The UGC Framework for Postgraduate Curriculum Offers a One-Year Masters Degree and Course Flexibility

The draft framework for the curriculum was approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on November 3 of this month. By December 15, the UGC intends to solicit input from a range of stakeholders. According to the National Education Policy (NEP), students are allowed to switch between subjects within the curriculum.

“The National Education Policy 2020 recommends different designs of master’s programs with entry & exit facility and greater emphasis on research,” reads an official letter from the UGC. UGC has created draft Guidelines on Curriculum and Credit Framework for Postgraduate Programs in compliance with the policy.

PG students will have the option to graduate with a postgraduate diploma if they want to leave after a year under the new proposed postgraduate curriculum structure. This is the first time that UGC would provide students with 1-year postgraduate courses. The proposed framework states that students who have completed four years of undergraduate study will be able to enroll in a one-year postgraduate course, while those who have completed three years of undergraduate study would be able to continue in a two-year postgraduate course. Any subject they studied during their graduate degrees may be the subject of a postgraduate degree.

Among the suggestions put out by the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Postgraduate Programs are the following:

—– According to the draft paper, students may elect to pursue a major or a minor in their master’s course if they fulfill the prerequisites for UG studies and have a major and minor(s).

Moreover, students will have the freedom to choose courses that pique their interest and to transition between offline, online, hybrid, and open-distance learning (ODL) and other modes of instruction.

—– For students who have completed the three-year bachelor’s degree, the proposed framework anticipates a two-year course with a full year dedicated to research.

—– The guidelines also called for the implementation of a five-year program combining a bachelor’s and master’s degree.

According to the proposed framework, institutions would provide master’s degrees in professional fields including law, health care, and agriculture, as well as in interdisciplinary areas like “AI + X” and foundational disciplines like machine learning.

Postgraduate course frameworks should be in accordance with the National Credit Framework (NCrF) in order to creditize all learning and assignments and to accrue, save, transfer, and redeem credits subject to review.