IIT Madras holds 61st convocation; 3,016 students receive degrees

NEW DELHI: A total of 2,636 students graduated during the 61st convocation of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), which was held in the campus today, July 19, 2024. 3,016 students received degrees (joint and dual) during the convocation ceremony. Besides, a total of 444 PhDs were awarded including regular PhDs, joint degree PhDs with foreign institutions and dual degree PhDs.

Notably, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman S Somanath also received his PhD degree in mechanical engineering on the occasion.

Among the graduates who received degrees were 764 BTech (of whom 27 did honours), 277 dual degree BTech and MTech, 481 MTech, 151 MSc, 42 MA, 50 executive MBA, 84 MBA, 236 MS, and 107 web-enabled MTech for executives. The PhD joint degrees were with universities in Australia, Singapore, France and Germany.

Four students were awarded with prizes for exceptional performances. Their names and courses are as follows:

Brian K Kobilka, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the year 2012, congratulated the graduating students and prize winners. He said, “I do not consider myself to be exceptional in any way. My career today is an example of how an average individual can achieve a measure of success by a combination of factors including hard work, persistence, an element of luck and a great deal of help from family, friends and colleagues. When I look back at my career, I am amazed by how often I was in the right place at the right time, with the right people.” He listed the five factors which played a major role in his career – passion, role models, strengths and weaknesses, balance in life, and failure.