IcfaiTech: The Training Grounds for the Makers of History
IcfaiTech
IcfaiTech

ICFAI was established in 1984 as a not-for-profit society with the broad objective of empowering citizens through world-class quality education.

The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad is a Deemed-to-be University established in 2008 under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. The university is a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

IcfaiTech, a constituent of IFHE campus, is a 92-acre lush green sylvan campus with a built-up area of over 16 lakh sq. ft. The campus is fully Wi-Fi enabled and equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities like amphitheatres, auditoriums, academic blocks, fully equipped library block, computer centre, language lab, hostels, canteen, and faculty accommodations.

Further, IFHE boasts of a scenic campus with well-equipped laboratories, learning resource centre, computing resource centre, modern airconditioned classrooms with HD (high definition) projectors, health centres, hostels, transport, sports facilities, and recreational facilities.

The guiding light

Since its inception, IcfaiTech has taken the onus of empowering citizens through world-class education. The institute aims at continuously launching enriching, high-end, professional program fostering a culture of innovation.

IcfaiTech envisions to emphasize on adhering to academic rigor and differentiated curriculum that bridges the industry-academia gap.

The institute focuses on learning rather than instruction. Flexible and techenabled learning also plays an important role in IcfaiTech’s pedagogy. Its culture of teaching and learning supports and fosters intellectual and personality development of the graduating students. IcfaiTech strives to make the students – DOERS.

Also, IcfaiTech strongly believes in developing an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ among its graduating students. At IcfaiTech, faculty inculcates research and analytical orientation among the students supported by inspirational research and development activities.

Training Grounds for Innovators

IcfaiTech has a project-based pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach where students actively explore a spectrum of real-world problems and challenges for a deeper understanding of concepts and expansion of knowledge. This course is intended to impart practical training to the students in third or higher levels through one specific semester assigned to real-time projects.

Also, the institute has a Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) that offers a parking space for start-ups and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Budding entrepreneurs having innovative ideas and seeking resources is mentored and assisted by the faculty members for the mutual benefit of the institute and the startups. This platform enables the students to acquire knowledge on recent technologies, industry requirements, and inculcates the entrepreneurship skills to establish their own start-ups.

The Academic Rollout

The institute’s innovative and interdisciplinary educational approach is bolstered by an integrated and broadbased curriculum. Its pedagogy includes a gamut of tools, equipment, and instruction, creating proficient global leaders for the new age.

During the first two years of the integrated first-degree programs at IcfaiTech, the students are exposed to the areas of basic sciences, social sciences, humanities, computer programming, engineering sciences and proficiency in the English language along with a strong foundation in mathematics.

In the final semester of the program, the students can opt for a variety of elective courses not only from their stream, but also from the other engineering branches.

A League Apart

There are a number of qualities that set IcfaiTech apart from the herd of mundane, abundantly present engineering colleges. Some of these features are:

  1. Dual Degree Program

The dual degree program empowers the students to attain engineering degree by spending two extra years after the regular B.Sc. term of three years. The next dual degree possibility entitles the student to earn two B. Tech degrees in 5 years.

  1. Interdisciplinary and futuristic curriculum

The institute’s innovative and interdisciplinary educational approach is bolstered by an integrated and broad-based curriculum. At IcfaiTech, a choicebased credit system is prevalent to enrich the curriculum that is restructured frequently to meet the requirements of the industry and the academia. This empowers students to choose inter-disciplinary courses, intra-disciplinary courses, and/or skill-oriented papers.

  1. Lateral Entry

IcfaiTech offers ‘Advanced Standing Admissions’ (lateral entry) in the second year of the respective discipline of B. Tech Programs to the aspirants who have cleared a Diploma/Polytechnic with 60% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA and are aiming to opt for higher education.

  1. Academic Flexibility

Program transfer (within the same tier), academic freedom to the students, audit courses, optional electives, departure from normal pace and, other flexibilities are bestowed upon the students for an enriching and gratifying erudite experience at IcfaiTech.

  1. Broad-based and Interdisciplinary Education

The courses are broadly grouped into various categories as analysisoriented courses, discipline courses, humanities, and social sciences. This broad spectrum of courses enables the students to have a strong foundation and training in interdisciplinary areas, enhancing professional linkage, communication, and group activity, thereby ensuring the best possible peer group learning.

  1. Internship opportunities

At IcfaiTech, the internship program is incorporated within the curriculum to bring the authenticities of the professional world into the educational process. Furthermore, the revered faculty members of IcfaiTech supervise, evaluate, and grade the students in consultation with the industry mentors.

