IIT Kanpur Launches 2-Year MTech Program on Drones; Admission Based on GATE Score

Drones can be used in a wide variety of applications. Drones have become a critical means of supporting communities and businesses all over the world, whether they are employed in search and rescue missions, delivering medical supplies or food, fighting wildfires, or assisting with crop management. 

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur's Department of Aerospace Engineering will offer a dedicated MTech programme in unmanned aerial systems (UAV), making it one of the first in the country, according to the institute's director, Abhay Karandikar.

UPES University in Dehradun and Hindustan Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu are two other institutes that offer similar courses.

Karandikar stated in a LinkedIn post, "I am pleased to announce that IIT Kanpur will be one of the first institutes in India to offer a dedicated MTech programme in 'Unmanned Aerial Systems' through the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The programme has been approved by the institute's Senate and Board and will be available to students during the upcoming academic session."

According to Karandikar, the MTech in UAV will be a two-year programme offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering that will require students to complete 150 credits of coursework and thesis research.

"Students can specialize in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Design and Aeromechanics or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Autonomy," he explained.

Karandikar stated that the course was made possible by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's (MeitY) nationwide programme on drone capacity building.