UGC Releases Detailed Guidelines for Pursuing Two Regular Degree Courses Simultaneously

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued detailed guidelines for pursuing two regular degrees simultaneously. On April 12, 2022, the authority announced that students will now be permitted to pursue two full-time degree programmes simultaneously. This groundbreaking initiative taken under the National Education Policy (NEP ) 2020 will transform the scenario of higher education in India and students will have more options to explore. 

The UGC has released a notification on its official website in which it has outlined the objectives and guidelines for this new venture. Until now, students could pursue just one regular (full-time) degree at a time and they did not have the option of enrolling in another programme. However, the UGC wishes to alter this from the academic session of 2022-23 and provide students with the option of pursuing two regular programmes simultaneously provided their class timings and schedule don't clash.

Detailed UGC Guidelines to Pursue Two Regular Degrees Simultaneously 

The detailed guidelines have been released by the UGC on April 13, 2022. The important highlights of pursuing two full-time programmes together have been explained below:

• A student can pursue two full-time or regular academic programmes in the physical mode only if the class timings for one programme do not overlap with the schedule of the other programme.
• Students are also permitted to pursue two academic programmes, one in full-time physical mode and another in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or Online mode.
• Candidates can also enrol in up to two ODL or Online programmes at the same time.
• They can pursue degree programmes or diploma programmes in the ODL/ Online mode with only those HEIs that are recognised by one of the following authorities for running such programmes - UGC/ Statutory Council/ Government of India.
• All the degree or diploma programmes under these guidelines will be governed by the regulations notified by the UGC and also the respective statutory/ professional councils, wherever applicable.
• These new guidelines will come into effect from the date on which the UGC has released their notification. No retrospective benefit can be claimed by the students who have already done two academic programmes simultaneously prior to the announcement of these guidelines.
• All of these guidelines will be applicable only to the students pursuing academic courses other than a Ph.D programme.
• On the basis of the above guidelines, the universities can formulate mechanisms to allow their students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously as mentioned above. They can do so through their statutory bodies.

Also Read:UGC Guidelines to Pursue Two Full-Time Degree Courses Simultaneously

Objectives of Offering Dual Degree Programmes

The following objectives are envisaged by the UGC in its initiative to allow the students to pursue dual degree programmes simultaneously:

• To recognise, identify, and foster the unique capabilities of every student by sensitizing teachers and parents to promote the student’s holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres;
• To eliminate hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in an attempt to get rid of harmful hierarchies among different areas of learning;
• To provide holistic and multidisciplinarity education across the streams of sciences, arts, social sciences, humanities, and sports in order to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge;
• To enable students to study one or more specialised area(s) of interest at a deeper level;
• To help students develop character, intellectual curiosity, ethical and constitutional values, creativity, scientific temper, and a spirit of service;
• To offer a range of disciplines to the students, including sciences, arts, social sciences, humanities, languages, as well as technical, professional, and vocational subjects to make them thoughtful, well-rounded, and creative individuals.
• To prepare and encourage students for more meaningful and satisfying lives and work roles;
• To eventually enable and promote economic independence.

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