Jamia Millia Islamia to offer 4-year course for undergrads from next year

Jamia Millia Islamia University will offer four-year undergraduate programmes (FYUP) with multiple exit and entry options from the academic session 2024-2025, officials said on Sunday.

The undergraduate degree would be of either a three- or four-year duration, with multiple entry and exit options within this period. This was part of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.

As of now, current undergraduate programmes in the University are of three-year duration.

As per the notification dated December 8, Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar has approved the recommendation of the Committee duly constituted for the desired changes in the Ordinance 15-B (XV-B) (Academic) so that the UGC Guidelines on Multiple Entry and Exit Academic Programmes Offered in Higher Education Institutions can be implemented in the University.

As per the revised ordinance, the duration of the Bachelor's Degree Programmes offered in Faculties of Sciences, Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages, Fine Arts and Management Studies shall be eight (8) Semesters (4 academic years). However, a student will be allowed to complete the 8-semester programme within the maximum stipulated period of 7 academic years (14 semesters) including the gaps or unattended semesters or years.

Under the multiple exit and entry options, if students exit after a year, they will be given a certificate.

Those leaving after two years will be eligible for a diploma, and those after three, a bachelor's degree. It is only after the complete four years that students will be eligible for a bachelor's degree with honours or research.

Students who secure a CGPA of 8.5 and above in the first six semesters and wish to undertake research at the undergraduate level can choose a research stream in the fourth year. They should do a research project or dissertation under the guidance of a faculty member of the University/College.

Depending upon the academic and physical facilities available, the University may earmark seats for lateral entrants to the 2-year / 3rd year / 4th year of a first-degree programme.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has said that multiple exits and multiple entries will offer flexibility in curriculum and novel course options to students in addition to discipline-specific specialisations and will enable students to adopt different designs of the Master's programme.

Earlier this month, UGC notified the curriculum and credit framework for undergraduate programmes which will provide students with multiple options for entry and exit, a choice between single major and double major and interdisciplinary choices of subjects.