Top Course Choices Beyond BTech IT: What Students Prefer, Shiksha Poll Reveals

BTech in Information Technology deals with computer systems, communication networks, and software systems and processes to manage and exchange electronic data for effective business operations. A major degree in Information Technology is highly valuable and provides high-paying professional skills to budding professionals. In this age of AI and automation taking over the job market and the growing internet user population, BTech in IT can turn out to be extremely promising course option for students after completing Class 12.

Students are generally confused regarding choosing the right course for themselves that aligns well with their interests and passions and leads them to better career prospects. A recent poll conducted by Shiksha.com asked students about the alternate course options to Information Technology that they are considering pursuing after Class 12. Out of the 289 students who participated, 39% voted for Computer Science Engineering, and 24% voted for Artificial Intelligence. Read the article below for more information.

This article provides some interesting insights about a few popular alternate course options to BTech Information Technology that students can consider to make it easy for them to arrive at a wise decision.

Poll Results: Student Opinion on Alternate Course Choices to Information Technology

To assess student opinion, Shiksha.com conducted a poll asking, “Besides Information Technology, which other course are you considering?” Out of the 289 students that participated, 39% voted for CSE, 24% chose Artificial Intelligence, 15% voted for Data Science, 4% responded in favor of Robotics Engineering, and 19% are considering a few other options.

Alternate Courses to BTech Information Technology for Students to Consider

The entire phase of exploring a plethora of courses and colleges after the completion of Class 12 is full of anxiety and confusion as to which direction to head towards. Students often grapple with questions like which course would give them a better salary, how do they know if the course is the right fit for them, or which colleges are the best for the course they have shortlisted? Even the BTech in IT course aspirants keep a few choices in hand till the final admission at a decent college.

This section gives a brief on the top 4 courses that students can consider other than BTech Information Technology based on their market demand, career prospects, earning potential, and scope of skill development.

BTech in Computer Science Engineering

BTech Computer Science Engineering is an extremely popular BTech specialization that provides the students with detailed knowledge of the applications of computer hardware and software systems, combined with programming proficiency, data structures and algorithms, and data analysis. Every industry has become heavily dependent on computer technology and smart software to operate and function smoothly. This turns out to be good news for BTech CSE graduates, who can look forward to exciting career options available to them.

Students can check the table given below for a detailed understanding of the BTech CSE course, basic curriculum focus, eligibility, top colleges, course fees, career opportunities, and salary packages:

BTech CSE Course Particulars	BTech CSE Course Details
Full Form	Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering
Curriculum Focus	Foundational concepts of computer programming, theory of computation, hardware and software design, data structures and algorithms, and database management.
Course Duration	4 years (8 semesters)
Eligibility Criteria	Completion of Class 12 with at least 50 to 60% marks in the PCM subjects. Some colleges may ask for Computer Science as a subject in Class 12; it is very less likely to happen, though. As an exception, the IITs and NITs ask for at least 75% marks in Class 12 to be eligible for BTech CSE admission
Coursework Structure	Core subject modules, professional elective subjects, project work, hands-on training via lab sessions, and internships.
Top Colleges	Top IITs, NITs, VIT Vellore, DTU, BITS Pilani, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, etc.
Average Course Fee	INR 2 lakh - INR 15 lakh
Job Scope	Computer Programmer, Software Engineer, Software Developer, Database Administrator, Embedded Systems Engineer, etc.
Top Recruiters	TATA Consultancy, Accenture Services, Google, HCL Technologies, Deloitte, Microsoft, etc.
Average Salary	INR 5 LPA – INR 10 LPA

Note: This information is sourced from external sources and may vary.

Links related to BTech CSE Course:

BTech CSE Career Scope

Computer Science Engineering Syllabus

Computer Science Engineering Fees

BTech in Artificial Intelligence

BTech in AI is another popular and rapidly evolving BTech specialization that exhibits strong potential for growth in terms of technological innovation in the market with intelligent systems to perform automated tasks. AI and ML tools are ruling over the industry at present and are here to stay for long, leading to a reduction in manpower in small and large businesses. In this case, having proficiency in AI and ML tools is extremely promising for students who can serve as an asset and drive business growth and profits for tech companies.

