Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras

What Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras does

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is a constituent academic department of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Established in 1984, it is one of the oldest departments at IIT Madras and offers four 2-year M.A. programs—in Development Studies, Economics, English Studies, and Public Policy—alongside a Ph.D. program with admissions conducted twice yearly (January and July). The department enrolls 200+ students across M.A. and Integrated M.A. batches (2021–2024) and 70+ PhD scholars, supported by 50+ faculty members drawn from disciplines spanning Development Studies, Economics, English Studies, Linguistics, Philosophy, History, Anthropology, International Relations, Sociology, and Indian Knowledge Systems. It also provides elective courses for B.Tech and M.Tech students from across IIT Madras, leveraging its position within a premier engineering institute to offer interdisciplinary humanities training.

The department operates several specialized research centers: the Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Centre for Advanced Research on Spirituality, Science and Society (inaugurated March 2026); the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems; the IITM-Kenyon Writing Workshop; and the Language and Cognition Laboratory (LC Lab). Faculty maintain active international collaborations including a five-year SSHRC-funded research project with McGill University (2022–2026), a completed British Academy GCRF project with the University of Sheffield (2021–2023), and a DAAD-supported MOOC with Technical University of Berlin. Faculty and students publish in peer-reviewed journals and with academic presses (Routledge, Springer, Cambridge Scholars, Orient Blackswan). Awards and recognitions in 2024 include the IIT Madras Best Teacher-Teaching Excellence Award, the Srimathi Marti Annapurna Gurunath Award for Excellence in Teaching, and alumnus Siddharth Sareen receiving the 2024 Nils Klim Prize.

The department operates as a non-commercial academic entity. It does not generate commercial revenue; all operations are funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, through IIT Madras's central allocation, supplemented by research grants (SSHRC, British Academy, DAAD, Inlaks). Admissions are merit-based via the GATE examination (XH paper) with 25 seats per M.A. stream for Indian students and supernumerary seats for foreign nationals. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The department's go-to-market is institutional and academic: attracting top graduate talent through the IIT Madras brand, producing peer-reviewed research output, and developing scholars for careers in academia, policy, publishing, governance, and corporate consultancy.

Name

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras

Legal name

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Website

https://hss.iitm.ac.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras is a government-funded academic department offering M.A. programs in Development Studies, Economics, English Studies, and Public Policy, along with a Ph.D. program, serving graduate students and engineering undergraduates at India's premier technical institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAD

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAAAD

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Public Research Universities

Keywords

• Graduate education programs
• Humanities research
• Social sciences
• Doctoral studies
• Academic publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funded Education: As a department of IIT Madras, a premier government-funded technical institute, the department operates primarily through government funding from the Ministry of Education, Government of India. There is no commercial revenue generation model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras offers 2-year M.A. programs in Development Studies, Economics, English Studies, and Public Policy, as well as a robust PhD program across diverse disciplines including literature, linguistics, history, philosophy, international relations, and sociology. The department also provides elective courses to B.Tech and M.Tech students from other departments and operates specialized research centers such as the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, the Language and Cognition Laboratory, and the Centre for Advanced Research on Spirituality, Science and Society.

Product overview

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras is an academic department offering four 2-year M.A. programs (in Development Studies, Economics, English Studies, and Public Policy) and a robust Ph.D. program across diverse disciplines. The department operates several specialized research centers including the Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Centre for Advanced Research on Spirituality, Science and Society, the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, the IITM-Kenyon Writing Workshop, and the Language and Cognition Laboratory. The department also offers elective courses for B.Tech and M.Tech students from other departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M.A. Programme in Development Studies A 2-year Master of Arts program providing theoretical foundations and market-ready skills for careers in development policy, governance, and international development organizations. Designed for GATE-qualified candidates with backgrounds in Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology.
• M.A. Programme in Economics A 2-year Master of Arts program in Economics designed to provide strong theoretical base and quantitative skills for careers in academia, policy research, and financial institutions. GATE-qualified candidates with Economics background are eligible.
• M.A. Programme in English Studies A 2-year Master of Arts program in English Studies and Linguistics offering training in literary analysis, linguistics, and communication skills for careers in academia, publishing, media, and corporate communication.
• M.A. Programme in Public Policy A 2-year Master of Arts program in Public Policy designed to develop analytical and practical skills for careers in government, policy think tanks, international organizations, and civil society.
• Ph.D. Programme A doctoral program offering research opportunities across diverse fields including Literature, Economics, Linguistics, History, Philosophy, International Relations, Sociology, Development Studies, Health Economics, and Science and Technology Studies. Admissions conducted twice yearly in January and July.
• Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Centre for Advanced Research on Spirituality, Science and Society An interdisciplinary research center inaugurated in March 2026 focusing on integrating scientific inquiry with inner human values, exploring meditation practices, and studying consciousness research.
• Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS) A multidisciplinary hub for research into India's scientific, technological, and cultural heritage, offering courses and activities related to Indian knowledge traditions.
• IITM-Kenyon Writing Workshop A collaborative writing workshop program between IIT Madras and Kenyon College focused on enhancing academic writing skills and interdisciplinary research.
• Language and Cognition Laboratory (LC Lab) A specialized laboratory conducting research on language acquisition, cognitive processes, and the intersection of language and cognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates prepared for careers in academia, publishing, policy, governance and corporate consultancy

