UGC Chief: 3 years UG course will not get discontinued until the 4 year programme is fully administered

M Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, has said that three-year undergraduate courses will not be discontinued until the four-year programme is fully implemented. He added that under the new system, graduates will be able to join Ph.D programmes directly.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has announced that three-year undergraduate courses will not be discontinued until the four-year programme is fully implemented. Under the new pattern, graduates can directly join Ph.D programmes.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the new credit and curriculum framework for undergraduate (UG) courses defines Honours degree courses as a four-year programme. However, Kumar clarified in an interview with PTI on Wednesday that varsities can choose between the three and four year programmes.

Chairman was asked in an interview that universities are required to migrate to a 4 year pattern for Honors degree.

“The current three-year UG programmes will continue whether they are called UG degrees such as BA, B.Com, or B.Sc or UG degrees with Honours such as BA (Hon.), B.Com (Hon.), or B.Sc (Hon.),” the UGC chairman said.

UGC chairman said “varsities can start new 3 year UG programmes by taking the advantage of the 4 year UG programme curriculum framework.”

They can do this “with multiple entry and exit options, flexible degree options with single major, double major, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education, integration with vocational courses, internship, skill and ability enhancement courses”, he said.

For 4 year UG degree students do not require a Master’s degree to join the Ph.D programmes UGC chief said.

When asked about when the FYUP is expected to be fully implemented, he said that “there is no deadline but we will continue to work with higher education institutions to implement the FYUP as soon as possible.” He went on to assure that three-year courses will not be discontinued till the four-year programme is fully implemented.

“Some universities, such as the Delhi University, have already implemented the FYUP. Many other universities are working on implementing it from the 2023 academic session. In a few years, many universities will adopt this. They need to do this to attract the best students to their programmes,” Kumar said.

Counting the benefits of the FYUP, the UGC chairma said, “The first advantage is that they do not have to do a Master’s degree to join a Ph.D programme. They can also take a single or double major to gain a deeper knowledge of a given discipline.”

“Since multidisciplinary courses, ability enhancement courses, skill enhancement courses, value-added courses, and internships are embedded in the FYUP, it will enhance the opportunities for students to take up employment or go for higher studies,” he said.

The UGC announced the curriculum and credit structure for undergraduate programs on Monday, giving students a variety of admission and departure options, the opportunity to choose between a single major and a double major, as well as interdisciplinary subject alternatives.

The new Choice Based Credit System has been revised and will now only allow students to pursue a four-year honors degree. This means that the current three-year curriculum will no longer be available. There will be two types of honours degrees available: honors and honours with research.