Who Teaches and Runs IITM BS? Faculty, Coordinators and the BS Office

IITM BS courses are taught by IIT Madras faculty, along with instructors from other institutes and from industry. Each programme is led by faculty coordinators, who are IIT Madras professors. The day-to-day work runs from the IITM BS Degree Office on the 3rd floor of the ICSR Building at IIT Madras, with a support team and teaching assistants (TAs). The Senate of IIT Madras approves the diplomas and degrees.

Who teaches the courses

The DS handbook says courses are taught by faculty of IIT Madras or other reputed institutes, and by experts from industry. The other programmes describe it in similar words:

• Management and Data Science: the home page says courses will be taught by experts from IIT Madras, other premier business schools and industry. The launch release says lectures are recorded by IIT Madras faculty, with live tutorial sessions.
• Aeronautics and Space Technology: the launch release says theory courses use recorded lectures by expert faculty, supported by live tutorial sessions.
• Industry content: the DS partnerships page says leaders and researchers from companies such as Google, Flipkart, PayPal and Gramener contribute content to Diploma level courses.

So not every instructor is an IIT Madras campus professor. Each course page names who teaches it. For example, in September 2026 the Mathematics for Data Science I page lists a Professor from the Department of Mathematics, IIT Madras, and the Director of Chennai Mathematical Institute. Check the course page of any course you plan to take.

The faculty coordinators

Each programme website names its faculty coordinators. As listed in September 2026:

The DS page says Prof. Andrew Thangaraj led the team of faculty that started the BS in Data Science and Applications. Coordinators also sign the credit completion letters that students get when they finish a level.

Who runs the programme day to day

• The BS Degree Office: IITM BS Degree Office, 3rd Floor, ICSR Building, IIT Madras, Chennai 600036.
• Support: DS queries go to support@study.iitm.ac.in (opens in a new tab) or 7850999966. The DS page gives a response time of 3 working days. ES, Aeronautics and Management each have their own support email, and their pages list +91 9711397993 from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm.
• Teaching assistants: the official TA page says TAs run live sessions, answer student questions, prepare slides and questions, and keep in touch with the course instructors.
• Interns: the same page says interns work with the operations team, on research projects and with the Industry Interaction Cell (IIC), which handles internships and placements.
• CODE: IIT Madras's Centre for Outreach and Digital Education issues the Foundation certificate. The Aeronautics launch release says placement and internship support for that programme will come through CODE. See certificates at each level.

For how the placement side works, see the IITM BS placement cell.

Who makes the rules

• The Senate of IIT Madras approves and awards the diplomas and degrees. The 2020 rulebook says it can also change the eligibility, progress and exit rules.
• The 2020 rulebook set up a Steering Committee, appointed by the Chairperson of the Senate, to oversee the programme. It also set up a Class Committee made of the Steering Committee, the course faculty and student representatives. It meets at least twice a term and finalises grades. Many details have changed since 2020, but this is the original structure.

Why the Senate matters for the value of your degree is covered in is the IITM BS a real IIT degree.

If something goes wrong: the chain of escalation

The DS handbook (updated 18 June 2026) sets a fixed order:

1. Raise a support ticket and wait at least 24 hours.
2. Follow up on the same ticket.
3. Escalate to the Level 1 and Level 2 email contacts in the handbook.
4. Level 3 is the BS Degree Program Coordinators.
5. Level 4 is the Dean (Academics), and Level 5 is the Director of IIT Madras.

Always quote your ticket number. The full steps are in support tickets and the escalation matrix.

Common questions

Are the lectures by IIT Madras professors?

Not all of them. The handbook says instructors include faculty of IIT Madras and other reputed institutes, and industry experts. The course page shows the instructors for each course.

Can I talk to the instructor directly?

Through the course discussion forum and live sessions. The DS FAQ mentions one or two live sessions per course. The Management FAQ says its Foundation and Diploma courses have 6 to 8 hours of live interaction per week per course.

Can I walk into the BS office with my problem?

The DS contact section asks students to use only the listed email and phone for programme queries. Start with a support ticket, not a visit.

Do BS students get the same professors as campus BTech students?

Some BS instructors are IIT Madras faculty members, but the BS has its own courses, recorded for online study, and its own team. IIT Madras says the curriculum and rigour of the BS are on par with its regular degree programmes.