Full speed ahead

policy makers today must deal with complex issues of social reality and development. to understand such topics in their entirety, it is essential to adopt a multidisciplinary approach. only a holistic understanding of socio-economics and the various stages and levels of expertise involved in the information and implementation of development policies can bring about sustainable, stable and desirable development. there is a paucity of such personnel in india at present. it is in this context that the indian institute of technology, bombay offers its multidisciplinary m.phil programme. iit bombay offers rs 5,000 per month to eight students who pursue an m.phil programme with specialisation in planning and development for a duration of 18 months. besides, the institute provides a contingency grant to students for thesis preparation and reimburses the cost of field trips etc. additionally, 3 students get admission on a self-financing basis. this 3 semester residential programme (since 1993) is offered by the department of humanities and social sciences. the department founded in 1958, comprises of faculty from 5 disciplines: economics, english, philosophy, psychology and sociology. all students get single-room hostel accommodation on the iit campus at a nominal cost. the m.phil programme at iit bombay with a theoretical-practical thrust provides students with a holistic understanding of socio-economic development and the impact of technology. the course is also geared to build awareness regarding the processes and expertise involved in formulation and implementation of development policies. with such training â€” which includes 2 semesters (1 year) of course work, mandatory field trips and thesis writing â€” it is expected that students coming out of this programme will be able to help steer national, state and regional planning and development. iit bombay was the first to start such a programme. the m.phil programme in planning & development (this is the only m.phil programme in the iit system) aims to educate and train personnel in various aspects of development policy in the indian context. students are trained to frame policies and take decisions on issues pertaining to financing, planning, forecasting and cost-benefit analysis. the orientation is towards a sustainable, stable and desirable development. the objectives of the programme are: * to disseminate awareness of the alternative development styles, policies and technologies * to provide various perspectives on micro level planning, rural and urban management for balanced development * to examine the role of the new economic policy * to train personnel for model building, analysis, interpretation and formulation of policies * to expose students to first-hand experience of the issues involved in development work through mandatory group field visits a student is expected to successfully complete 110 credits for the award of an m.phil degree in 3 semesters. courses covered include financing economic development, socio-psycho aspects of development, research methodology, computer-aided applied statistics, micro planning, economic policies, human resource development and cost-benefit analysis. students can choose their dissertation topics. hence, they have the opportunity to specialise in their areas of interest. this could be rural management, financial economics or similar subjects. by and large, students have the option to study optional papers from other departments in iit like school of management, department of statistics and department of computer science. students who have successfully completed the m.phil degree have been placed in national, state planning boards, international development and donor agencies in india and abroad. some alumnus work with the reserve bank of india, state bank of india and canara bank in their research departments. students have also found place in companies like ge capital and tata consultancy services through campus placements. some of the m.phil holders with a masters background in economics, business studies or psychology are placed as faculty members in academic institutions. iit provides financial support to research students (both m.phil and ph.d) by sponsoring their travel expenses for going abroad once a year to present research paper at international conferences. enter this way selection for the programme is based on met (m.phil entrance test) and interviews are conducted in the first week of july at iit bombay. applications are currently available and candidates are supposed to submit these in april and may. those with masters degrees in social sciences (including management), with 55 per cent; or a masters in science/b.tech/b.e with a first class are eligible for admission. final year students are also eligible to apply. being a research programme, iit reimburse the travel allowance of candidates selected for the programme. met is a 3-hour test, which examines the general reasoning ability of candidates as well as conceptual understanding in disciplines with a focus on social sciences. some questions on general awareness are also included. those with ugc-jrf can directly appear for the interview without taking the test and avail of the junior research fellowship from ugc. in addition to the scholarship and self-financing category, admission is given to sponsored-category people (for employees of organisations like the reserve bank of india, nabard, non-governmental organisations, college lecturers etc) who can avail of study leave from their employer. (the author is an alumnus of iit bombay & a faculty member of nmims, mumbai)

Full speed ahead

Policy makers today must deal with complex issues of social reality and development. To understand such topics in their entirety, it is essential to adopt a multidisciplinary approach.

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