Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) have joined hands to launch India’s first practice-oriented four-year Bachelor of Cybersecurity (B.Cyber.) programme which will commence from this academic year.The programme is aimed at scaling up cybersecurity professionals. The course will equip students with the knowledge and practical expertise required to safeguard the country’s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure, strategic sectors and emerging cyber ecosystem.Admissions to this programme are jointly done by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur this year.Graduates of the programme will be well prepared for careers in cyber defence, security operations centres, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, digital forensics, malware analysis, cloud security, hardware security and critical infrastructure protection.Students will also have the flexibility to pursue advanced electives in areas like Digital Forensics, Embedded Systems Security, Secure Processor Microarchitecture and Applied Cryptography.Highlighting the need for such programmes in cybersecurity, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Cybersecurity has become fundamental to India’s technological sovereignty and national security. Building a resilient cyber ecosystem requires professionals who possess not only strong theoretical foundations, but also extensive hands-on experience in defending complex systems.”Kamakoti added, “By joining IIT Kanpur in launching this pioneering Bachelor of Cybersecurity programme, IIT Madras is contributing to a new model of undergraduate education that integrates academic excellence with real-world practices. We believe this initiative will create a pipeline of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals who will play a vital role in securing the nation’s digital future.”Industry estimates indicate a shortage of nearly 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals nationwide, underscoring the urgent need for dedicated undergraduate education in this critical field.A key highlight of the programme is a two-year Field Deployment Professional Project, during which students will spend the final four semesters working on live cybersecurity projects.The curriculum has been designed around a competency-based framework that enables students to progressively build expertise across multiple domains. These include Security Operations, Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing, Secure Systems, Malware Analysis, Firmware Reverse Engineering, Hardware Security, Cloud Security and Critical Infrastructure Security.During the first two years, students will undergo intensive laboratory-oriented instruction covering computer systems, programming, Linux system administration, cryptography, computer organisation, operating systems, computer networks, ethical hacking, web security, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, laying a strong foundation before transitioning to advanced specialisation and professional deployment.