last stretch: test on a fresh setup, write clear run steps, and practise explaining your code aloud.

Keep your work in git from the first day, and commit after each working feature.

Academic integrity

The handbook is clear: if your submission is found to be plagiarised, you get a U grade, you may face disciplinary action, and you must redo the project by paying the full fee again. Past projects, a friend's repository or code you cannot explain all put you at risk. Keep your repository private during the term, do not share your code, and write every part yourself. In the viva you must explain any line you are asked about. Read the malpractice rules before you start.

Common questions

Can I do the MAD 1 project before the MAD I theory course?

No. MAD I is a corequisite, so you take it before the project or in the same term. Taking both together lets the lectures feed straight into the app.

What if I finish all six programming theory courses but not the projects?

The handbook says you then get the Advanced Certificate in Programming and Application Development, not the Diploma in Programming. The diploma needs both projects.

Can I use a different framework?

The project page names Flask and SQLite. Your term's statement says what is allowed. If it is not clear, ask the course team before you start building.

Does the MAD 1 project lead to MAD 2?

Yes. The MAD 2 project (BSCS2006P) lists this project as its prerequisite. For common mistakes across both, read MAD 1 and MAD 2 projects.