Dual Degree Helping Students Challenge Unemployment in India

You must have definitely heard of the phrase- “Jack of all trades is a master of none” but do you know it is only half of the actual phrase? The complete phrase says- “Jack of all trades is a master of none but is still better than the master of one.” Rightly said, because the ability to multitask is what counts in today’s highly competitive world. 

How Will Dual Degree Help Tackle Unemployment?

With an overwhelming population like ours, there definitely is a need to stand out amongst the crowd. The current unemployment rate in India is 7.29% as of July 2022 which is less than the 7.80% in June 2022. However, 7.29% is still quite a large figure!!

Unemployment has always been at a high tide in India. The large population is not completely to blame here.

Then what exactly is the reason?

The skills Gap is what majorly affects unemployment in India. There are a lot of graduates in the country who lack skills and professional training in something or the other that is required for most jobs.

According to the Statistics report by the think tank CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy), more than 30 million unemployed people are willing to work and are actively seeking jobs. The condition is such that another 15 million plus unemployed people have now even stopped looking for jobs despite their qualifications!

How to fix this? 

The need is for people to develop multiple skills simultaneously in as many diverse domains as possible. And how are you going to make that work? 

A Dual Degree might be the solution you’re looking for! Let us know how. 

Even the Govt of India is actively working towards encouraging people to pursue dual degrees and develop skills in multiple niches. 

Well, if you are someone who is soon going to start pursuing graduation degrees, or are currently pursuing one, or a fresh graduate, or anybody who is worried about unemployment, then this blog is for you.

Dual Degree is a European concept that has now paved its way into India as well owing to its amazing benefits that are extremely relevant to the current fast-paced lifestyle and rapidly accelerating trends. 

What is a Dual Degree? 

A dual degree program simply means that you can pursue two different degree programs simultaneously. This means that if you are pursuing a BA degree then you can also pursue a BJMC degree at the same time.

A Dual Degree is also sometimes referred to as a double degree program. Students can pursue the two degrees from either the same college/university or two different colleges/universities. Also, the two degrees that the student pursues may or may not be in the same field or subject area. 

However, there are certain rules and regulations for pursuing a dual degree. Hence, UGC has laid down some important guidelines regarding dual degree programs in India. 

UGC Guidelines for Dual Degree Programs 

Following are the most important points laid down by UGC to be considered when pursuing a dual degree program: 

• A student is allowed to pursue two regular full-time academic degrees (offline) provided that the class timings of the two courses do not overlap. 
• There are 3 ways in terms of the mode of education in which a student can pursue a dual degree, which is as follows: 
• Both the degrees are in the full-time Offline Mode. 
• Both the degrees are in the Online Mode or Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Mode. 
• One degree in the full-time Offline mode and the other degree in either Online Mode or ODL Mode.
• If a student pursues a degree in the Online Mode or ODL Mode, then it must be only from those higher education institutions which have been recognised by UGC/DEB/Statutory Council/the Govt of India.  
• The two degrees pursued must be of the same level. This means that you CANNOT pursue one UG and one PG degree together. You can ONLY pursue either two UG degrees at the same time OR two PG degrees at the same time. 
• Dual degree is NOT applicable for Ph.D. programs. 

Benefits of Dual Degree 

Apart from the new National Education Policy (NEP 2020), Dual Degree is another major provision that will help evolve the education pedagogy in India and make it more practical, holistic, learner-centered, and flexible.

Some of the major benefits are: 

• Diverse Career Options- You have the benefit of pursuing two different subject areas. This means you automatically get career opportunities in two different fields. For example- if you have BCA as well as BBA degrees, then you have job opportunities in both IT and Management domains. 
• Skill Development- As already discussed in the beginning, more and enhanced skills will help you stand out among others and eventually get you employed. When you pursue two different degrees, you will gain expertise in two different fields. Or you can also gain expertise in two completely different disciplines of the same field. In both cases, you will have more knowledge, more and better skills, and more experience. 
• Enhanced Employability- Employers are looking for people who can multitask simultaneously and if your CV says that you have pursued two degrees simultaneously, then that definitely gives you an edge over others.  
• Time Saving- One of the most important benefits of dual degree programs is that it saves 2/3 years of your life! If you were to pursue two degrees separately in the traditional manner, then it would take you 6 years in case of UG and 4 years in case of PG programs to complete. Whereas, with a dual degree you can complete two UG programs in just 3 years and two PG programs in just 2 years.  

