IIT Jodhpur introduces B.S. in management and technology to prepare students for the AI era

Jodhpur: IIT Jodhpur has introduced a B.S. in Management and Technology, an interdisciplinary undergraduate programme designed to bring together management education, technological skills and students’ domain interests amid changing employment requirements driven by artificial intelligence.

The programme has been introduced at a time when AI is altering several entry-level roles and changing the skills expected from graduates. Prof. Avinash Kumar Agarwal, Director, IIT Jodhpur, said the programme was developed in response to these changes in the job market.

“As AI reshapes entry-level roles, the foundational skills required to be ‘hire-ready’ are evolving faster than traditional curricula can keep pace with. Flexibility, and the ability to connect management thinking with technological fluency, is no longer optional; it is the baseline,” he said.

Early admissions and counselling interactions have also highlighted the priorities of applicants. According to the institute, students have raised questions about internships, career pathways and potential compensation, alongside queries about programme schedules and academic arrangements.

The backgrounds and career interests of early admits reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the programme. One third-year engineering student with experience in extracurricular and leadership activities identified management as an area of interest and is pursuing the programme to build formal knowledge in the field.

Another early admit, a first-year sociology student, plans to combine an understanding of human behaviour and psychology with management and technology. The student is interested in exploring career opportunities at the intersection of the three disciplines.

A third student intends to use the programme as preparation for taking over a family business rather than pursuing a conventional employment route. The student also plans to use the institution’s alumni network as part of that professional journey.

The programme’s structure reflects elements of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly its emphasis on multidisciplinary learning and flexibility in higher education. Students can bring together management, technology and their existing areas of academic or professional interest within a single degree.

The programme also reflects the changing relationship between higher education and employment, where graduates may need to combine subject knowledge with technological awareness, problem-solving and an understanding of organisational contexts.

By bringing management and technology into an interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum, IIT Jodhpur’s new programme offers students different pathways to apply their academic interests to evolving career and professional requirements.