Dual Degree Education System in India

By Prof. Yaduvir Singh

In today’s era, all HEIs have a pressing need to deliver outcomes, which in most cases, is employment. Most employers are sure that undergraduate education delivered by the Universities / Colleges does not produce the type of workers that the industry requires. Getting students to meaningful employment is one of the paramount goals of higher education. Dual degree education in India evolved to cater to the present requirements.

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Malcolm X

A double degree program, sometimes called a dual degree, involves a student working for two university degrees in parallel, either at the same institution or at different institutions (sometimes, even in different countries) and completing them in less time than it would have taken to earn them separately. The two degrees might be in the same subject area, or in two different subjects [1].

Undergraduate double degree programs are generally found in countries, whose higher education systems follow the British model. Master’s double degree programs are more widespread.  Typically, in a double degree program, both of the participating institutions reduce the amount of time required to be spent at each. Common undergraduate double degrees include Engineering – Economics programs, Engineering – Business programs, such as Business and Computing etc. They often take 4–5 years to complete instead of 7–8 years to complete the degrees separately. Common postgraduate double degrees are Law–MBA degrees, as well as degrees combined with MA fields, such as politics, economics, urban planning, and international relations. Many medical schools also offer joint MD degrees with Law and MBA programs, as well as with a range of MA programs. Some universities even offer dual PhD / MBA degrees, where the PhD portion is generally in science and/or engineering, to target entrepreneurs and venture capitalists [1].

The double degree program allows one to pursue two different courses together and get the experience of both in lesser time than it would have taken to study them one after the other. Students usually go for options like B.Tech. and MBA so that they are complete by the end of the course. Thus, they end up saving at least one year for themselves in which they can advance their career by taking up a job.

The double degree program allows one to pursue two different courses together and get the experience of both in lesser time than it would have taken to study them one after the other.

Curriculum Structure

Double degrees should not be confused with double major or with the occasional practice of awarding a further qualification with a worked-for (especially research) degree, nor with the awarding of a single degree by multiple institutions. Double majors or dual majors consist of two majors attached to a single degree, as opposed to two separate degrees, each with its own field of study. In some schools, students will earn a double major when the two majors lead to the same degree name (such as BA, BS, BFA) and they will earn a double degree when the two majors lead to differently-named degrees (such as BA and BM, BS and BFA). In general, the number of hours and required courses are more in a dual-degree program than a double major [1].

The curriculum for the dual-degree program is roughly the same as the combined requirements of the undergraduate (say, B. Tech.) and postgraduate (say, M. Tech.) curriculum. All requirements such as core courses will be adhered to. Since there is a reduction in the time, a small amount of reduction from the combined requirements is done. Here is an example of the course structure of a 5-year double degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) program,

• First three years: Identical to the existing B. Tech. program
• 7th semester: 1 HSS course, 4 Departmental Electives (at least one PG elective)
• 8th semester: 4 PG Electives and 4 units of M. Tech. thesis
• Summer semester: 4 units of M Tech. Thesis or Summer training
• 9th semester: 1 PG elective and 12 units of M.Tech. thesis
• 10th semester: 16 units of M. Tech. thesis

Analyses

The need for such dual degree programs has been felt in recent years with declining strength of PG programs. With the boom in the economy, the salaries for engineers, particularly in the area of computer science, have skyrocketed, and are incomparable to the M. Tech. stipend. Furthermore, the huge demand in software industry for software engineers has led to the hiring of graduates from institutions that traditionally provided inputs for M. Tech. program. The situation implies that it is unlikely to attract a large number of good students to M. Tech. or PhD programs. For similar reasons, it is also very unlikely to attract reasonable quality graduates to work as research engineers. The fallout of this is that in Computer Science, with the current setup, there is very little research manpower.

With the boom in the economy, the salaries for engineers, particularly in the area of computer science, have skyrocketed, and are incomparable to the M. Tech. stipend.

The dual degree programs are being designed to make it attractive for a good student to do an M. Tech., and thus contribute to the research efforts of the department. The student benefits by getting an M. Tech. degree with just one year of extra effort, thereby saving at least six months. The popularity of similar programs can be judged by the fact that IIT Bombay has steadily increased its intake in a five-year dual degree program, and now more than one-third of the students admitted through JEE are in such programs. Good quality M. Tech. students are also expected to give a boost to undergraduate education since they help undergraduates in labs, and interact with them as teaching assistants.

More than one-third of the students admitted through JEE are in dual degree programs

The dual-degree program is being proposed instead of an integrated 5-year M. Tech. program, as the B. Tech. degree is the hallmark of IITs, and without offering this, the interest in the program will be low. Dual degrees are really worth it if one is going to continue in the branch one chooses. The main reason for it is that IITs are not liberal in the course work. There are a lot of courses which are compulsory [2]. If we compare Dual and B. Tech.  in the same department, say Dual (CSE) versus B. Tech. (CSE), then the answer is very simple. Though dual-degree programs are fantastic, it would be better to go for B.Tech and convert it into a dual degree during the course of B.Tech, if research interests a student. An early commitment to research, without exploring the field, is not recommended.

Dual Degree is generally more suited for students who want to pursue higher studies and research work in the future. Dual degree programs allow one to achieve double in academics in half the time it would have taken you otherwise. Dual degree courses in India have become a big hit because of the multiple advantages attached to them. As mentioned before, a dual degree program allows one to complete two degrees in less time which means one also saves on the money involved in lodging and tuition fee. They also open up better job options as the companies find it perfect that a candidate comes trained in different areas like management and technical skills. Needless to say, one has the option to make a career in one field itself and can take up a dual degree program if one is confused between two courses.

An early commitment to research, without exploring the field, is not recommended.

They might sound like a big deal and something tough to do, but dual degrees enable candidates to accelerate their learning in different subjects and are very well structured for the benefit of students. One will stand out during the placements as the companies will always want to choose someone with a good understanding of two disciplines rather than a student who has to be trained in one [3, 4]. The advantages of dual degree programs are as follows.

• It helps students to complete two degrees in a shorter span of time.
• It also costs less in terms of fees and other educational expenses.
• It offers scope for research or higher degrees like another Masters or a PhD.
• It can also help the students to increase their network as they get to meet many students, people, academicians, and professionals.

The disadvantages of dual degree programs are as following [4].

• The biggest challenge is that the students have to take the pressure of both the courses and degrees and the sudden transition from one course to another may not be easy for everyone.
• The dual degree course restricts the choice to change the college if the student wishes to do so after completion of one degree.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. Challenges of pursuing a dual degree program

Aristotle

A dual degree will mean more hard work without any doubt. One has to be on the toes if he/she wants to justify his / her decision of taking up such a program. The challenges will be different and need unmatched concentration. One needs constant motivation otherwise this will be a huge miss and the student will be under immense pressure to keep head above water throughout the semester [3].

They might sound like a big deal and something tough to do, but dual degrees enable candidates to accelerate their learning in different subjects and are very well structured for the benefit of students.

In conclusion, dual degree programs are the current requirements of the industry. It is a knowledge centric society today, therefore dual degree programs are the right choice. However, the choice of the institution offering it will be very vital for decision making.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Abraham Lincoln

References

Acknowledgement

The author thankfully acknowledges all with gratitude, referred to herein, in creating this eclectic article. Also, author’s views have also been inserted, as and where needed.

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