Students can refer to the table given below to explore the BTech in AI program in detail, along with curriculum focus, eligibility requirements, top colleges, course fees, job prospects, top recruiters, and salary packages:

BTech in AI Course Particulars	BTech in AI Course Details
Full Form	Bachelor of Technology in Artificial Intelligence
Curriculum Focus	AI and ML techniques for the development of automated systems, along with natural language processing, and computer vision.
Course Duration	4 years (8 semesters)
Eligibility Criteria	Completion of Class 12 with at least 50 to 60% marks in the Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics subjects, which may vary from college to college.
Coursework Structure	Core Computer Science subjects, specialized AI and ML subjects, strong mathematics subject modules, and research projects.
Top Colleges	Top IITs, NITs, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Amity University, etc.
Average Course Fee	INR 7 lakh - INR 15 lakh
Job Scope	Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Machine Learning Engineer, Robotics Engineer, AI Engineer, etc.
Top Recruiters	Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Deloitte, Accenture, Adobe, etc.
Average Salary	INR 6 LPA – INR 12 LPA

Note: This information is sourced from external sources and may vary.

Useful Links:

Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane?

Navigating the AI Impact on Occupations and Role of Educational Institutions

BTech in Data Science

BTech in Data Science is a four-year program that provides the students with detailed knowledge of how to extract relevant data from large datasheets and discover meaningful facts. Students get to learn about data science techniques, including data visualization and machine learning. Students can refer to the table below for all the details about the BTech Data Science course:

BTech in Data Science Course Particulars	BTech in Data Science Course Details
Full Form	Bachelor of Technology in Data Science
Curriculum Focus	Strong emphasis on mathematics and statistics, programming languages, machine learning, data visualization, and information security.
Course Duration	4 years (8 semesters)
Coursework Structure	Core fundamentals of Computer Science, Statistics, and Mathematics, Data Science specifics, project work, and internships.
Top Colleges	IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, NIT Jalandhar, Galgotias University, VIT Vellore, LPU, NIMS University (Jaipur), etc.
Average Course Fee	INR 5 lakh – INR 16 lakh
Job Scope	Data Science Developer, Data Analyst, Computer Vision Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Research Scientist, etc.
Top Recruiters	Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, Flipkart, etc.
Average Salary	INR 6 LPA – INR 10 LPA

Note: This information is sourced from external sources and may vary.

BTech in Robotics Engineering

BTech in Robotics Engineering is another popular engineering course that deals with the design and operational knowledge of robotics systems and machinery with the help of engineering applications and AI technology. Robotic systems make the lives of humans easy by making the tedious tasks automated and simple.

Students can have a look at the table given below to know everything about the BTech in Robotics Engineering course, eligibility, coursework, top colleges, career scope, recruiters, and salary in India:

BTech in Robotics Engineering Course Particulars	BTech in Robotics Engineering Course Details
Curriculum Focus	Strong emphasis on the fundamentals of robotics and control systems, programming knowledge, AI and ML techniques, robotics design and simulation, and sensors and actuators.
Course Duration	4 years (8 semesters)
Coursework Structure	Core subjects related to robotic system design and functionality, optional courses, lab work, research projects, and internships.
Top Colleges	IIT Roorkee, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Thapar University, Lovely Professional University, NIT Kurukshetra, etc.
Average Course Fee	INR 5 lakh – INR 10 lakh
Job Scope	Robotics Application Engineer, Robotics Software Engineer, Automation Engineer, Mechatronics Engineer, Robotics Research Scientist, etc.
Top Recruiters	NASA, Google, Amazon, Tesla, IBM Research, iRobot, Microsoft, Asimov Robotics, etc.
Average Salary	INR 4 LPA – INR 6 LPA

Note: This information is sourced from external sources and may vary.

Conclusion

To conclude, students have various interesting course options to explore besides BTech in Information Technology, with BTech CSE being the topmost choice owing to its career benefits and skill development opportunities. Other options that students can have a look at include BTech in Data Science and BTech in Robotics Engineering. As the Shiksha poll results suggest, 19% of students are considering other options as well. The below table lists a few popular alternate course options to BTech Information Technology for students’ reference:

Other Alternate Course Options to Consider
BTech in ECE	BTech Electrical Engineering	BTech Mechanical Engineering
BTech Aeronautical Engineering	BTech Civil Engineering	BTech Food Technology
BTech Biomedical Engineering	BTech Chemical Engineering	BTech Automobile Engineering