The three Indian campuses of BITS Pilani have identical course structures, with the primary difference lying in the availability of degree programmes and courses offered. The degree programmes offered can be classified into three groups — A, B, and C. While Group A comprises the B.E. (Hons) and the B. Pharm (Hons) programmes, Group B and Group C comprise the various Dual Degree programmes offered by the institute. Group B includes the dual degree programmes offered via BITSAT, namely, MSc. (Hons) in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Maths, or Physics. On the other hand, Group C refers to the MSc. (Hons) programme in General Studies, which is not offered via BITSAT or any other public and competitive entrance examination.

Students enrolled in all programmes must take two main kinds of courses — Compulsory Discipline Courses (CDCs) and Electives. CDCs are the core courses that all students in a particular branch must study. Rarely is there a provision of choice when it comes to CDCs. 

Electives are of three types — Humanities Electives (HuEls), Discipline Electives (DEls), and Open Electives (OpEls). Each of these has a minimum requirement that a student must complete prior to their graduation. 

Each student, regardless of their group, must take three HuEls. These courses are predominantly offered by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, with a select few also being offered by the Department of Management. Their breadth spans various disciplines in the sphere, ranging from History and Sociology to Media Studies and Communication.

On the other hand, the DEl requirement varies across majors. Most BE (Hons) programmes, excluding that in Chemical Engineering (A1), require students to take four DEls, while A1 requires students to take five. MSc. (Hons) programmes require students to take five DEls on average, with MSc. (Hons) in Chemistry requiring four and that in Economics requiring six. These courses are often offered by the same academic department as the major, with a few relevant courses from other departments being considered as well. Additionally, students are allowed to take projects under the supervision of professors in their respective departments to satisfy this requirement. 

Contrarily, OpEls are not bound by restrictions of the departments offering the course. This is a flexibility intended to provide students the opportunity to explore topics that are different from their field of study. Single-degree students must pursue five OpEls in order to be eligible for graduation. However, dual-degree students have this requirement waived in order to accommodate their increased academic workload. 

Additionally, students must mandatorily undertake two internships to meet graduation requirements as part of the institute’s Practice School (PS) programme. While PS-I — held after students’ second year — is meant to provide them with industry exposure across corporations, startups, and research facilities, it also serves as a prerequisite for PS-II. PS-II is an internship to be completed during at least one semester of a student’s final year. While single-degree students get to intern for only one of two semesters, dual-degree students can choose to intern during both semesters of their final year. These internships can lead to employment opportunities for students. Students can instead choose to pursue their undergraduate thesis (TS) under professors either on- or off-campus, making TS an increasingly popular alternative to PS-II.