UGC nod to dual degrees will increase employability

Students can now pursue two simultaneous degrees – one in regular mode, other through distance learning

Shivangi.Mishra@timesgroup.com  25.05.2020

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has given its approval to a proposal allowing students to pursue two degrees simultaneously. However, one of the two degrees will have to be pursued through regular mode and the other has to be through online distance learning (ODL). This is to help the policy be more student-friendly as attending regular classes and maintaining attendance for two courses will be exhausting for them.

“While students are already taking several short term courses and certifications offered by edtech platforms to upskill themselves, gaining two recognised degrees will help them gain expertise in different areas. They can obtain the degrees from the same or different universities. For instance an economics student can also opt for a literature degree,” says Pankaj Mittal, secretary general, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), an apex advisory body on higher education mandated by MHRD to determine equivalence of degrees.

Apart from improving skill-sets and employability of students, this will also give a boost to internationalisation of higher education institutes in India. “Multidisciplinary education has played a key role in western nations to attract foreign students. Apart from Indian students, the policy will also benefit foreign students who will now be able to complete two degrees in the same time frame,” adds Mittal. The finer details about eligibility are being worked out by the commission and will be released soon.

The UGC had last year set up a panel headed by its vice chairman, Bhushan Patwardhan, to examine the issue of pursuing two degree programmes simultaneously from the same university or different universities either through distance mode, online mode or part-time mode.

The announcement comes on the heels of the regulatory body allowing the top 100 universities to impart online degree courses.