The Best Part 

#1 Less Academic Pressure 

One of the best parts brought by the dual degree programs is that students can pursue one full-time offline degree and one online degree together. This will provide flexibility to students to pursue the two degrees together without much pressure. This is because of the flexibility offered by the online degree programs. 

#2 Cost Effective 

Not just academic pressure, this mode will also be highly cost-effective for the student because online degrees are extremely affordable. So, if your finances do not allow you to pursue the second degree in the offline mode, it is best to get an online degree instead. 

#3 Target Tier 1 Colleges 

Another major advantage is- for an online degree you can target a tier 1 college. In offline mode, getting a tier1 college for your dream course is not at all an easy task! There are less seats so you have to go through entrance examinations, interviews, and other rigorous procedures for admission. 

However, this is not the case with an online degree course. There are many tier 1 colleges in India that are offering online degree courses to students at affordable fees and without an entrance exam for admission. But again, since there are limited seats, the admission is based on a first come first serve basis. 

#4 More Placement Options 

In the case of two full-time offline degrees, it will be difficult to pursue them from different colleges. Although you are allowed to pursue the two degrees from different colleges, it is only practical to get them both from the same college to lower the academic burden. 

However, in the case of one offline and one online degree, you can target two separate colleges. What is the benefit? The advantage is that your placement opportunities will be better. This is because you can attend placement drives at two different colleges, so you will get the exposure of meeting many more recruiters and diverse organisations. 

#5 Study Abroad Opportunities 

In India, the provisions of Dual Degree were first introduced in 2012 and then again revised in 2016. The outcomes of introducing Dual Degree provisions were great which is why the Govt of India has now for the first time ever permitted joint degrees in India.       

In a recent notification, the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced a major breakthrough for higher education in India. UGC announced the decision of academic collaboration of Indian and Foreign Higher Education Institutions for offering dual degrees, twinning degrees, and joint degrees. 

According to this announcement, students will be able to study a degree program from both Indian and foreign universities. This means that half of the program will be completed in India, while the other half in a foreign university.  

This decision has been highly welcomed and praised as it has made it extremely easy for Indian students to get a chance to study abroad. This will help students get global exposure which will be an amazing asset to their CVs. 

However, the students must not confuse joint/twinning degree with a dual degree.

In the case of a Joint Degree and a Twinning Degree, a student can pursue only one degree at a time. Half of that degree program will be completed in an Indian higher education institution, following which the student will go abroad to the partner foreign university and complete the rest of the degree program. 

#6 Integrated Courses 

There have been many instances where students have confused a dual degree program with an integrated degree program. Both these terms are completely different. 

Integrated programs mean that you pursue a UG degree immediately followed by a PG degree of the exact same domain in a single admission. Let us understand this better with an example. 

For instance, if you pursue an integrated B.Tech+M.Tech in Computer Science degree program, it means that you will have to take admission once. First, you will complete your B.Tech and then you will immediately start your M.Tech. 

Now, you must be wondering, what’s the advantage here? The biggest advantage is that you can complete this in 5 years of time instead of the 6 years if you would have studied them separately.

Conclusion

Dual Degree programs, Joint/Twinning Degree programs, and Integrated Degree programs are all really good provisions in terms of skill enhancement. All these provisions will definitely help people become more skilled and trained for jobs that are out there waiting for skilled professionals, thereby decreasing unemployability. 

Dual degree is an amazing opportunity for the students which they must not miss. Students definitely must take advantage of this and also the advantage of technology in education. Online education is one such opportunity that you must grab. You could say that a dual degree and online education are a killer combination!

So, in case you are looking for an online degree course to pursue, then College Vidya is the right place to go. Why? You’ll get anything and everything related to online as well as distance education here. From information to counselling, to a list of all the approved online universities, and so much more but let us skip to the good part, you can compare various universities on this portal based on your personalised characteristics, using the “Compare” feature in just a click and then easily choose the right university according to your own needs.