“Dual Degree: Benefits and Challenges”

News Desk :::  Very recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had announced regulations for collaboration between foreign and Indian higher education institutions for joint and dual degree programmes, including providing training to faculty for the same. In a dual-degree programme, the student can pursue two courses, even in dissimilar areas, at the same time with the same or even different universities and are very popular, particularly in Europe.

Elaborating further on the thought Prof. Singh added , “if you look at the NEP, it gives so much emphasis to holistic education. You don’t need to just do academics, but you need to also learn life skills, you also need to do sports and art. If a child is doing two degrees then where is the holistic part? I think it should start more often as an exception, rather than a rule. My concern is that today MBA is the new graduation and I hope that the Dual Degree does not become the new degree because then you are a Jack of two but master of none.”

On being quizzed on the job market prospects of a Dual Degree, Prof. Singh said, “So, even from a recruiter perspective, whether the recruiter wants somebody who knows a bit about this or knows something really well, is another question you have to answer. You know the Industry is not a homogenous mass, that there are different kinds of companies and within companies there are different kinds of people. So, we can’t really have a universally applicable theory here. Moreover, if I look at outcomes, let’s say you have earned an integrated Technology and Management Degree. There is a very clear need for that now. Whether you do a BTech and then do an MBA or you do an integrated one, where you will save a year or something, I think the recruiter is happy with both so there is no confusion there.”

Praxis admits students to their flagship PGDM course in Kolkata in July and to their PGP in Data Science Program in January and July at their campuses in Kolkata and Bangalore. Another campus for Data Science will open in Mumbai by early next year.