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Project Guidelines
Guidelines for the M.Tech. (Online) Capstone Project — covering prerequisites, guide selection, proposal, evaluation structure, stream-specific requirements, thesis, and intellectual property.
Quick Facts
Max Students per Guide
Min Post-Masters Experience (Yrs)
Project Phases (AI / DSBA)
Project Phases (ECE)
Getting Started
Pre-requisites
Every project in the M.Tech. (Online) programme must meet the following baseline requirements regardless of stream.
Individual Only
The project must be done individually. No group projects are permitted.
Core Credits First
All core course credits must be completed in prior terms before commencing on project credits.
Company Guide
Every project requires an internal company guide from the sponsoring organisation to monitor progress.
IISc Faculty Mentor
Every project requires an IISc faculty mentor who approves project goals and conducts evaluations.
Guide Roles
Internal Company Guide
Must hold a Ph.D. degree or a Master's degree with 5 years post-Masters' experience. One guide can supervise at most 6 students at any time.
Guide Responsibilities
Monitor project progress regularly. Fill out a Progress Report before each evaluation describing work completed, context, and importance. Review the thesis carefully before submission.
Supervision Limit & Continuity
Max 6 students per guide. Student must work with the same guide for the entire project. Any change must be PCC-approved; a fresh undertaking letter is required.
IP & Data Responsibility
Ensure proper experimental methods. Data should be properly recorded and saved for future reference. IP generated vests with the company unless IISc faculty also provides technical guidance.
IISc Faculty Mentor
Contact faculty in the EECS or IDR division. Any IISc faculty can serve. Start planning well in advance. One mentor guides at most 6 students across batches.
Mentor Responsibilities
Approve project goals and work plan. Answer high-level questions, bring academic rigour. Conduct mid-term and final evaluations as approved by the PCC.
Cannot Find a Mentor?
Contact the PCC with: (1) proof of having contacted and been denied mentorship, (2) detailed problem statement and project plan, (3) contact details of the internal company guide. Use as last resort.
IPR Agreement Note
If active technical guidance from IISc is sought, a separate IPR retainer agreement must be signed before project starts. This typically takes ~1 term — initiate it 1 term in advance.
Proposal & Evaluation
Project Proposal
The proposal must cover: (1) problem motivation, (2) specific questions to address, (3) technical approach overview, (4) feasibility assessment, and (5) work plan with timeline. Must be approved by the faculty mentor.
The guide and mentor acceptance letter and the approved project proposal and work plan must be submitted to the PCC by the drop without mention date of the Phase 1 term.
Evaluation Structure
Mid-Term Evaluation
Committee: company guide + faculty mentor + 1 additional faculty nominated by PCC. Student submits written report before this evaluation.
Final Evaluation
Committee: company guide + faculty mentor + 2 additional faculty nominated by PCC. Student submits thesis report before this evaluation.
Grading — Pass / Fail Only
Project adjudged as satisfactory / unsatisfactory. No letter grade awarded. Standards set by PCC at the highest academic level for a Master's degree.
Stream-Specific
Project Schedule by Stream
All projects span 2–3 phases depending on stream. Project credits determine the effort required — 8 project credits ≈ 8 hours/week for ~12 weeks in a term.
Artificial Intelligence
Phase 1: Finalise project statement, guide & mentor. Submit accepted proposal by drop deadline. Present work plan at term end.
Phase 2: Mid-term evaluation at end of term.
Phase 3: All course credits must be done. No courses allowed. Final evaluation.
Data Science & Business Analytics
Recommended: 8+12+12 or 12+8+12. Mid-term eval after completing 20 credits. Phase 3 (Summer): exactly 12 credits, no other courses. All courses must be done before Phase 3.
Electronics & Communication Engineering
Phase 1: 10 credits. Up to 2 other courses allowed. Mid-term eval at end of term.
Phase 2: 18 credits, AUG or JAN only (not summer). No courses allowed. All courses must be done first.
Submission & IP
Project Thesis & Intellectual Property
Public Document
The project thesis evaluated by IISc is a public document. Confidential information must not be in the thesis. Confidential content may only be presented in the closed committee session during evaluation.
Plagiarism Check
Before submitting, run a plagiarism check (e.g., Turnitin) on the thesis. Student must certify they are aware of IISc's Academic Integrity Policy and that the work is original. See IISc Academic Integrity Policy.
