Four-year degree courses in DU from 13

Updated on: Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Delhi University plans to add another academic year to its existing three-year undergraduate course from 2013. The BA, BSc and BCom courses are likely to be structured in a way that even if a student opts out before completing four years, either a diploma or a lesser degree will be awarded. Students will also get to study a wider range of subjects in the first year before deciding what to specialise in.

According to officials at the university, which attracts thousands of students from across India, experts are working on a mechanism to address possible problems that the switchover may create. “Right now, it (the programme) is in the planning stage as we need to work out a lot of issues. That is why we need to start early so that we are ready with our plans well on time,” vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh said.

“A student in the present course structure doesn’t get the necessary opportunity to understand his talent. A four-year degree course will ensure a platform to discover his inner talents, his or her area of interest after studying a wide range of subjects,” Singh said. “We need to change if we have to improve, otherwise the country will be affected adversely in the long run. A mathematics teacher should connect mathematics to other subjects. This is what we call cross-disciplinary.”

As per Singh’s plans, the four-year degree will have a core curriculum comprising general studies in the first year and students will be allowed to opt for courses across streams. The student can then choose a specialisation in the second year.

In case a student wishes to drop out in the second year, he or she can also opt for skill-based subjects and get a diploma. A student leaving in the third year will get a general degree while those completing four years will bag a specialised degree equivalent to a present-day honours.

While courses will carry credits to help students migrate to other universities with a similar credit system, the university will also review the internal assessment system during its consultation with different stakeholders.

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