INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: New post graduate programmes will come in three-formats-one-year, two-year and five-year integrated- with flexibility to move
from one discipline of study to another and for students who qualify undergraduate (UG) with a double major to opt for any of the two
subjects they have majored in.In conformity with the restructured undergraduate programmes, the University Grants Commission approved the
new "Curriculum and Credit Framework for Postgraduate Programmes" in its November 3 meeting and it would be notified on Saturday.As per the
National Education Policy 2020, the UG degree was restructured to either three or four-year duration with appropriate certifications - UG
certificate after one year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a UG diploma after two years of study,
or a bachelor's degree after a three-year course
The four-year bachelor's programme, however, is the preferred option as it allows a whole range of multidisciplinary education in addition
to a focus on the chosen major and minors.Syncing the PG programme with the restructured UG, apart from the flexibility to shift from one
discipline to another, as per the new curriculum, also gives an opportunity to learners to choose the courses of their interest and to
switch to alternative modes of learning (offline, ODL, online learning, and hybrid modes).The new credit framework has also specified the
minimum credit to be earned at the UG level as eligibility for different format of PG degrees
Under the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF), higher education qualifications are classified along a continuum of
levels from level 4.5 to level 8
For example, for a 1-year/2-semester master's programme the requirement is a bachelor's degree with honours/ honours with research with a
minimum of 160 credits at level 6.5 on the NHEQF, and for a two-year/four-semester master's programme the requirement is a minimum of 120
credits at level 6.5 on the NHEQF.OPT's advantage forces Indian students to stay back in US after academic studies, says Open Doors
ReportMoreover, irrespective of the major or minor disciplines chosen by a student in a UG programme, a student is eligible for admission in
any discipline of master's programmes if the student qualifies the national level or university level entrance examination in the discipline
of the master's programme.The document also speaks about universities offering master's programmes in core areas such as Machine Learning as
well as multidisciplinary fields "AI + X" and professional areas like health care, agriculture, and law
It stated that the PG framework should be in sync with National Credit Framework (NCrF) for the creditization of all learning and
assignment, accumulation, storage, transfer and redemption of credits, subject to assessment.And finally, the framework also states that the
new structure provides students with facility to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously - two full-time academic programmes in the
physical mode provided that there is no overlap of class timings between the two programmes or two academic programmes; one in full-time
physical mode and another in ODL/ Online mode; or up to two ODL/ Online programmes simultaneously.