Intellectual Property Rights
IP generated by the student vests solely with the company, unless active technical guidance is also provided by the IISc faculty mentor. In that case, a specific IPR sharing agreement must be in place before the project begins.
Detailed Policies
Expanded Guidelines
Pre-requisites — Credit Limits & Requirements
The project must be done individually. All core course credits must be completed in prior terms before commencing project credits. Standard credit limits per term apply. Additional stream-specific requirements are set by individual PCCs.
The project credits determine the level of effort. For example, 8 project credits translates to roughly 8 hours of project work per week for approximately 12 weeks in a term.
Company Guide — Selection & Qualifications
Students should identify a guide from their company who can advise on a problem of their interest. The internal guide must have a Ph.D. degree, or a Master's degree with 5 years post-Masters' experience.
One internal guide from an organisation can supervise at most 6 students at any one time. The student must work with the same internal guide for the entire duration of the project. Any change due to exceptional circumstances must be approved by the PCC, and a fresh undertaking letter must be submitted.
The internal guide is responsible for:
- Monitoring project progress regularly
- Filling out a Progress Report before each evaluation
- Reviewing the thesis carefully before submission
- Ensuring proper methods for experiments, computations, and theoretical developments
- Ensuring data is properly recorded and saved for future reference
IISc Faculty Mentor — Selection & Responsibilities
Students are encouraged to contact faculty in the EECS or IDR division, as they are likely to be most relevant. Some are listed under "Project Mentors and Interests" on the website, but any IISc faculty can serve.
Students are responsible for finding the mentor and should start planning well in advance. If unable to find a mentor despite sustained efforts, contact the PCC with: (1) proof of having contacted and been denied mentorship, (2) detailed problem statement and project plan, and (3) contact details of the internal company guide. Use this as a last resort.
One faculty mentor can guide at most 6 students at any point in time, across batches.
If a faculty mentor goes on sabbatical or is otherwise unable to continue, a suitable alternate may be identified with PCC approval. Likewise for a company guide. In both cases, a fresh undertaking letter must be submitted to the PCC.
Project Proposal — Contents & Submission Deadline
The student should work with the internal guide to identify the project topic, scope of work, and schedule. This must be approved by the faculty mentor.
The proposal must cover:
- Motivation for the problem being proposed
- Specific questions to be addressed
- Overview of the technical approach
- Feasibility assessment for completing the project
- Work plan with timeline
The guide and mentor acceptance letter and the approved project proposal and work plan must be submitted to the PCC no later than the drop without mention date of the Phase 1 term.
Important: If unable to submit before this deadline, you must drop the project credits before the drop without mention deadline for that term. Failing to do so results in a failing grade.
Progress Reports & Evaluation Presentations
Before every evaluation, the internal guide must fill out a short Progress Report describing the quantum of work completed, context, and importance of the project work. This must be shared with the faculty mentor before the evaluation.
The student must submit a written report before the mid-term evaluation and a thesis report before the final evaluation. Both should be reviewed by the internal guide before submission.
During the evaluation, the student must make a presentation to the committee. Both the student and the company guide may attend the evaluation online.
IPR — Intellectual Property Rights
Any IP generated by the student in the project under guidance of the company shall solely vest with the company, unless guidance is also provided by the IISc faculty mentor.
If active technical guidance from the IISc faculty mentor is sought by the organisation, a specific agreement for retainer consultancy and IP rights sharing must be put in place before the project commences. IKEN and the PCC must be informed.
Completing this IPR agreement typically takes about 1 term. If planning such an agreement, the student and organisation should initiate this process 1 term before the first term in which project credits are registered.
Thesis Confidentiality & Plagiarism Policy
The project thesis evaluated by IISc is a public document. Confidential information should not be placed in the thesis. If present and required to evaluate the merit of the project, confidential information may be included in the closed presentation to the committee during evaluation.
Before submitting, the student must check the thesis for plagiarism using relevant software (e.g., Turnitin) that will be made available. The student must certify that they are aware of the academic guidelines of the Institute, have checked for plagiarism, and that the thesis is original work.
Reference: IISc Academic Integrity Policy — https://iisc.ac.in/about/student-corner/academic-integrity/
Annexure & Downloads
Required Forms
Download and submit the following forms when registering for Phase 1 of the project. All forms must be submitted to the PCC by the drop without mention deadline.
Contact iKen Office
For questions about project guidelines, guide selection, proposal submission, or PCC approvals:
+91 080-2293 2508
office.iken@iisc.ac.in
Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM IST