M. Sc. Information Systems

UGC Approval

BITS Pilani is an Institution of Eminence under UGC (Institution of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2017. The Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP) of BITS Pilani constitutes a unique set of educational offerings for working professionals. WILP are an extension of programmes offered at the BITS Pilani Campuses and are comparable to our regular programmes both in terms of unit/credit requirements as well as academic rigour. In addition, it capitalises and further builds on practical experience of students through high degree of integration, which results not only in upgradation of knowledge, but also in up skilling, and productivity increase. The programme may lead to award of degree, diploma, and certificate in science, technology/engineering, management, and humanities and social sciences. On the recommendation of the Empowered Expert Committee, UGC in its 548th Meeting held on 11.09.20 has approved the continued offering of BITS Pilani’s Work Integrated Learning programmes.

Mode of Learning

The Mode of Learning used in this programme is called - Work Integrated Learning. Internationally, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is defined as "An educational approach involving three parties - the student, educational institution, and employer organization(s) - consisting of authentic work-focused experiences as an intentional component of the curriculum. Students learn through active engagement in purposeful work tasks, which enable the integration of theory with meaningful practice that is relevant to the students' discipline of study and/or professional development*.

An education model can be considered as WIL if and only if:

1. The programs are designed and developed by the institute in collaboration with industry.
2. Work-focused experiences form an active part of the curriculum.
3. The program structure, pedagogy and assessment enable integration of theory-with relevant practice.

The innovative Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILP) of BITS Pilani are quite aligned with the above definition and requirements. The programs are designed in collaboration with its industry partners, subject matter experts from industry and academia that enable the students to remain relevant in their chosen profession, grow in their career and retain the habit of lifelong learning. The continued availability of workplace related experiences along with the weekly instruction sessions promote integration of theory with practice. An active participation of the organization mentor in the learning process of the student plays a key role. Case studies, simulation exercises, labs and projects further strengthen this integration.

The WILP of BITS Pilani is comparable to its campus-based programs in terms of structure, rigor, instruction, labs, assessment, faculty profile and learning support. The pervasive adoption of technology in all its academic processes makes the same high-quality education of BITS Pilani available to the aspirants at scale with the required flexibility. 

Key Benefits of BITS Pilani WILP

1) Can pursue the programme without any career break and along with the job.

2) The programme curriculum is highly relevant to sectors, industries and organisations they work for

3) In addition to the institute, the learning experience of working professionals in the programme is also supported by the employer organisation and Industry Mentors.

4) Effective use of technology to deliver a range of learning interventions at the location of the working professional such as faculty contact sessions, asynchronous learning materials, remote, virtual and cloud labs, Learner support, peer to peer collaboration etc. 

5) Contact sessions with faculty take place mostly over weekends or after business hours and are conducted over a technology platform that can be accessed from anywhere. 

6) Mid semester and End semester examinations for every semester are conducted mostly at designated examination centres distributed across the country (for details refer to link mode of examinations) 

7) Learners can access engaging learning material which includes recorded lectures from BITS Pilani faculty members, course handouts and recorded lab content where applicable.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The programme emphasises on Experiential Learning that allows learners to apply concepts learnt in classroom in simulated, and real work situations. This is achieved through:

Tools and Technologies: Lab exercises consist of programming exercises, experiments using simulation tools, analysis and design of systems, etc. Some of the tools used in assignments are Eclipse, MySQL/ MongoDB, Star UML, NS2 and WireShark.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

Continuous Assessment includes graded Assignments/ Quizzes, Mid-semester exam, and Comprehensive Exam.

CASE STUDIES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Carefully chosen real-world cases & assignments are both discussed and used as problem-solving exercises during the programme.

DISSERTATION/ PROJECT WORK

The final semester offers an opportunity for learners to apply their knowledge gained during the programme to a real-world like complex project. The learner is expected to demonstrate understanding of vital principles learnt across semesters and their ability to successfully apply these concepts.

Eligibility Criteria

Minimum eligibility to apply: Professionals employed in Information Technology industries, holding a B.Sc./ BCA degree or its equivalent, with adequate preparation in Mathematics with at least 60% aggregate marks, and minimum one-year relevant work experience after the completion of the degree.

