Soon students can pursue 2 degree courses simultaneously through different modes

Students will soon be able to pursue two degree courses simultaneously in same or different streams, with the University Grants Commission (UGC) giving its nod to a proposal in this regard, according to officials.

However, one of the two degrees will have to be pursued through regular mode and the other has to be through online distance learning (ODL).

"The proposal was approved in the recent commission meeting for simultaneous dual degrees for students in India, allowing students to complete courses in the same or different streams at the same time. One of the two degrees, however, has to be through regular mode and the other has to be through online distance learning," UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said.

He said that "an official notification will be issued soon in this regard".

The UGC had last year set up a panel headed by its Vice Chairman, Bhushan Patwardhan, to examine the issue of pursuing two degree programmes simultaneously from the same university or different universities either through distance mode, online mode or part-time mode.

However, this is not the first time the commission was examining the issue. The UGC had set up a committee in 2012 as well and consultations were held on the same but ultimately the idea was junked.

The 2012 committee headed by then Vice Chancellor of the Hyderabad University, Furqan Qamar, had recommended that a student enrolled in a degree programme under regular mode may be allowed to pursue a maximum of one additional degree programme simultaneously under open or distance mode from the same or a different university.

"However, two degree programmes under regular mode may not be allowed simultaneously as it may create logistic, administrative and academic problems. A student pursuing a degree programme under regular mode may be allowed to pursue a maximum of one certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, PG diploma programme simultaneously either in regular or open and distance mode in the same university or from other institutions," the panel report had then said.

According to UGC officials, "the commission had then sought comments of the statutory councils on the committee's report and the responses received did not endorse the idea of allowing students to pursue multiple degree programmes simultaneously. Hence the plan did not take off".