Image Courtesy : www.ugc.ac.in

On Monday, UGC- the University Grants Commission, released the curriculum and credit framework for UG programmes. The new guidelines have been released by reworking the current Choice Based Credit System.

Under this programme, students will have multiple options for entry and exit. According to the changed guidelines, students will now have a preference between single major and double major and interdisciplinary choices of subjects.

Presently, students get an honours degree after completing three years of college. However, now, students can pursue two types of honours degrees- honours and honours with research. Those who achieve a four-year degree programme with 160 credits and have met the credit requirement will get a four-year UG Honours degree in the major discipline.

However, those who secure 75% marks or above in the first six semesters and wish to undertake research at the UG level will be allowed to pick a research stream in the fourth year.

The notification explained that students must do a research project or dissertation under the guidance of the faculty of the institution. The research project and dissertation will be in the major field. The students who get 160 credits, including 12 credits from a research project and dissertation, will be granted a UG honours degree with research.

The reworked guidelines will also offer the opportunity to explore several entries and exit options. As per the revised guidelines, students who wish to exit after completing the first year and have secured 40 credits will get a UG certificate if, in addition, they finish one vocational course of four credits during the summer break of the first year. Also, these students will be permitted to re-enter the degree programme within three years and finish the degree programme within seven years max.

Similarly, students who wish to exit after completion of the second year and have secured 80 credits will get the UG diploma if, in addition, they finish one vocational course of four credits during the summer break of the second year. They will be permitted to re-enter within three years and complete the degree within seven years max.

For the students pursuing multidisciplinary degrees, their credits of core programmes will be distributed among broad disciplines. For example, a student who opts for an undergraduate programme in life sciences will have the total credits to core courses allocated or distributed across zoology, botany, and human biology disciplines. The degree programme will be awarded as BSc in Life Sciences (3-year programme) and BSc Honours in Life Sciences or BSc Honours with Research (4-year programme) without or with a research component, respectively.

No panic for Honours students at DU

UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said the students of the present academic batch of Delhi University need not worry about their honours degrees as the session has already begun and the nomenclatures would not change mid-session.

The UGC chairman said we understand that the sessions in the university have already commenced. Mid-session changes to the academic system will not be done. Probably from next year, the universities will follow the framework which has been prepared after several consultations and under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

M Jagadesh Kumar hoped that the varsities would follow the structure of delivering honours degrees only after completing a four-year course from the next academic session.

News Source: The Indian Express