Himachal Pradesh’s IIT-Mandi, Imarticus Learning jointly offer AI Minor Degree to college students nationwide

Imarticus Learning, an education company, has announced an institutional partnership initiative to enable colleges across India to offer an IIT Mandi-designed Minor Degree in Artificial Intelligence to undergraduate students.

The curriculum covers core and advanced areas, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Generative AI, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, AI Deployment, and Real-World Applications.

The programme follows a structured seven-semester learning pathway that gradually builds student capability from foundational concepts to advanced AI implementation and project-based learning.

The curriculum has been designed and academically anchored by faculty from IIT Mandi, with online and IIT campus sessions delivered by IIT Mandi faculty.

Students will benefit from exposure to an IIT-level academic ecosystem through immersive learning experiences and expert interactions, a release says.

A key differentiator of the initiative is that the IIT Mandi-designed AI Minor has been structured for engineering students, making advanced AI education accessible across disciplines.

Integrated within existing undergraduate programmes without disrupting core academics, the programme combines IIT-level academic rigour, industry-standard AI skills, hands-on projects, faculty interactions, and campus immersion opportunities to help students build practical, future-ready AI capabilities.

The programme, the release says, is aligned with the multidisciplinary vision of NEP 2020 and structured in accordance with UGC undergraduate specialisation guidelines.

The 24-credit AI Minor enables engineering students to pursue a formal specialisation in artificial intelligence alongside their primary degree without disrupting their core academic curriculum.

Unlike short-term certifications or standalone training modules, the minor degree in artificial intelligence will be formally reflected on the student’s academic transcript, providing institutions and students with academically recognised credentials.

Tushar Jain, Head CCE, IIT Mandi, said: “At IIT Mandi, we strongly believe that Artificial Intelligence is no longer a niche discipline — it is becoming a foundational capability across industries and domains. As technology continues to reshape how systems are built and decisions are made, it is critical that students are exposed to AI in a structured, rigorous, and application-oriented manner early in their academic journey.

“This programme has been designed to bring together academic depth, practical learning, and emerging areas like Generative AI, ensuring that students graduate with both strong fundamentals and the ability to build real-world AI solutions,” he added.

Nikhil Barshikar, Founder-CEO, Imarticus Learning, said: “AI is fundamentally reshaping how industries operate, how businesses make decisions, and how the future workforce will be built. As AI adoption accelerates across sectors, there is a growing need for institutions to move beyond conventional technology education and provide students with structured, application-oriented exposure to emerging technologies at the undergraduate level. Through our collaboration with IIT Mandi, we are enabling colleges across India to offer students access to a structured, academically rigorous, and industry-aligned minor degree in artificial intelligence.”