IIIT-Hyderabad Opens Admissions for M.Tech Program in Product Design and Management

Hyderabad, September 23,  2021: International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H has opened winter admissions for a new M.Tech program in Product Design & Management. The program aims to create market and design aware technologists, product designers, product managers and start-up founders conceptualize, define, design technology products and connect them with markets.

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research with great social impact. Some of its research domains include Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance.

The curriculum of the M. Tech Program in Product Design and Management empowers graduates to understand the convergence of technology, design, markets and the business of products. The program can lead to creation of new products, new startups, or groom early career IT professions to become technology product managers for technology companies specifically around information technologies.

The M.Tech program includes courses around understanding of technology product, convergence of technology, design, markets & business, product design, development and management, products from emerging technologies (research). An extended program project in the second year helps with creating product-translating ideas into deep technology products that connect with markets.

According to Prof Raghu Reddy, Head of the PDM program, “Modern day engineers tend to be technology- and algorithm-centric and it’s very rare to find people who actually understand customers. On the other hand, product managers focus more on product markets, strategies but seem to focus little on the underlying technologies, product design, and their ability to interface with product developers as well as customers. This program has a nice balance of technology, design and management with specific focus on ICT products to start with.”

There are multiple channels of admissions, based on initial screening and subsequent interviews:

Early career IT graduates/working professionals: With 1+ years of IT experience (experience may be waived in some cases). Through GATE or CEED exams.

Startups: Through an application reviewed by an expert committee that will evaluate the idea, tech & market viability, and the founder’s background.

Industry/self-sponsored: Mid-level professionals with 5+ years experience, who are either development managers or architects or product managers, sponsored by their employers.