In order to cater to the country's need of trained manpower of higher learning in science and technology, the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur, first of the chain of seven IITs, was established in 1950. The idyllic, sylvan setting at Hijli was chosen to provide a cordon sanitaire to the serious learners for uninterrupted pursuit of studies. From a modest start in the dilapidated Hijli jail buildings, IIT Kharagpur has gone on to be engaged in a virtually continuous process of development. The handsome main building with its majestic tower was inaugurated in 1956 and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the first convocation in the same year said "Here in the place of that Hijli detention camp stands this fine monument of India, representing India's urges, India's future in the making. This picture seems to me symbolic of changes that are coming to India".

Today, IIT Kharagpur has come a long way to its present position of pre-eminence with nineteen academic departments, seven multidisciplinary centres, a School of Management, a School of Telecommunications, a School of Medical Science and Technology, a School of Information Technology and a School of Intellectual Property Law named after Rajiv Gandhi, and several sophisticated central facilities. It is the largest and the most diversified among the IITs and strives to produce scientists and technologists of the highest calibre to help the nation become self-reliant in its technological needs and to provide leadership in the field of technical education and research. Some of the distinctive features of the programmes at IIT Kharagpur are science based engineering education, emphasis on complete education, continuous internal evaluation and flexibility for experimentation, up gradation and innovation in curriculum design. IIT Kharagpur has a number of distinctions to its credit among all the IITs, such as the First Master's programme on Management, First Master's Programme on Medical Science and Technology for practicing Medical Doctors, First Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology. In a study, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, IIT Kharagpur has the highest relative employment productivity index among the IITs and is the top supplier of fresh engineers/technologists to the public and private sector industries. It also ranked first among the IITs in the production of science and engineering PhDs.

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE OF THE INSTITUTE

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES / DIPLOMAS CONFERRED IN THE YEAR 2008

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