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Monday, August 4, 2014

B. Tech in EE to M. Tech in CS

Of late I am getting a lot of questions from people who have done their B. Tech in Electrical Engineering and are interested in doing their M. Tech in Computer Science. I will try to summarize my thought about this through this post, instead of replying to each one separately.


Is this is a good idea?

This is certainly not a bad idea. Whether this is a good idea or not will depend on how good your CS fundamentals are and how prepared are you to compete with CS people on their own turf. I have certainly seen people do this, so this is not so uncommon. A couple of my friends at JCA, IITD were from EE background. They got placed in Oracle (Server Technology). Another friend of mine who was with VDTT is now working at Intel. Have a look at placement record for EET (Computer Technology), IITD.

If you plan to do your M. Tech in CS from an IIT, beware that the structure is very programming intensive. Sometimes even B. Tech CS students struggle to complete the programming assignments. As such, if you are planning such a move, make sure your CS basics and programming skills are very very strong.



What are the options available?

M. Tech eligibility rules are complex, and they vary from institute to institute, department to department. Also, they can change year over year. As I always say, please read the PG brochure of the institute to know about eligibility.

Since I have done my M. Tech from IITD, I will try to give a brief overview of options available in IITD. Rest you will have to figure out from the PG brochures of different institutes.

JCA at IITD: Since JCA is an inter-disciplinary course, it allows people from other branches. Every year at least 3 to 4 students are from EE background. JCA is a good alternative to MCS as most CS companies consider JCA to be at par with MCS. Having said that, the problem with JCA is that it has a different course structure for CS and non-CS students. The courses for non-CS students tends to be a bit lacking and I have seen students struggle a lot. As such, consider this option only if your programming and CS fundamentals are very good (so you don't depend on JCA courses for CS basics), and you can directly take some advanced courses from CS dept. Read more about JCA here

EET (Computer Technology) at IITD: EET is another course run by EE dept that is very CS oriented (Interestingly, EET is older than MCS and also older than the CS dept. at IIT Delhi itself). It has a good course structure. The core courses, though from EE dept. are basic CS courses like OS, Networks, Architecture, Software Labs etc. Program Electives have some very good advanced CS/EE courses, which many will find very interesting like Graphics, Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, Robotics, Network Security, Mobile Computing and many more. Placements wise too, EET is not different from MCS and JCA. Read more about EET here and here




VDTT at IITD: I guess VDTT is the most sought after M. Tech course at IITD, mostly because each student is sponsored by one semi-conductor company during the entire tenure. This course is mostly geared towards VLSI and semi-conductors (as the name suggests) but you will have considerable freedom in choosing courses from CS dept. The program core and electives have ample courses from basic to advanced. If you can get a GATE rank high enough, this is a really good course. Read more about VDTT here and here

There might be other good options available in other IITs, but I am not fully aware of them. Please check the PG brochure of each institute for details.




M. Tech CS after GATE in CS

If you have your GATE in CS, a lot of regular CS programs will allow you to take admission. This way, you can get a degree in M. Tech CS and completely change your profile to CS. Note that though you have your M. Tech in CS, some core companies Amazon, Google, Facebook may still not consider you for placements as they strictly need people with B. Tech in CS. Apart from these few companies, all other companies should be open for you.

A disadvantage I see is that after this you would loose your status as an Electrical Engg. and may not be able to go back to your core. Take this option if you are sure that you only want to be in CS. Also, you will have get a good rank in GATE CS, which could be very tough after doing your B. Tech in EE. 


Like my facebook page below to keep in touch with me. I will keep posting any links/resources relevant to M. Tech. You can also ask questions you might have on the Facebook page, and I will try to answer.

29 comments:

  1. Sunil, Mtech is definitely not a bad idea. you may get a package above your current one if you do your mtech really well. you might also end up on a similar package but with a better profile e.g. with directi, yahoo, oracle etc. companies. there is also a small risk that your mtech might not go well and you end up with lower salary and job profile. but i guess such risks are part of every change in life. decide for yourself if this risk is worth taking for you.

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  2. Sir I have completed my BTech this year and I have a good percentage too. I have cleared gate this year too but not a good score.
    I am a coder. I love doing freelancing and programming. I have projects also. But I am confused which way should I proceed?
    Should I try and get good job (as good companies like amazon etc are conducting recruitment) or try to get MTECH if possible from IIT.
    What if I dont be able to clear the gate with good score? Please suggest and guide me.

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  3. in my opinion, if you are able to get a job now, you should go for it...once you get some job experience, you can decide whether you want to do mtech or not.

