NSSTE Literature Survey

							              Master of Science (M.S.) by Research Program
                                               Department of Electrical Engineering


                    Duration                                          Synopsis: Once the academic requirements are
                                                                      completed and the seminar has been given, a synopsis
Expected duration: Two to three years.
                                                                      of the thesis should be submitted. A draft of the thesis
                                                                      should also be ready. A synopsis meeting will be held
                 Research Guide/Advisor                               to decide on thesis submission and the panel of
The research guide(s) is(are) decided for each student based on       reviewers for the thesis.
the research area and the preferences of the student and the
faculty. The student should ensure regular meetings with the          Thesis for review: The thesis should be submitted
guide.                                                                within one month of the synopsis meeting. Usually,
                                                                      reviews are received within four months of submission
            General Test Committee (GTC)                              of the thesis.
The GTC for each student consists of the head of the department
(HoD) or HoD’s nominee, research guide, one member from the           Viva: Once favorable reviews of the thesis are
department, and one member from outside the department. A             received, a viva is held if necessary. A response to the
GTC meeting to review progress is held once a year for the first      comments from the reviewers and the final thesis
two years, and once in six months afterwards or as often as           should be ready at this time.
needed.
                                                                      Final thesis: Once the response to reviewers is
                 Academic Requirements                                complete and viva exam (if necessary) is cleared, the
Course work: An M.S student must register and pass the                final thesis can be submitted.
Introduction to Research (ID 6020) course, three core courses and
two elective courses. The core courses and list of electives are           Half-Time Research Assistantship
prescribed individually for each student by the General Test                          (HTRA)
Committee (GTC). ID 6020 is a compulsory course for all M.S.          All students getting HTRA are expected to work as a
students and is usually taken in the first semester. All courses      research or teaching assistant. The faculty in-charge of
must be completed by the end of the third semester.                   the assistantship needs to certify this each month for
                                                                      the release of that month’s HTRA.
Research: All students are expected to do high quality research
resulting in publications in reputed international journals.                  Funding for Conference Travel
                                                                      Two national conferences per year and one international
                 Timeline and Procedures                              conference travel per student are supported by the
Courses: A minimum of C grade and an average GPA of 7.5 are           institute. Other sources of funding include IIT Madras
enforced in the course work. Students typically register for two or   Alumni Association, Department of Science and
three courses every semester after discussing with their guides.      Technology (DST), Council for Scientific and Industrial
                                                                      Research (CSIR), etc.
Research: Students are expected to start reading research papers
and discuss regularly with their guides. Research involves (1)                              Placement
understanding and reproducing the state-of-the-art, (2) identifying   Placement office can help in finding jobs. Generally,
research problems, and (3) obtaining results that improve the         M.S. students also apply for jobs outside of the
state-of-the-art. This is a fluid and critical phase in the MS        placement interviews coordinated by the placement
program without any pre-determined method. Adequate                   office.
preparation, hard work, regular interaction with the guide and
creativity are crucial ingredients.
                                                                                          Useful Links
GTC meetings: Students prepare a report on their work and
submit it to the GTC members about a week before each meeting.        Department: http://www.ee.iitm.ac.in/
At the meeting, students make a presentation describing their         Ordinances: http://www.iitm.ac.in/ordinances/
work. This presentation must be accessible to GTC members             Things to know for M.S. students:
from other areas and departments, as far as possible.                 http://eservices.iitm.ac.in/dokuwiki/thingstokn
                                                                      ow/
Seminar: One public seminar on the research work should be
                                                                      Placement office: http://placement.iitm.ac.in/
given by the student in the department.
                                                                      Scholarships and assistance:
                                                                      http://www.iitm.ac.in/scholarships


  December 2010
        Master of Science (M.S.) by Research Program
                    Department of Electrical Engineering




December 2010