The Charismatic Founder

Mr. N. J. Yasaswy, Founder of the ICFAI Group of Educational Institutions had a brilliant academic career: B. Com (Andhra University 1969 – First Rank), CA Final (May 1973 – First Rank), and ICWA Final (July 1972 – First Rank). He is the recipient of the Basu Foundation Award for the ‘Best Student of the Year’ from The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (in 1972), and The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (in 1973).

Mr. Yasaswy was appointed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh as Chairman, Andhra Pradesh State Trading Corporation (1985–88), and Vice-Chairman, Public Enterprises Management Board (1986–88). He was a visiting faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (1986-88) and was nominated as a member on the SEBI Committee on accounting standards. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Certified International Investment Analysts (ACIIA), Switzerland. He authored several books on finance and investments.

Mr. Yasaswy was a charismatic leader and visionary who set up ICFAI as a single institute in 1985. He was instrumental in building several business schools and universities in the developing states of India, particularly in the north-east region. He stood for professional management, excellence in the quality of education, and absolute discipline.

Awards and Accolades

IcfaiTech has been rated ‘AAAAA’ among Top Private Engineering Institutes of Telangana Digital Learning. Also, ranked 13th among Top Private Engineering Institutes in India by “Digital Learning – Top Engineering Institutes of India – Rankings & Ratings 2020”.

IcfaiTech ranked 1st among Outstanding Engineering Colleges of Excellence overall rank in India (Govt. & Pvt.) and ranked 6th among Top Engineering Colleges of Telangana 2021 (Govt. & Pvt.) by “CSR GHRDC – Engineering Ranking 2021”.

IcfaiTech ranked 11th out of 25 Emerging Engineering Colleges in India (B. Tech program), and 34th out of 200 Colleges in India (B. Tech program) by “India Today MDRA Best Colleges Survey 2020”

“At IcfaiTech, the internship program is incorporated within the curriculum to bring the authenticities of the professional world into the educational process.”

Lockdowns and the EdTech push

Pandemic has opened the door for innovation and a forward-looking perspective on where education is going from here. IcfaiTech continues to explore the future of education in a pandemic and post-pandemic world with the addition of online capacitybuilding workshops, character & creativity, youth resiliency and teacher competencies.

IcfaiTech has developed a platform for discovery and real-time problemsolving of hard problems. The process of moving away from traditional brickand-mortar learning has required intense collaboration from all stakeholders: parents, students, teachers, and management of organizations.

At IcfaiTech –

  • Classes were conducted using video conferencing platforms – Google meet, Zoom and WebEx. All classrooms are equipped with digital boards and cameras for the faculty to take live classes from the classroom which is leaving the option for students to attend online or offline classes.
  • Learning Management System (LMS) is used for all activities from registration, assignments, correction, and conducting of all exams and grading. LMS has helped us in end-to-end contact with students and solutions for all activities during Covid.
  • Special projects and Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) projects are evaluated using the ‘team viewer’ for demonstration/execution of projects and Google Meet for the presentations.
  • Use of virtual software for conducting labs and demonstration of the existing equipment through online for conducting labs.
  • Regular webinars are organised on varied topics by bringing together the alumni and industry experts.
  • All co-curricular and extracurricular activities were conducted by online mode only.
  • Social service activities were done in the respective places of the student’s residence area by helping the poor and visiting orphanages and old age homes.

Scaling the Future

At IcfaiTech, they begin every foresight exercise with thinking about drivers—big disruptive shifts that are likely to reshape the future landscape. Although each driver in itself is important when thinking about the future, it is a confluence of several drivers working together that produces true disruptions. The institute chose five drivers as the most important and relevant to future work skills:

  • Rise of smart machines and systems – workplace robotics nudge human workers out of rote, repetitive tasks.
  • Computational world – massive increase in sensors and processing power make the world a programmable system
  • New media ecology – new communication tools require new media literacies beyond text
  • Superstructed organisations – social technologies drive new forms of production and value-creation
  • Globally connected world – increased global interconnectivity puts diversity and adaptability at the centre of organisational operations.

At IcfaiTech, some directions of change might include:

  • Placing additional emphasis on developing skills such as critical thinking, insight, and analysis capabilities
  • Integrating new-media literacy into education programs
  • Including experiential learning that gives prominence to soft skills—such as the ability to collaborate, work in groups, read social cues, and respond adaptively
  • Integrating interdisciplinary training that allows students to develop skills and knowledge in a range of subjects

This is how the future path of IcfaiTech has been put on to the roadmap to sustain in the competitive market.

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