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  4. Hello Sir,
    Thanks for this blog. I am B.Tech CSE 2008 passout and having rich experience in Java development of around 6 years. Currently taking the package of 10LPA. Now I am planning to give Gate 2015 and want to join IIT delhi M.Tech CSE. Is it worth to join the M.Tech at this stage ? What is the average package a average M.Tech student can get in IITD.
    Need your valuable suggestions.

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  5. packages could go up to 15 or something, but only if you get placed in the first few days. for you, the gain in package would not be much, but if you are interested in research, or want to change your profile so you become eligible for core companies like google, you can try mtech.

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  6. hello sir, i presently graduated from ECE and i wish to pursue mtech from cse... i hv heard tht few companies like google and microsoft dn't select mtech guys who dnt have specialization in cse in their btech..... so will it b truly fruitful? and i also wud like to ask tht can i pursue as a proffesor/teacher in IIT or NITs once i complete by PG..... will I be elegible for tht?

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  7. yes, google, amazon etc. do not consider not CS guys for placement, but still there are a large no. of companies open for you.

    as far as i know, being a teacher in iit/nit requires a phd and some job experience. their exact requirements are very stringent, and i have never seen an m.tech guy becoming a lecturer or professor.

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  8. Thnku sir!! wht is the avg packg offered to IIT mtech cse guys?

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  9. Hi, I am doing job in a company. i am 2014 pass out. i want to go in a teaching line. so I am planning to do M.tech. I have done my B.tech from a good college. I have joined company in july. can i appear for gate 2015? or work experience matters?

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  10. Sir,i got a job in TCS..Is there any chance to get into amazon,microsoft as a software engineer after working few years in TCS?OR I should do a M.tech from IIT.

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  11. Hello Sir, I have done my B.Tech degree on ECE department from Kalyani Government Engineering College in 2013 and now I have been working in TCS for the past 1 and 3months as a Software Engineer. So, will I be eligible to get into any IIT to persue my M.Tech on CSE department?

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  12. Sir i have 2 yr gap after 12th and in this yr i am not well prepare for Gate.If i drop 1yr again and after that if i got admission in IIT .Is this 3yr education gap create any problem ?

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  13. a friend of mine have completed his be with cgpa 8.5 from reputed college . the problem is he failed in 12th because he suffered jaundice at the time of exam but next year he scored good if he pursue m.tech from iit will she find difficulty in placement will he be eligible for companies like amazon etc

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  14. Sir,
    which would be better placementwise
    microelectronics in iitkgp or electronics system at iitb

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  15. Hello sir I am m.sc Maths from Allahabad university and Gate qualified, I have a high chance to get Mtech in computer science and Data processing at IIT kharagpur,how is the course,Placements? please let me know abt this if u know anything abt this or any other course for my Maths discipline.

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  16. sorry, I have no idea bout IITKGP course. You should ask somebody from iitkgp. JCA @ iitd used to be a good course but it was discoutinued this year. Check the PG brochure of each IIT to find out the courses to which you are eligible.

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  17. For the field of Computer Architecture (research) which IIT to choose?

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  18. Hi Sir,


    I have got rank 782 in gate 2015. Will I get chance in IITR/IITG/IIT Hyderabad)?

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    ReplyDelete
  21. Useful information shared here. One can also get the details of gate coaching classes in vijayawada here: http://www.icegateinstitute.com/vijayawada-gate-coaching.html

    ReplyDelete
  22. core companies like google facebook and amazon wont consider us for placement?

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  23. as far as I know, they won't...

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  24. Sir ...I have completed B.E and working for an IT company....but I am interested in teaching for that I am looking to do mtech from IIT ...and I am really passionate about teaching.... So IIT is right place for it and as well as my decision...

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  25. Definitely. You will be hot property for private engg. colleges after you get an IIT Mtech tag. Probably you can even try for NITs or some Govt. Colleges. Teaching in IITs will require a Phd though.

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  26. hello sir, i did my b.tech from mechanical engineering... now i want to do m.tech from computer science from IIT. Is it possible ( i am worried about the eligibility criteria in IITs for M.tech ).. please help me out.

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  27. Sir.. i have just qualified jee advanced 2015 with an obc rank 136...
    With this rank I am able to get 5 yr.(Dual Degree) in CS in IITDelhi.
    and i am also able to get a 4 yr.(B.Tech) in CS in IIT Kanpur or KGP.
    i really wish to know which should I prefer more and why??
    Does placement in B.Tech and M.Tech differ

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  28. Sir....I would like to ask w

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  29. I found your blog very very helpful and informative.
    Having the same ambitions and from and from electronics background, I just had one question striking my mind - Do I have to appear in GATE from CS discipline or my own discipline in order to be eligible for Ctech, JCA, etc?
    As the admissions are pretty tough and competition is quite high, considering myself keeping my other options open, what would you recommend?
    ps : I'm determined to go forward in cs field.
    Cheers :)

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