IIT Hyderabad opens 3-month AI deployment course, fee ₹1 lakh, starts Dec 5
By TUF News Desk · Published 8 November 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Engineers who want to move from building AI demos to running AI systems inside a real organisation have a new option from IIT Hyderabad. The institute has opened registrations for its Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) Practitioner Program, a three-month course that starts on 5 December 2026. The fee is ₹1,00,000 plus taxes, with the first 20 registrations priced at ₹90,000 plus taxes.
Forward deployed engineering is the work that sits between a finished model and a system a company can actually use. It covers fitting AI into existing software, databases and workflows, then keeping it running, monitored and safe. The programme is offered through the institute’s AI Launchpad, and it treats deployment as a systems engineering problem.
What the course covers
The draft curriculum runs to 52 sessions across 13 modules, moving from customer discovery and data integration to retrieval, durable agents, evaluation, security, deployment, observability and handover. The programme will cover agentic AI systems, AI workflows, automation and production AI engineering.
Teaching mixes lectures, guided labs, research talks by IIT Hyderabad faculty, webinars by industry practitioners and hands-on system building. Each session pairs a 90-minute lecture with a 90-minute lab, adding up to 156 live hours, or about 12 hours a week. The course ends with a team capstone: building an enterprise AI workflow with evidence retrieval, human approval and an audit trail.
Who it is for
The course is aimed at AI and software engineers with about two to five years of experience, and at people working in AI and machine learning, data, platform and DevOps roles. Applicants need working Python skills, familiarity with APIs and SQL, and comfort with Git and the Linux terminal. Prior experience with generative AI is not required, since the programme teaches large language models, retrieval, agents and evaluation through hands-on work.
The stack is Python-first and open source, including FastAPI, Postgres, LangGraph, Qdrant, Docker and OpenTelemetry.
Fees and format
The programme runs online, with an optional campus immersion at IIT Hyderabad in Kandi, Telangana. It runs from 5 December 2026 to 27 February 2027, though the institute calls that calendar tentative.
Those who meet the programme requirements get an IIT Hyderabad certificate, though the final certificate title and assessment criteria are still to be confirmed.
Dr. Praveen Tammana leads the programme, with Dr. Ashish Mishra, Dr. Anupam Sanghi and Dr. Abhijit Das from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. AI solution architect N. V. S. S. Koundinya is the industry lead.
A wider shift toward production AI
IIT Hyderabad is not the only institute moving in this direction. IIIT Bangalore and upGrad recently launched a forward deployed AI engineering programme of their own, and IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee have added short courses on agentic and production AI. Short professional courses suit a different need from a full degree, and our guide to choosing a university in India sets out what to check before paying for any programme.
Registrations for the IIT Hyderabad programme are open through the official AI Launchpad page.
Frequently asked questions
When does the IIT Hyderabad Forward Deployed Engineering programme start?
It starts on 5 December 2026 and runs for 13 weeks, ending on 27 February 2027, according to the tentative calendar on the official programme page.
What is the fee for the IIT Hyderabad FDE Practitioner Program?
The fee is ₹1,00,000 plus taxes. The first 20 registrations get an early-bird price of ₹90,000 plus taxes.
Who can apply for the programme?
It is aimed at AI and software engineers with about two to five years of experience, and at AI and machine learning, data, platform and DevOps professionals. Applicants need working Python skills, familiarity with APIs and SQL, and comfort with Git and the Linux terminal. Prior generative AI experience is not required.
Is the programme online, and does it carry a certificate?
Yes, it runs online, with an optional campus immersion at IIT Hyderabad in Kandi, Telangana. Participants who meet the programme requirements receive an IIT Hyderabad certificate, though the final certificate title and assessment criteria are still to be confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
When does the IIT Hyderabad Forward Deployed Engineering programme start?
It starts on 5 December 2026 and runs for 13 weeks, ending on 27 February 2027, according to the tentative calendar on the official programme page.
What is the fee for the IIT Hyderabad FDE Practitioner Program?
The fee is ₹1,00,000 plus taxes. The first 20 registrations get an early-bird price of ₹90,000 plus taxes.
Who can apply for the programme?
It is aimed at AI and software engineers with about two to five years of experience, and at AI and machine learning, data, platform and DevOps professionals. Applicants need working Python skills, familiarity with APIs and SQL, and comfort with Git and the Linux terminal. Prior generative AI experience is not required.
Is the programme online, and does it carry a certificate?
Yes, it runs online, with an optional campus immersion at IIT Hyderabad in Kandi, Telangana. Participants who meet the programme requirements receive an IIT Hyderabad certificate, though the final certificate title and assessment criteria are still to be confirmed.
Sources: The Hans India, Elets digitalLEARNING