Advantages of four-year undergraduate courses

Four-year undergraduate courses could be the next big thing for the Indian education players. After the Shiv Nadar University (SNU) in Greater Noida and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, it is the turn of Delhi University to take to the four-year degree programmes; it plans to introduce a four-year Bachelors’ degree programme in 2013.

However, not many students and parents are aware of the pros and cons of four-year degree courses. Business Standard runs you through four-year degree concept:

• The four-year undergraduate degree programmes in India mostly follow the American system wherein students study a bit of pure sciences, commerce and arts in the initial year, and then go on to graduate in one particular discipline.
• The final degree that students get is similar to the other three-year degrees, and is called a Bachelor in Science (BS) or Bachelor in Arts (BA).
• Students who want to pursue masters programmes abroad, especially in the US, will find four-year courses extremely useful as they do not have to study an extra year in India to fulfil the eligibility criteria.
• At SNU, for instance, a four-year programme is a combination of classroom learning, fieldwork and discussions.
• SNU follows the US model where every one hour spent in class is complemented with one-and-a-half hours outside.
• Summer internships are also a part of the four-year programme.
• Since the awareness is comparatively low in India, education institutions offering the same hold workshops to explain the importance of the four-year programmes to students.
• Thanks to the credit-based system, students can complete the course in three-and-a-half years if they perform exceptionally well. 
• Every year, the IISc admits about 110 students for the four year BS programme.
• The duration of the programme is four years, organised as eight semesters. In addition to the regular science subjects, students will also be exposed to courses in humanities.