Policy Newsletter

Decoding the Latest IITB Policies

This document aims to disseminate information about recent academic policy changes and decisions made by the Senate, the final authority on academic matters at IIT Bombay. UGAC's role is solely to communicate this information and help students understand its implications.

1.  Category V Policy Amendment: Clarifying Credit Requirements

Previous definition: A Category V student was defined as one who has not earned at least 18 credits (in courses with any TAG) in at least one of the previous two regularly registered semesters.

Proposed definition: The new proposal suggested defining a Category V student as someone who has not earned at least 18 credits (in courses with any TAG) in the preceding registered semester.

However, this proposed change sparked discussions regarding fairness, as other categories base their definitions on the performance over the last two semesters. To maintain consistency across categories, the Senate decided not to alter the fundamental definition of Category V in this way. Instead, the credit limit for Category V students will be extended to 36 credits (up from the previous 30 credits). This adjustment ensures that the policy remains equitable while allowing students greater flexibility in managing their credit loads.

2.  Registration Cap in the Final Semester: New Flexibility for Graduating Students

Previous rule: Students who had at most 54 credits remaining to graduate could register for up to 54 credits in their final semester, provided they had the approval of their Faculty Adviser. However, students with more than 54 credits left had to adhere to their category-based credit limits, preventing them from completing all their courses in one final semester.

Proposed rule: The revised rule broadens the scope, allowing all students in the 8th semester or 10th semester to register for up to 54 credits, regardless of how many credits they have remaining. This still requires approval from the Faculty Adviser.

Rationale: The previous rule only benefited students with 54 or fewer credits left to complete, while those with more credits were restricted by their category limits. The new rule aims to level the playing field by allowing all students in their final semester to register for up to 54 credits, ensuring they have the opportunity to graduate on time without being hindered by category restrictions.

3.  Dual Minor Policy Update: Expanded Access for Students

Previous rule: Only students in Category I were permitted to pursue more than one minor (e.g., an Honours and a minor, or two minors if their schedule allowed). However, this option was limited by strict academic performance criteria tied to their major discipline.

Proposed rule: The revised rule now allows all students, regardless of category, to opt for more than one minor.

Rationale: The removal of the category restriction reflects the Senate's belief that a student's performance in their major should not limit their academic ambitions in other fields. As the number of students pursuing dual minors continues to grow, this policy change offers greater academic freedom and encourages interdisciplinary learning. Students are still encouraged to consult with their Faculty Advisers before taking on additional minors, as doing so will involve a significant course overload.

4.  Interdisciplinary Dual Degree Program (IDDDP) in Chemistry: New Opportunities for Students

Background: The department received applications from two students in the MEMS Department for conversion to the Chemistry IDDDP. Although no prior IDDDP for an M.Sc. in Chemistry existed, the applications were approved, marking a significant milestone. The department will approve IDDDP applicants on a case-by-case basis, with a maximum of 5 students per year being accepted.

Application requirements (end of 3rd year):

• A CPI of 7.5 or higher.
• No FF/FR grades in any Chemistry (CH) courses at any point during their academic tenure.

Coursework requirements (end of 4th year): By the end of the 4th year, students must complete all necessary courses from other departments as well as 400-level or higher Chemistry (CH) courses.

5th year curriculum: In the final year, students will:

• Complete six 500-level or higher Chemistry (CH) courses.
• Undertake two M.Sc. Projects (CH), each worth 30 credits, supervised by a faculty member from the Chemistry Department.

5.  Regarding Withdrawal of Courses with "W" Grade and the Course Dropping Period

Background: The Institute Timetable Coordinators allocate classrooms based on student registrations, but many students drop full-semester courses after mid-semester, leading to underutilized classrooms. Additionally, numerous requests of course registration and dropping after the mid-sem period lead to administrative burden.

Concerns: There were some concerns regarding removal of the "W" grade. Students may make a wrong decision of selecting a particular course and realise it late; the discontinuation of "W" would take away their choice for correcting the mistake. The counter argument is that although "W" is discontinued, students are given one more week to drop a course without any penalty. This way the students will be more selective in deciding their courses.

Rationale: The House observed that this would instill greater discipline in students' course registration and selection. It would also enable the Institute Timetable Coordinators to optimize the use of infrastructure and manage logistics more effectively. The House further informed that the revised course dropping timelines would be incorporated into the Academic Calendar.

6.  Fixed Timeline for Conversion of Programme from B.Tech to Dual Degree

Background: Students can currently convert from B.Tech./B.S./B.Des. to Dual Degree after the 6th semester, but the absence of a fixed deadline allows applications until the end of the 4th year. Also, some students who appeared for placements at the end of the 3rd year but were unable to secure a job apply for programme conversion so that they can re-appear for placements during the placement window.

Concerns: There were concerns raised regarding students opting for conversion after unsuccessful placement attempts to gain eligibility for an additional placement season.

Proposed rule: A fixed timeline for the conversion of programmes from B.Tech./B.S./B.Des. to Dual Degree will be implemented. The applications for conversion are to be sent to the Academic Office after the completion of CPI calculation for the 6th semester till one week before the start of the next semester.

7.  Re-Tagging of Courses — Only Once

Background: Some students re-tag low-grade or failed courses as ALC before placements to improve their CPI and later re-tag them again to meet graduation requirements. This can lead to significant differences between the CPI shown during placements and the final graduation CPI, raising concerns among recruiters.

Existing re-tagging rule:

Course Type	Present Tag	Can Be Re-Tagged As
Core (C)	C	C
Department Elective (D)	D	T, O
STEM Elective (SE)	SE	T, M
HASMED Elective (HE)	HE	T, M
Honours (O)	O	D, T
Minor (M)	M	T, SE, HE

New rule:

• Students can re-tag any course only once during the entire programme duration.
• Students can participate in both interim re-tagging and graduation re-tagging. However, the tag for a course which has been re-tagged during interim re-tagging shall remain frozen for the rest of the programme duration.

By implementing this, disparity in CPI at the end of the 6th and 8th semesters can be minimised (it cannot be eliminated completely, as the final CPI depends upon the 7th and 8th semesters as well). Further, students having obtained an FR grade before the interim re-tagging may tag it as ALC for placements, but could obtain a letter grade by the time of graduation.