On 12 April this year, the Chairman Dr. Jagadesh Kumar made an announcement that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has accepted the regulations for the dual degree program for the coming year. Thus, high educational institutions have started providing a few programs through online learning – OL and open and distance learning – ODL modes to solve the issues of restricted seats in a certain number of programs.
As per the announcement, students will be able to:
i) Take up the dual university programs physically through the two-shift system presently in use, or
ii) Register for two different universities based on their nearness, or
iii) Select the ODL/OL mode for the second degree.
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Universities will have to come up with various propositions and possibilities to accommodate the requirements of the students. Students can select from a list of Indian and international universities that meet the needed guidelines.
The concept of dual degrees came when talented students wanted to acquire knowledge and skills in more than one course at the same time. Thus, the UGC Chairman announced that students would be able to opt for such dual degree programs if they are of the same level. For example, students will be from the next year allowed to take up two bachelor’s, two master’s, or two diploma programs at the same time. The students will be getting two degrees for studying full-time after the completion of the degrees.
The options to provide the degree programs to the students will be based on the institution’s available resources and also the interests of the students to select the core disciplines. The second degree can be chosen based on the field that is relevant to the basic degree or it can be taken in an allied area of interest.
So the benefit of this type of learning arrangement for students is that they will be able to dedicate the same amount of time to complete two degrees. Students need not wait for completing one degree to start another degree. Also, they will get to learn a mix of subjects that can help them to make informed decisions in their career. Some of the dual degree options are Business and computer information systems, computer science and economics, statistics and public health, computer information systems, accounting, etc.
When students have more learning resources that they can avail themselves of in a shorter amount of time, they will get a holistic view of how each industry works and where they see themselves in their careers right in the beginning. They need not waste years working and experimenting in the industry as fresher or at the junior level just because they don’t have enough academic knowledge.
They can escalate their careers and improve their employability chances by pursuing a related niche degree as the second degree. The dual degrees will set students apart from others and help them grow in their careers at an exponential rate so that they can drive innovation, entrepreneurship, management, and success in their respective fields.
