Delhi University allows fourth-year BA, BSc and BCom students to choose extra subjects and do research but only Honours students get 'Honours with Research'.
Delhi University undergraduate students enrolled in BA, BSC and BCom programme courses can now choose an additional discipline-specific elective (DSE) and a skill-based elective (SEC) in their fourth year to earn an honours degree.
Students enrolled in both honours and a programme course in the fourth year undergraduate program can choose to pursue research in their fourth year. However, only honours students will receive a degree titled "Honours with Research." Those courses will earn an "Honours" degree, whether they undertake research or choose Discipline-Specific Electives (DSE) and Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC).
Delhi University approved more flexible options for fourth-year undergraduate students in a meeting held in May. The details were shared in the minutes of the meeting which are also part of the agenda for another meeting this saturday.
The university noted some concerns about fourth-year courses for students from the School of open learning (SOL) and the Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board (NCWEB). Managing all three options — Dissertation Writing, Academic Projects, and Entrepreneurship — can be challenging due to the large number of students in the fourth year.
Delhi University is launching its first batch of fourth-year undergraduate students under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022 which makes it a significant shift in higher education. This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which has extended the traditional three-year undergraduate programmes to four years.
Students who are pursuing an Honours degree and decide to leave after three years will receive an "Honours" degree. On the other hand, those who completed the full four years will be awarded an "Honours with Research" degree. For students enrolled in Programme courses, they will earn a general degree after three years but if they complete the fourth year, they will receive an "Honours" degree.
Raj Kishore Sharma, the dean of research at DU, mentioned, "We had a lot of questions regarding the program students, especially with the large number that could potentially reach the fourth year".
Mithuraaj Dhusiya, an elected council member, stated, "The last-minute introduction of a new alternative course structure clearly shows what we've been asserting all along that DU is unprepared for the four-year NEP regarding infrastructure, manpower and course design."
Maya John, a history teacher from Jesus and Mary College, pointed out, "The flexibility being suggested for the program courses is quite problematic. It creates significant irregularities and unnecessary inequalities by undermining the real research work that program UG students could be involved in."