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

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Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj (Science of Spirituality)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, an alumnus of IIT Madras (1967/BT/EE) and world-renowned spiritual master, established the Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Centre for Advanced Research on Spirituality, Science and Society. The center aims to integrate scientific inquiry with inner human values and explore meditation benefits for personal well-being, mental concentration, and emotional stability.
• McGill University, CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Professor Binitha V Thampi leads a five-year research project titled 'Disability Rights and Climate Resilience: Lessons from India' in collaboration with McGill University, Canada, sponsored by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) from January 2022 to May 2026.
• University of Sheffield, UKmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Completed a two-year research project titled 'Managing Covid-19 in India's Cities: Reshaping people's everyday lives in poorer urban neighborhoods' in collaboration with the University of Sheffield (UoS), UK, sponsored by the British Academy's GCRF from April 2021 to April 2023.
• Technical University of Berlin, GermanymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Professor Binitha V Thampi collaborated with the Spatial Methods in Urban Sustainability (SMUS) center at Technical University of Berlin to produce a MOOC course titled 'Gender Inclusive Urban Spaces: Issues and Questions', supported by DAAD, Germany.
• Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Tata Institute of Social SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the publication of the book 'Language, Mind, and Society' by Agnihotri, R.K. and Kumar, Rajesh (2022) published by Orient Blackswan.
• India China Institute, New School, New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Joe Thomas Karackattu was chosen as a 'China India Scholar-Leader Initiative Fellow (CISLI Fellow)' in 2017 and as '2015 Emerging Scholar' from India for research on the India-China border dispute and the origins of boundary making.
• Yale University, USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Joe Thomas Karackattu served as FoxFellow at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale University, USA during 2008-2009.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University: India's premier social sciences school offering M.A./M.Phil./Ph.D. across economics, sociology, political science, history, philosophy, and linguistics — a broader incumbent with deeper scale in the same disciplines as HSS IIT Madras.
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS): A much larger, established social-sciences institution in India offering extensive M.A. and Ph.D. programs across development studies, public policy, education, and health — overlapping with HSS IIT Madras streams but with a far wider scale and dedicated social-work mandate.

Direct peers

• Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi: Direct peer IIT department offering M.A. and Ph.D. programs in humanities and social sciences with similar scope, admissions model, and integration within a premier engineering institute.
• Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur: Peer humanities and social sciences department at another IIT, operating under the same Institutes of Technology Act framework with comparable M.A./Ph.D. structures and government funding model.
• Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay: Direct peer IIT hosting a humanities and social sciences department with comparable M.A./Ph.D. programs, interdisciplinary faculty, and the same IIT system-wide structure and admission framework as HSS IIT Madras.
• Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee: Peer HSS department at IIT Roorkee operating the same kind of humanities-and-engineering hybrid model with M.A. and Ph.D. offerings, sharing system-wide admissions and funding dynamics.
• Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur: Direct peer department at IIT Kharagpur offering comparable interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences graduate programs within an engineering institute context.

Regional players

• Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS): Chennai-based research institute focused on development studies with M.Phil./Ph.D. programs and policy research — directly comparable to HSS IIT Madras's Development Studies stream and sharing the same geographic catchment.
• Delhi School of Economics: Premier economics department at the University of Delhi offering M.A. and Ph.D. in economics — comparable to HSS IIT Madras's M.A. Economics stream but primarily serving North India with a much larger applicant base.

Others

• Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS): New Delhi-based advanced research institute with M.Phil./Ph.D. programs in political science, sociology, history, and related social sciences — an adjacent research-led institution with thematic overlap in public policy and development research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/live/a3m0JMbFSQI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/madohss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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M&A

Investments

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