IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur jointly launch Bachelor of Cybersecurity, know details
IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur have launched India's first practice-oriented Bachelor of Cybersecurity for 2026-27. The four-year course combines classroom study with industry deployment to address the cybersecurity skills gap.
India's top engineering institutes, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, have announced the launch of the country's first practice-oriented Bachelor of Cybersecurity (B Cyber) programme.
The four-year undergraduate course will begin with the 2026-27 academic session and is designed to prepare students for careers in one of the fastest-growing technology sectors.
Unlike conventional engineering programmes, the new degree places equal emphasis on academic learning and practical industry exposure. Admissions for the inaugural batch will be conducted jointly by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur.
TWO YEARS INSIDE THE INDUSTRY
One of the biggest highlights of the programme is its two-year Field Deployment Professional Project. During the final four semesters, students will work on live cybersecurity assignments under the guidance of experienced professionals from strategic and critical organisations.
The institutes say this approach will allow graduates to leave college with hands-on experience rather than only theoretical knowledge, making them job-ready from day one.
The programme aims to prepare professionals for roles in cyber defence, security operations centres, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, malware analysis, cloud security, digital forensics, hardware security and critical infrastructure protection. It also lays the foundation for higher studies and research in cybersecurity and computer science.
ELIGIBILITY RULES FOR IIT MADRAS B CYBER 2026
Candidates cannot hold admission in the B.Cyber programme and another academic programme simultaneously.
Students who have ever joined an IIT programme listed under JoSAA 2025 are not eligible, even if they later discontinued or did not continue the course after reporting.
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Candidates whose IIT admission was cancelled after joining for any reason are also ineligible.
Students admitted to an IIT preparatory course for the first time in 2025 are eligible to apply.
Candidates allotted an IIT seat through JoSAA 2025 remain eligible only if they:
did not report online or at a reporting centre,
withdrew before the final round of seat allotment, or
had their seat cancelled before the final IIT allotment round.
WHY THIS COURSE MATTERS NOW
As India rapidly expands its digital ecosystem across sectors such as finance, healthcare, governance, manufacturing, telecommunications and defence, cybersecurity has become a national priority.
According to industry estimates cited by the institutes, India currently faces a shortage of nearly 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals. The new undergraduate programme has been introduced to help address this growing demand through specialised training from the undergraduate level itself.
IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti said cybersecurity is now central to India's technological sovereignty and national security. He noted that protecting modern digital systems requires professionals with strong academic foundations as well as extensive practical experience.
A CURRICULUM BUILT FOR THE FUTURE
The curriculum follows a competency-based model that gradually builds expertise across multiple domains. During the first two years, students will receive laboratory-intensive training in programming, Linux administration, cryptography, computer organisation, operating systems, networking, ethical hacking, web security and penetration testing.
Advanced stages of the programme include specialised learning in security operations, secure systems, firmware reverse engineering, hardware security, malware analysis, cloud security and critical infrastructure security.
Students will also be able to choose electives in digital forensics, embedded systems security, secure processor microarchitecture and applied cryptography.
India's top engineering institutes, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, have announced the launch of the country's first practice-oriented Bachelor of Cybersecurity (B Cyber) programme.
The four-year undergraduate course will begin with the 2026-27 academic session and is designed to prepare students for careers in one of the fastest-growing technology sectors.
Unlike conventional engineering programmes, the new degree places equal emphasis on academic learning and practical industry exposure. Admissions for the inaugural batch will be conducted jointly by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur.
TWO YEARS INSIDE THE INDUSTRY
One of the biggest highlights of the programme is its two-year Field Deployment Professional Project. During the final four semesters, students will work on live cybersecurity assignments under the guidance of experienced professionals from strategic and critical organisations.
The institutes say this approach will allow graduates to leave college with hands-on experience rather than only theoretical knowledge, making them job-ready from day one.
The programme aims to prepare professionals for roles in cyber defence, security operations centres, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, malware analysis, cloud security, digital forensics, hardware security and critical infrastructure protection. It also lays the foundation for higher studies and research in cybersecurity and computer science.
ELIGIBILITY RULES FOR IIT MADRAS B CYBER 2026
Candidates cannot hold admission in the B.Cyber programme and another academic programme simultaneously.
Students who have ever joined an IIT programme listed under JoSAA 2025 are not eligible, even if they later discontinued or did not continue the course after reporting.
Candidates whose IIT admission was cancelled after joining for any reason are also ineligible.
Students admitted to an IIT preparatory course for the first time in 2025 are eligible to apply.
Candidates allotted an IIT seat through JoSAA 2025 remain eligible only if they:
did not report online or at a reporting centre,
withdrew before the final round of seat allotment, or
had their seat cancelled before the final IIT allotment round.
WHY THIS COURSE MATTERS NOW
As India rapidly expands its digital ecosystem across sectors such as finance, healthcare, governance, manufacturing, telecommunications and defence, cybersecurity has become a national priority.
According to industry estimates cited by the institutes, India currently faces a shortage of nearly 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals. The new undergraduate programme has been introduced to help address this growing demand through specialised training from the undergraduate level itself.
IIT Madras Director Professor V Kamakoti said cybersecurity is now central to India's technological sovereignty and national security. He noted that protecting modern digital systems requires professionals with strong academic foundations as well as extensive practical experience.
A CURRICULUM BUILT FOR THE FUTURE
The curriculum follows a competency-based model that gradually builds expertise across multiple domains. During the first two years, students will receive laboratory-intensive training in programming, Linux administration, cryptography, computer organisation, operating systems, networking, ethical hacking, web security and penetration testing.
Advanced stages of the programme include specialised learning in security operations, secure systems, firmware reverse engineering, hardware security, malware analysis, cloud security and critical infrastructure security.
Students will also be able to choose electives in digital forensics, embedded systems security, secure processor microarchitecture and applied cryptography.
