A famous saying goes, “Mathematics is one of the essential emanations of the human spirit – a thing to be valued in and for itself, like art or poetry.”
For those who understand, data is like God to them. People today say that subjects like mathematics are of no use in real life. But hold on you guys; take a minute and think about all the areas where you use data and you don’t even realize its existence. Friend request suggestions on facebook, the google maps that you rely on, the suggested products for you on all the online shopping sites; are all the result of data and analytics. Now, thinking about the innumerable uses of the subject, it would be easier for you to estimate the growing demand in the coming future. The CEO of Google Inc., Sundar Pichai, during a recent Q&A, acknowledged that students from Department of Mathematics will be an asset at Google.
Let’s now dig a little deeper into the subject.
The course
Mathematics & Computing Engineering is an amalgamation of mathematics with computer science and financial engineering. Covering the major areas in demand today, this course is of utmost value to the aspiring engineers. The course provides students with comprehensive theoretical knowledge and also practical training in computer science, numerical computing and mathematical finance. This programme has been introduced due to the need for sophisticated mathematics for modern scientific investigations and technological developments. The curriculum is designed to provide students with in depth theoretical background and practical training in computer science, numerical computing and mathematical finance.
Indian Institute of Technology defines the course as a unique programme and the first of its kind in the country. The curriculum for this program is designed to meet the need of sophisticated mathematics in modern scientific investigations and technological innovations. The programme has three components: mathematics, computing and financial engineering which are perfectly blended so that the strong mathematical and analytical components that are in-built in the curriculum form the basis on which the technological aspects of computing and finance are developed. Consequently, the programme, which is run by a team of committed faculty as instructors, produces a group of students with multiple skills in mathematics, computer science and financial engineering. The course emphasizes on training the students in various aspects of Theoretical Computer Science, Computational Techniques, Mathematical Modeling, Simulation, Probabilistic and Statistical Tools.
The details
The course is 4-year programme, referred to as B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing. The course is available at Delhi Technological University and the Indian Institute of Technology.
The core subjects that will be covered under the course include Introduction to computing, Basic Electronics Laboratory, Matrix Computations, Computer networks, Computer organization and architecture, Data structures algorithms. The course initially introduces to basic mathematics and then slowly takes you further. Pure mathematics subjects consist of Mathematics I, Mathematics II, Mathematics III, Real Analysis, and Modern algebra. The second major part of the course is computing. Database Management Systems, Operating Systems , Digital Logic Design, Computer Organization and Architecture , Algorithm Design and Analysis, Data Structures, Object Oriented Programming would be covered under the Computing section. The Finance related subjects will talk about financial engineering, engineering economics, stochastic calculus for finance. The other Inter related subjects cover areas of discrete mathematics, Scientific Computing, Linear Algebra, Computer Graphics, Probability and Statistics, MATLAB, SPSS, Matrix computations. However, the courses in the MnC programme would be more inclined towards Mathematics than the coding part.
IITs Offering MnC
The MnC programme is currently being offered in several IITs. For example, IIT Kanpur offers Mathematics and Scientific Computing which is mostly Mathematics with a very little computing component involved. The MnC programme at IIT-BHU, Varanasi is likely to be the best for people who enjoy Mathematics and are further open to work in the field of Computer Science, as it has got equal portions of Mathematics and Computing. At IIT Kharagpur, Mathematics and Computing is offered as an M.Sc. programme. IIT Guwahati offers a B. Tech programme in MnC. Similarly, IIT Delhi also offers similar prospectus as an integrated M. Tech programme in MnC, which is aimed towards training the students to handle problems in the industry and research laboratories through the combined use of Mathematical and Computational Techniques.
Further studies
If you are aiming for higher studies, explore the deep insights of mathematics and computing. The curriculum offers a perfect blend of mathematics and computing, which can be put to use in many research projects. Some of them include Data Mining, Big Data (Hadoop and the map reduce framework), Stochastic Processes, Machine Learning and Recommender Systems, Computer Graphics, etc. The MnC programme at the IITs also gives you a chance to branch out either into Applied Mathematics research or into Computer Science.
Placements in the field
On successful completion of the course, students can find a job in software industries, financial institutions and government organizations. The employment areas also cover Consulting Engineering firms, Pharmaceutical Industry, Telecom industry, Banks and Insurance companies and Government organizations as well. Top recruiters include companies like Microsoft, Mphasis, Amazon India, L & T Ltd., Avacor. The MnC students from the IITs are offered amazing packages from reputed companies, some notable among them being Microsoft, Epic Systems (US), Visa, Walmart, NetApp, Zynga Arista Networks, Qualcomm, Open Sol, SISO, Citrix R&D and Whizdom Edu etc. The good news is that since the number of students enrolled in this programme across all IITs is less, the average package becomes one among the highest.
In a nutshell
A bachelor course in Technology in Mathematics and Computing is an intense stream with substantial course load. The schedule covers three major areas, namely computing, mathematics and finance. However, it is also considered to be among the best courses offered by the IITs, and offers various kinds of opportunities in the areas of software, finance and research.
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