The programme is designed for students who want to work on research or industry-sponsored projects at IIT Kanpur and earn an MS (by Research) degree at the same time.
The duration of the programme is usually five-six semesters, but it is not set in stone. The duration also depends on the progress of the student on the project that he/she is working on and on the evaluation of the advisor.
The sponsored students admitted on full-time basis and the students admitted on part-time basis (with a minimum of one year of project support from the date of admission, in the case of those employed on sponsored research projects in the Institute) will not be required to satisfy the GATE requirement. The (part-time) students employed on sponsored research projects in the Institute will not be supported by the Department, in case they fail to get project funding in their second year of the programme. Such students could be offered Institute Assistantship, as in the case of MTech. students, for a maximum of one year, provided they have a valid GATE score and their case is considered favorably by the DPGC of the Department. Admission Process Applications for admission under the MS (by Research) programme will be invited independent of those for the MTech programme. Those interested to apply in both programmes will need to make separate applications. The merit list for admission in the proposed MS programme will be prepared following the same process as that for the MTech programme, but the GATE cut-off scores used for short-listing for the purpose of written tests/programming tests/interviews for the two programmes will be independent of each other. Aspiring MS candidates will need to appear for an on-campus written test and a programming test. Candidates shortlisted based on these tests will need to then appear for an interview.