The Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) IIT (ISM)), Dhanbad was established in 1926 to cater to the manpower needs of the coal and mineral industries. It was established by the British Indian Government to emulate the Royal School of Mines in London, with the aim of passing on British mining education.
In recognition of its vital role in the service of mineral exploration and the mining sector, IIT (ISM) was granted autonomy in 1967 by the government of India. Today, IIT(ISM) includes 18 academic departments which cover engineering, applied sciences, humanities, and social sciences and management. To reflect the changes in academic profile of the university, in 2016 it was given status as an Indian Institute of Technology. Its name was changed from ISM Dhanbad into IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.
The campus houses the Geological Museum, the Seismic Observatory, a data Processing Laboratory, the Long Wall Mine Gallery and the Remote Sensing Laboratory. There are also residential facilities for all faculty staff and students, with seven hostels for boys and three for girls.
IIT (ISM) is surrounded by mining offices such as the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, the headquarters of DGMS, and the headquarters of Bharat Coking Coal Limited. Students can choose to do an extracurricular activity with the National Cadet Corps, the National Service Scheme, the National Sports Organisation, or yoga.
IIT (ISM) has many notable scientists in its alumni, such as the earth scientists and seismologist, Harsh Gupta, who is known for his work on estimation of reservoir-induced earthquakes, and geoscientist Rabi Narayan Bastia, known for his contributions to the hydrocarbon explorations at Krishna Godovari Basin.
