Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus, officially Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani - K. K. Birla Goa Campus and known in short as BITS Pilani, Goa Campus is a technical and science institute for higher education located in Goa, India. Established in 2004, it is one of the four campuses of the BITS Pilani. The Aditya Birla Group privately supports the residential features of the institute.
In April 2011, following the August 2008 death of the Chancellor, Krishna Kumar Birla, the campus was renamed as Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus in his memory. In August 2011, the campus held its first ever convocation ceremony, during which 580 graduates were awarded their degrees.
Academics and admission
Academics
The academic course structure is governed by the university, BITS Pilani. However, each campus has its own autonomous administration, student welfare division, faculty recruitment and placement division.The institute offers 4-year B. E. "first degree" programs and also 5-year M. Sc. degrees through its dual degree system. It also used to offer M. Sc. Information Systems until recently before it was discontinued and merged with Computer Science. It also offers M.E. and PhD programs in various fields.
BITS Pilani also offers a dual degree to the students of Master of Science programs. The dual degree is offered in one of the engineering programs after freshman year. The engineering degree being offered is based on the students' choice and their academic performance in first year. Under the dual degree scheme, a student is offered two separate degrees on graduation: a degree in Master of Science and in Bachelor of Engineering Students performing exceptionally well in first year are also eligible to pursue two B. E. or two M. Sc. courses together.
However, the program increases the duration of his/ her stay on campus by at least two semesters. The compulsory courses of the second program are completed in the seventh and eighth semesters. The final year is dedicated to two semester-long off-campus industrial training internships or a master's thesis. Every student is free to choose between the two options. However, the student has to find thesis opportunities on his/ her own while the institute itself provides an industrial training internship called the .
The institute offers a vertical transfer system through which students performing exceptionally well in their first year are given an opportunity to have their branch changed. Through this, M. Sc. students can abandon their M. Sc. in favor of a B. E. single degree.
BITS also gives due importance to Humanities and Arts and it is mandatory to complete a minimum of 8 credits of humanities to graduate.
Practice School
Practice School is a program unique to BITS Pilani University, through which students are placed in the industry for hands-on learning experience. , a two-month internship program for the summer after second year, is compulsory for all students. is an extended internship program, usually of five and a half months duration that students may go for in their final year. The single degree students have the choice of going in either of the two semesters while the dual degree students have to do it in both the semesters of their final year. The students are graded by the off-campus BITS faculty and the P. S. mentor. The allocation is based on the academic record of the student and is managed centrally. Every P. S. station roughly accommodates 6 - 7 students.Practice School is aimed at familiarizing students with the work environment and technical standards in the industry. Students can also opt for a thesis instead of Practice School II where they will have to work under a professor either on campus or off campus on some research area related to his/ her discipline. In case of an off campus thesis, an on campus guide will co-ordinate with the off campus guide for a smooth process.
Admission
Since 2005, admission to BITS Pilani has been offered to students based on their performance in the all-India Entrance Examination, called BITS Admission Test. BITS Pilani also has the policy of accepting State and National Board toppers. There is no reservation of seats on the basis of caste or category. BITSAT is a computer based test and is held at BITS authorized test centers. The examination chiefly covers topics based on the NCERT higher secondary curriculum, in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Reasoning & Analytical Skills in Logic and English. Any student having a minimum aggregate of 75% in Physics, Math and Chemistry and a minimum of 60% marks in each of the BITSAT subjects individually is eligible to apply to the campus.The admission process for Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses are all held together.
Campus
The BITS Pilani Goa Campus was designed by the RSP Design Group. The campus is located in Zuari nagar, Goa, on the banks of the Zuari River and houses more than 4,000 students. The hostels are spread across three regions: 'A', 'C' and a newly constructed 'D', which encompass 9, 7 and 4 hostels respectively. Known for its scenic beauty,HolidayIQ.com, a popular holiday recommendation website, has listed the Goa campus of BITS Pilani 7th in its list of beautiful campuses.
The BITS Goa Campus has a BCCI-recognized cricket ground maintained by the Goa Cricket Association that has hosted several national level tournaments such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy and a football ground maintained by Salgaocar F.C.
It also has other sports facilities comprising state-of-the-art basketball and lawn tennis courts, as well as a badminton complex that houses 4 wooden badminton courts. Other sports facilities include a squash court, a table tennis room, as well as indoor games such as pool, chess and carrom. These facilities are present in the Student Activity Center.
Student life
The students run the following festivals:- Waves - National level cultural festival
- Quark - National level technical festival
- Spree - National level sports festival