BENGALURU: Post graduation courses in engineering colleges are losing their demand in the state. In the current academic year itself, 30 per cent of the private engineering colleges have requested Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) to cancel some of the post graduate courses (MTech) because of zero demand.
Not just private colleges, even VTU has shut some of its PG courses at three of its centres in Bengaluru, Hubballi and Hassan government engineering colleges. Speaking about it, Prof H N Jagannatha Reddy said, “Some of the PG courses including Computer Science have no demand. The colleges which have failed to increase intake above 30 per cent for the last three years, will be closed.”
As per the VTU admission norms, the intake sanctioned for MTech courses is between 18 and 24, but most colleges have single digit admissions, and some fail to attract even a single student. According to faculty members teaching PG courses, the demand for MTech is declining mainly because of lack of job opportunities.
“For MTech graduates, one of the main jobs is teaching, but now there are no vacancies and those who have chosen teaching as their profession, are under the threat of losing jobs due to less demand for engineering courses in general,” a principal of a private engineering college in the city said.
This was an important agenda during the recent executive council meeting at VTU, which was discussed at Academic Senate and referred to the Executive Council, where the members recommended for closure of PG courses that do not have a demand. “There are courses including Machine design engineering, VLSI, Computer Science, Structural engineering, Computational Analysis in Mechanical Science which have had less admissions for three years, and some even have zero admission. Considering this data, we have closed down the courses even at government engineering colleges and extension centres of VTU,” Jagannatha Reddy said.
Government Engineering College Hassan had seen zero admissions for M.Tech course in Computational Analysis in Mechanical science for 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years Government Engineering College Haveri had seen zero admissions for M.Tech course in Machine design during 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic year.
Civil engineering still in demand
Despite decreasing demand for MTech courses for last 3 years, the civil engineering department has seen high admissions for 2018-19. As per the details available from VTU, civil engineering and sub courses, like construction engineering, highway technology have increased demand. “At government colleges, where there is no demand, we are even thinking of shutting such courses and offer ing courses like civil engineering which have demand,” added Jagannatha Reddy.