Doorway to future

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Overlooking the Aravalli range of mountains at Gurgaon is located the Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT), which came into existence in 2002; has grown into a statutory university today and offers several courses under its belt. And the institute has designed its courses in such a way that many of its courses are being offered in partnerships with US universities.The director, AIT, M P Singh said: "For the courses, we offer in partnership with the US universities, students get a chance to spend at least a year in the US at no extra cost to them and in addition they are able to work on-campus as well as get scholarships, on an average, to the tune of Rs 2.5 to Rs 4 lakh, from the concerned US university, depending upon their performance."</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">One of the students, Srijani Kirti remarked, "We get a chance to study in the US, besides studying at the AIT. The best part is that we are exempted from tests like TOEFL and SAT." According to another student Bhuven Tripathi, the twinning programmes in association with the US universities proved to be quite economical, while another student Ankit Bansal felt that employment would not be a problem after getting a US degree. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">"We have a tie-up with the Coastal Carolina University, for BS in Computer Science and BS in Business Administration courses. Under the arrangement, out of the duration of four years for the programmes, the students spend three years at the AIT and one year at the US campus. However, the same programme can be done fast-track in a span of two years and nine months, out of which students need to spend two years at the AIT and nine months in the US," Singh said. He added that the students’ performance at the AIT in their initial years enabled them to pursue the rest of their education at the US campus." </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">In addition, the AIT has a tie-up with the Clemson University of the US as well in a similar way. Singh candidly remarked, "Although not in the ‘Ivy League’, still the Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the prestigious American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business or AACSB. Most of the pass-outs from IITs and other prestigious institutions go to the US to study in such institutions and we are able to make it possible for our students." </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Planning a further expansion drive, the AIT has tied up with some other American universities, like the North Dakota State University, which plans to start a campus at the AIT itself, by 2006, for similar twinning programmes. Singh pointed out that universities such as an Australian university and Plymouth of the UK have approached them as well for partnerships.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Besides these programmes, the AIT offers BBA and BCA courses in affiliation with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) and will be starting a bachelor’s course in journalism and mass communication from this academic year with GGSIPU. "And now, as we are a university, we will be commencing programmes such as the B Tech, MBA and MCA and will keep on adding more programmes to our kitty." Singh elaborated. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Speaking on infrastructure and other facilities, Singh remarked, "We have the state-of-the-art infrastructure and our faculty comprise a number of IITians and people from other prestigious institutions." Singh himself is one of the founding faculty members of IIT Delhi.</span><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">www.aitgurgaon.org</span></div> </div>