IISER Information

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, has set up a few Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research to promote quality education and research in basic sciences. The first two of these autonomous institutes for higher education and research were established in 2006: IISER Kolkata and IISER Pune. The aim of the IISERs is to integrate teaching of and research in basic sciences by appointing established scholars as faculty members so that they may continue working in their respective fields of specialization and at the same time teach, motivate, and guide students interested in studying and taking up research in the basic sciences. The strength of IISER Kolkata lies in its talented students, faculty of excellent academic repute, state-of-the-art research facilities, and the flexibility of the academic programs. The Institute offers a BS-MS (a 5-year Integrated Masters) program, involving two years of compulsory exposure to all the science disciplines: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Computer Programming and Electronics, followed by two years of study in a 'major' discipline, and finally a year devoted to research leading to a thesis (Masters). In addition to the BS-MS program, the Institute also offers a post-BSc Integrated PhD program to induct talented students early into research. In addition, there are the 2-year MS (thesis) program for BTech students and the regular post-MSc PhD program. PhD programs are specifically focused on cutting-edge, competitive research.