How to Apply

1.  
2. Once you have logged in, you will see a screen showing 4 essential steps to be completed to apply for the programme of your choice.
3. Begin by clicking on Step 1 - ‘Fill/ Edit and Submit Application Form’. This will enable you to select the programme of your choice. After you have chosen your programme, you will be asked to fill your details in an online form. You must fill all the details and press ‘Submit’ button given at the bottom of the form.
4. Take the next step by clicking on Step 2 - 'Download Application PDF Copy’. This will download a pdf copy of the application form on your computer.
5. Now, click on Step 3 - 'Pay Application Fee’ to pay INR 1,500/- using Netbanking/ Debit Card/ Credit Card.
6. Take a printout of the downloaded Application Form and note down the Application Form Number displayed on the top-right corner of the first page. This Application Form Number should be referred in all future correspondence with BITS Pilani.

7. In the printout of the downloaded Application Form, you will notice on page no. 3 a section called the Employer Consent Form. Complete the Employer Consent Form. This form needs to be signed and stamped by your organisation’s HR or any other authorised signatory of the company.

   Important: In view of work-from-home policies mandated by many organisations, a few candidates may not be able to get the physical forms signed by their HR/ other authorised organisational representative. Such candidates may instead request an email approval to be sent to their official email ID by the HR using the format available through this link.

8. Further on page no. 4 of the printed Application Form is a section called the Mentor Consent Form. The Mentor Consent Form needs to be signed by the Mentor. Click here to know who could be a Mentor.

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   Who is a Mentor:

   Candidates applying to Work Integrated Learning Programmes must choose a Mentor, who will monitor the academic progress of the candidate, and act as an advisor & coach for successful completion of the programme. Candidates should ideally choose the immediate supervisor or another senior person from the same organisation. In case a suitable mentor is not available in the same organisation, a candidate could approach a senior person in another organisation who has the required qualifications. Wherever the proposed Mentor is not from the same employing organization as that of the candidate, a supporting document giving justification for the same should be provided by the candidate’s employer.

   Candidates applying to B.Tech. programmes should choose a Mentor who is an employed professional with B.E./ B.S./ B.Tech./ M.Sc./ A.M.I.E./ Integrated First Degree of BITS or equivalent

   Candidates applying to M.Tech., M.Sc., MBA, M.Phil programme should choose a Mentor who is an employedprofessional with:

   • B.E. / M.Sc. / M.B.A. / M.C.A. / M.B.B.S. etc. and with a minimum of five years of relevant work experience

   • M.E./ M.S./ M.Tech./ M.Phil./ M.D./ Higher Degree of BITS or equivalent

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   Important: In view of work-from-home policies mandated by many organisations, a few candidates may not be able to get the physical forms signed by their Mentor. Such candidates may instead request an email approval to be sent to their official email ID by the Mentor using the format available through this link.

9. Further on page no. 5 of the downloaded Application Form, is a Checklist of Enclosures/ Attachments.
10. Make photocopies of the documents mentioned in this Checklist.
11. Applicants are required to self-attest all academic mark sheets and certificates.
12. Finally, click on Step 4 - 'Upload & Submit All Required Documents’. This will allow you to upload one-by-one the printed Application Form, Mentor Consent Form, Employer Consent Form, and all mandatory supporting documents and complete the application process. Acceptable file formats for uploading these documents are DOC, DOCX, PDF, ZIP and JPEG.
13. Upon receipt of your Application Form and all other enclosures, the Admissions Cell will scrutinise them for completeness, accuracy and eligibility.
14. Admission Cell will intimate selected candidates by email within two weeks of submission of application with all supporting documents. The selection status can also be checked by logging in to the Online Application Centre.

Student Speak

Chaithanya Rai

Amruthavarshini HK & Chandra Kishor reveal why they chose WILP to pursue higher education

Sreekanth Laxman

Industry Endorsements

Anupma

Ravi Shankar Singh, & Kiran Narendra speak about the collaboration between BITS Pilani & Tata Motors

Kalyani Shekar & Dr Jose from Verizon speak about the partnership between BITS Pilani & Verizon

Markus Bel, Pooja Suresh, & Zoya Kapoor speak about the collaboration between BITS Pilani & SAP

Apparao VV and Sanjay Gupta, EVP HCL Technologies speak about BITS Pilani & HCL collaboration

Anupma