Navi Mumbai, Sept 3: ITM Skills University recently welcomed the first batch of its AI-First MCA programme for 2026–2028 at the School of FutureTech, marking the beginning of a postgraduate programme designed around emerging technologies, industry exposure and career readiness. The ceremony brought together industry leaders and professionals, including Ms. Shaavee Sehajpal, CHRO & Strategic HR Leader; Mr. Manjil Gupta, Delivery Lead (Enterprise Integration), Johnson Controls; and Mr. Varun Gupta, Director – Cyber & Risk, PwC, who shared perspectives on evolving workplace expectations and the skills required by technology professionals.
The MCA programme offers three specialised tracks, AI & GenAI Engineering, Data Science & Engineering, and Cybersecurity with a curriculum built in consultation with more than 30 technology leaders. Across four semesters, students progress from foundational programming, databases and AI concepts to applied engineering, advanced specialisation, production-oriented capstones and industry immersion.
A major focus of the programme is its integration with industry throughout the two-year learning journey. Students receive 100% placement assistance, with the university currently highlighting a top offer of up to ₹16 lakh per annum and a minimum package of ₹8 lakh. Placement preparation begins in Semester III and includes 350+ hours of mock interviews, DSA training, system-design preparation, resume reviews and portfolio optimisation. The university's wider ecosystem also has 700+ industry partnerships and over 2,00,000 students successfully placed through ITM programmes.
The programme also incorporates a six-month paid, full-time industry internship in Semester IV, where students work within real engineering teams on production-oriented assignments. Current internship stipends are stated to range from ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 per month, while the internship can also become a pathway to pre-placement offers. Students receive structured mentorship from professionals associated with organisations including Sony, Volvo and Intellecap, alongside access to hiring networks spanning AI, cybersecurity, data engineering and cloud-native companies.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Nitin Putcha, CEO, ITM Group, said,
"An MCA tells an employer you can build software. It does not tell them whether you can build the way a real engineering team builds, under real constraints, on work that ships. That gap is what industry exposure closes. When the professionals who helped design the curriculum are the same people who are hiring for these roles, and when a student spends a paid internship inside a working engineering team before graduating, they learn judgment a classroom alone cannot teach. That is why we put working professionals in front of our students from the first semester, not the last."
Beyond academics and placements, students will have opportunities through the Dubai Global Immersion Programme, Study One Subject Abroad and Shimla & Travel-Based Learning, along with startup support of up to ₹1 crore in seed funding for eligible ideas.