Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) will soon introduce a new course on artificial intelligence and machine learning from this academic year.
The decision to introduce Bachelors in Engineering and AI and ML was taken during its executive council where the body observed that the new course will be made available to the students from the academic year 2019-2020.
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VTU, which is one of the largest universities in Karnataka, has 212 colleges affiliated to it and will be the first-ever university in the state to introduce the subject in their curriculum. However, the course will be made available to a restricted number of engineering colleges affiliated to the university.
The move comes in the wake of increased demand for AI and ML related skills in the job market and vacuum in finding the right course in state-universities. As of now, only premium institutes like the IITs and IIITs along with a few regional universities offer an exclusive course on the subject.
As per a study by Analytics India Magazine, around 22,000 freshers were added to analytics workforce in India this year; up from 16,000 freshers last year. Hiring for freshers has increased by 37%.
Talking about the development to a leading daily, a VTU official said, “AI is the need of the hour. There was a request from several engineering colleges to offer this course… Students have also been demanding this course since most industries are looking for graduates who have some knowledge of AI. Job seekers with AI degrees are well paid and in high demand.”
Though the university is yet to release the information on curriculum and fee structure, the students can write to university along with a nominal fee to access their syllabus structure.
