Delhi University undergraduate courses to take 4 years from 2013

Delhi University's undergraduate courses may undergo a sea change from 2013. Another year will be added to the existing three-year undergraduate courses - BA, BCom and BSc - and the courses will be restructured to offer an exit option midway, with an alternative to rejoin later and complete the course. 

Students will also have the option of knocking off one or two papers and instead use credits earned through sports or other extracurricular activities to finish the courses. What's more, students can earn three degrees through this four-year programme. 

"We propose to launch the four-year courses from the 2013-14 session. It will be a transdisciplinary course with multiple exit options. As we are simultaneously revamping our open learning system, undergraduate students at colleges will be allowed to complete a semester through open learning and the credits will be counted," said DU vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh. 

According to DU administration, the blueprint is ready and consultations with teachers and other stakeholders are on. The administration also plans to bring the proposal up for discussion at a teachers' congress in June. "After taking teachers' input, the plan will be put up at a teachers' congress. Finally, the proposal will be placed before the academic and executive councils of DU," said Singh. 

The programme will offer students two exit options during the course - at the end of second and third years. If a student decides to opt out of the course after completion of the first two years, he/she will get an associate degree. At the end of third year, the student can opt out with a bachelor's degree. If the student completes four years, an honours degree will be awarded. 

"Even the two-year associate degree will be embedded with enough training to enable a student to become an elementary teacher. Students who opt out after completing second and third years will get 10 years to return and complete the course," said Singh. 

"In future, we would like to offer credits to students travelling in the Gyan Uday Express and doing projects," Singh added.