HISTORY

The Department of Textile Technology has had a rather interesting history as compared to other Departments of IIT Delhi. It has its roots in the pre-independence days, going back to the year 1942 when the Delhi Polytechnic (now the Delhi College of Engineering) was founded to provide diploma level education. The degree courses were instituted in 1952 by affiliation with the Delhi University. The fortunes of the Textile Department took a sudden turn in 1958 when a high power committee, appointed by the Central Government, decided to establish a new College of Engineering and Technology in Delhi, with British collaboration. This was later to become Indian Institute of Technology Delhi(IITD). It was decided to transfer Textile Technology Department lock, stock and barrel to the new college which started functioning in 1961. The first M.Tech. course started in 1967 and the first Ph.D. degree was awarded in 1969, among the earliest at IIT Delhi.

PRESENT

The Textile Technology Department enjoys a special status in the country and has the distinction of being the only Textile Technology Department among the IITs. The Department aims to achieve excellence in education in Textile Technology through continuous up gradation of textile syllabi, conducting fundamental research in established and emerging technologies as well as applied/developmental research by closely interacting with the industry and thus provides highly competent technical manpower for the industry, R&D organisations and academic institutes.

At present, the Department is concerned with the study of natural and man-made fibres, yarns and fabrics. In order to meet the challenge of increasing use of sophisticated microprocessor controlled technologies and a fast growing man-made fibre industry with associated complexities of end-use requirements, the Department offers broad-based undergraduate and post-graduate programmes with various specializations in order to prepare the students for the career of their choice.

Today, there are about 150 students studying for their B.Tech degree, about 70 students pursuing the M.Tech programmes and 23 research students in the doctoral programme. As a result of patient planning and decades of development, the Department has risen to a position of international eminence. It has been actively interacting with the industry for well over a decade. Today the Department has achieved a preeminent status not only in teaching but also in sponsored research and industrial consultancy.