Plan a degree
you can actually carry.
Plan the Jan, May, and Sep cadence as it actually feels: choose a realistic load, keep a small task board, and use official notices as the source of truth for dates.
A sample run from qualifier to BS exit.
Pick a load, a DS track, and a start term. The engine lays courses across Jan / May / Sep terms so prerequisites land before their dependents, corequisites may share a term, and level gates hold. One of many possible schedules — like the poster’s sample plan.
Load
3 courses a term — the middle most planners actually carry.
Qualifier band · Foundation terms only
Admissions rule: first-term load follows the average qualifier score. Later terms use the preset.
Diploma track
Sept 2025 rule: trunk + exactly one 6-credit track. The other track’s courses never appear.
Start term
Planning labels from the Jan / May / Sep cadence — not registration dates.
Where are you starting from?
Or tick off individual completed courses (0 banked)
Foundation · 32 cr
Diplomas · 54 cr · both count
Degree layer
Gate 1 · Foundation 8/8
All 8 Foundation courses land by T3 — no diploma course can start before that term ends.
Gate 2 · Both diplomas · 54 cr
Programming (27) + Data Science (27) both finish by T9 — that is where BS credits come from, so no degree course starts earlier. The DS track choice never replaces a diploma.
Gate 3 · Degree layer · 56 cr
5 core + 9 elective slots. BSc exit ≈ T12 (illustrative split), BS exit T14.
Credit anatomy · BS = 142
T1 · Sep 2026
12 cr- Computational Thinking BSCS1001↳ no prerequisites — chain starter
- English I BSHS1001↳ no prerequisites — chain starter
- Mathematics for Data Science I BSMA1001↳ no prerequisites — chain starter
T2 · Jan 2027
12 cr- Programming in Python BSCS1002↳ needs Computational Thinking
- English II BSHS1002↳ needs English I
- Statistics for Data Science I BSMA1002↳ no prerequisites — chain starter
T3 · May 2027
8 cr- Mathematics for Data Science II BSMA1003↳ needs Mathematics for Data Science I
- Statistics for Data Science II BSMA1004↳ needs Mathematics for Data Science I · Statistics for Data Science I
★ Foundation Certificate (CODE) unlocked
T4 · Sep 2027
12 cr- Database Management Systems BSCS2001↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms using Python BSCS2002↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Modern Application Development I BSCS2003↳ with Database Management Systems (same term ok)
T5 · Jan 2028
10 cr- Modern Application Development I — Project BSCS2003P↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Machine Learning Foundations BSCS2004↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Programming Concepts using Java BSCS2005↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T6 · May 2028
10 cr- Modern Application Development II BSCS2006↳ needs Modern Application Development I
- Modern Application Development II — Project BSCS2006P↳ needs Modern Application Development I — Project
- Machine Learning Techniques BSCS2007↳ with Machine Learning Foundations (same term ok)
T7 · Sep 2028
10 cr- Machine Learning Practice BSCS2008↳ needs Machine Learning Foundations · Machine Learning Techniques
- Machine Learning Practice — Project BSCS2008P↳ with Machine Learning Practice (same term ok)
- Business Data Management BSMS2001↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T8 · Jan 2029
9 cr- Business Data Management — Project BSMS2001P↳ with Business Data Management (same term ok)
- Business Analytics BSMS2002↳ needs Business Data Management
- System Commands BSSE2001↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T9 · May 2029
3 cr- Tools in Data Science BSSE2002↳ with Machine Learning Practice (same term ok)
★ Diploma(s) from IIT Madras unlocked
T10 · Sep 2029
12 cr- Software Engineering BSCS3001↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Software Testing BSCS3002↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- AI: Search Methods for Problem Solving BSCS3003↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T11 · Jan 2030
12 cr- Deep Learning BSCS3004↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Strategies for Professional Growth BSGN3001↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective A — varies by term EL-01↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T12 · May 2030
12 cr- Degree elective B — varies by term EL-02↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective C — varies by term EL-03↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective D — varies by term EL-04↳ gate unlocked — free to place
★ BSc exit Illustrative — 28 cr of degree layer (split is an estimate)
T13 · Sep 2030
12 cr- Degree elective E — varies by term EL-05↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective F — varies by term EL-06↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective G — varies by term EL-07↳ gate unlocked — free to place
T14 · Jan 2031
8 cr- Degree elective H — varies by term EL-08↳ gate unlocked — free to place
- Degree elective I — varies by term EL-09↳ gate unlocked — free to place
★ BS exit — degree layer complete (56 cr)
What “Degree elective A–I” means, and what this plan assumes
The five degree core courses are scheduled by name. The remaining 36 credits of the degree layer (28 BSc + 28 BS, minus 20 core) appear as nine elective placeholders, because elective availability changes every term — the page lists 35 degree electives and the desk refuses to guess which run when you’ll be there.
Assumes: max 3 courses a term after Foundation (CCC ceiling is 4 from Diploma on); Foundation terms capped at 3 by the qualifier band above (Admissions rule — a 4-course Foundation term needs M ≥ 70%); no repeats, no NPTEL / apprenticeship transfers, and the BSc/BS 28-credit split placed where the credits land (illustrative, not handbook text).
Planning estimates, not official registration. Prerequisite facts reflect the September 2025 curriculum release; term capacity follows the Student Handbook.
Late January — course access and setup
- — Late Feb / early Mar — Quiz 1
- — Early / mid Apr — Quiz 2
- — Early / mid May — Quiz 3 / end-term
May / June — recovery and planning window
Planning windows, not official exam dates.
Course catalog, not folder names.
Every IITM course in the local curriculum catalog is here. Ready in Learning OS means it has a working study space today; catalog-only courses can still be paced and planned.
The four-course ceiling is enforced here. Actual registration depends on IITM’s current eligibility, prerequisites, and CCC.
0 / 4 closed.
This checks IITM’s admissions page on load and when you refresh. Vercel also warms this source on the first day of every month. It is a scheduled fetch, not a fake WebSocket—the official page does not expose a live event stream.
Late Jan / May / Sep cadence