BITS Pilani introduces a 5-Year B. E. –MBA Dual Degree and a new B.E. in Pharmaceutical Engineering for AY 2026–27

National, 18^th March 2026: BITS Pilani, an Institution of Eminence, has announced two new academic programmes that reflect the changing nature of careers at the intersection of technology, business and the life sciences. Starting Academic Year 2026–27, the institute will offer a 5-Year (3+2) Intercampus Dual Degree Programme in collaboration with BITS School of Management (BITSoM), Mumbai, along with a Bachelor of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering.

The 5-Year Intercampus Dual Degree Programme brings together the strengths of engineering education at BITS Pilani and management education at BITSoM. Students will spend the first three years pursuing a B.E. at the Pilani, Goa or Hyderabad campuses, followed by two years at BITSoM in Mumbai for a full-time MBA. At the end of five years, they will graduate with both a B.E. and an MBA.

What makes this pathway distinctive is not just the integration, but the timing. Students get early exposure to management thinking, industry perspectives and real-world problem solving, while still building strong engineering fundamentals. The programme also reduces the overall time by one year compared to the traditional B.E. followed by MBA route.

Admissions will be offered through BITSAT under the Direct Mode, as well as through a Vertical Transfer option for students already enrolled in B.E. programmes at BITS Pilani. Students who maintain a minimum CGPA of 7.0 at the end of their second year will be eligible to transition to the MBA phase without the need for CAT, GRE or GMAT. Vertical Transfer applicants will go through an additional selection process. Throughout the programme, students will benefit from interactions with BITSoM’s faculty, industry mentors and a curriculum that is closely aligned with emerging business realities.

Alongside this, BITS Pilani is launching a Bachelor of Engineering in Pharmaceutical Engineering, responding to the growing need for talent that can bridge engineering and modern drug development. The programme is designed to prepare students for roles across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, where scale, precision and innovation are increasingly critical.

The curriculum combines core engineering principles with pharmaceutical sciences, covering areas such as drug formulation, bioprocess engineering, regulatory science and computational modelling. It also reflects how the sector itself is evolving, with strong emphasis on AI and machine learning in drug discovery, biologics and gene therapies, and Industry 4.0 driven manufacturing.

Students will also gain exposure to digital technologies shaping the future of healthcare, including digital twins, AR and VR based laboratories, IoT enabled systems and healthcare data science. Opportunities for global internships, exchange programmes and startup incubation will further strengthen the learning experience.

Commenting on the announcement, Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said: “At BITS Pilani, we are committed to shaping academic pathways that anticipate the future and empower students to lead it. These new programmes reflect our vision of integrating deep technical education with emerging fields and management excellence, ensuring that our graduates are prepared not just for today’s opportunities but for the innovations that will define tomorrow.”

Together, these programmes represent a natural extension of BITS Pilani’s philosophy of learning by doing, while preparing students for leadership roles in domains where disciplinary boundaries are increasingly blurred.

Further details about the programme will be available on the official BITS Pilani admissions portal at: https://admissions.bits-pilani.ac.in .