The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad is set to offer MTech in Heritage Science and Technology to students from August 2022. The last date to apply for the course is July 7, 2022.

The new course will come with three different specialisations — Science and Technology of Yoga, Indic Language Processing and Conservation and Reconstruction of Heritage Architecture — and offer students a diverse range of choices. The course will be taught by the Department of Heritage Science and Technology, which was inaugurated on June 21 to mark World Yoga Day 2022.

The new course will be in online mode for a period of two years. The second year will be entirely dedicated to a thesis project with focus on either product development or research. The institute is also providing the students a choice to exit post the completion of their first year (after course work) with a Post-Graduate Diploma.

“The Department of Heritage Science and Technology will allow students to explore India’s scientific heritage. There is an acute need to undertake this exploration without any biases and in the true spirit of rigorous science. I am confident that the Department will excel in both academics and research facets in this new and upcoming area,” IIT Hyderabad director B.S. Murty said.

Mohan Raghavan, head of the Department of Heritage Science and Technology, outlined the ideology behind the subject. “Our heritage, including our monuments, archaeological sites, language, dress, knowledge systems, and indigenous technologies are assets for all of humanity. Heritage Science and Technology aims to unlock this latent value in heritage assets by developing technology to help this fragmented segment to aggregate, modernise and scale. It helps enrich lives and livelihoods around Heritage and automatically ensures that heritage survives and thrives,” he said.