Policy on Pursuing Two or More Programs Simultaneously

Very soon, students will be able to avail the option to seek out various degrees at the same time from either multiple colleges or the same college. For a while now, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been contemplating the plausibility of the thought.

The UGC has set up a board headed by its Vice Chairman Bhushan Patwardhan to look at the issue concerning two-degree programs from either the same college or multiple colleges. This can be done either through distance mode, online mode, or part-time mode. The idea will help students to gain more knowledge have a more powerful resume when they get out of the academic world and enter the cut-throat Commercial World.

The idea of pursuing two or more programs simultaneously will help the students to grow faster as opposed to waiting for a 3-year course to get over. Students will have more degrees or certificates in a short time and they will have a higher skill set which will make them more diverse and all-rounded.

There is growing belief in today’s commercial sector that it is indeed better to be a jack of all trades than to be a master of one. Through this option, the good students stand a chance to shine and master two different things. Their prowess will take them ahead.

In any case, this isn’t the first run for this issue and it has been considered before. The UGC had set up an advisory group in 2012 too and meetings were held on the issue but the thought was not considered to be given a green signal at that time. Now, with the pandemic going on, the idea is being revisited by the UGC.

“The plan did not take off due to the 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 programs simultaneously.“ says the University Grants Commission.

“Since the development of technology in the last few years has brought in a lot of changes so, We have decided to revisit and reconsider the idea of doing two programs at the same time. There are a vast majority of people who want to pursue specialized courses besides their regular degree programs,” the official said.

The Distance Education Council on its 40th gathering on 08 June 2012, affirmed that an arrangement was in place on pursuing at least two programs at the same time in different combinations. Two Degree Programs can’t be permitted to be sought after all the while. Be that as it may, Students can pursue two programs at the same time through distance mode or a combination of distance mode and standard modes from the same or various Universities/Institutions in different combinations, viz.