The University Grant Commission (UGC) has approved a proposal for 18 State universities and higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Karnataka to collaborate with foreign institutions to offer twinning, joint degree, or dual degree programmes.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, National Law School of India University (NLSIU), University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, University of Mysore, Visvesaraya Technological University (VTU), and private universities like Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Deemed to be University) and Christ (Deemed to be University) are among the 18 that have received approval for collaboration with foreign universities.
Courses such as psychology, nursing, engineering, information technology, biotechnology, law, human rights, arts and humanities, and others have received the nod.
Under the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), the UGC has notified the University Grants Commission (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes) Regulations, 2022, on May 2, 2022.
These regulations promote enhanced academic collaboration with foreign higher educational institutions, leading to academic and research excellence in Indian HEIs. Academic and research collaboration, as well as the mobility of students and faculty through joint degree and dual degree programmes, is expected to help Indian HEIs achieve higher global rankings.
A twinning programme will be a collaborative arrangement in which students enrolled with an Indian HEI will study partly in India and partly in the foreign HEI and then be awarded a degree by the Indian HEI.
For a joint degree programme, the curriculum will be designed jointly by the collaborating Indian and foreign HEIs. Upon completion of the programme, the Indian HEI and the collaborating foreign HEI will award the degree with a single certificate.
The dual degree programme will be jointly designed and offered by the Indian and foreign HEIs in the same disciplines/subject areas and at the same level. The degrees for such a programme will be conferred by the Indian and foreign HEIs, separately and simultaneously, upon completion of the degree requirements of both institutions. This will not be construed as two-degree programmes in separate disciplines/subject areas and/or levels being pursued simultaneously.
However, the UGC also has some conditions for collaboration; Indian HEIs shall obtain the approval of its appropriate authority, like the Board of Governors/Board of Management/Syndicate/Executive Council, for academic collaboration with any Foreign HEIs. The Indian HEIs will have to seek the necessary approval from the relevant statutory councils/bodies before entering into collaboration in technical, medical, legal, agricultural and other professional programmes.
Speaking to The Hindu, S. Vidyashankar, Vice Chancellor of VTU, said, “Preparations have already been made for the MoU with foreign universities. Earlier, we had entered into agreements with some foreign universities regarding teaching exchange and research. We also allowed our students to do internships and project work at any university in the world. Now, we have taken steps to sign an agreement for the twinning programme with Temple University of Philadelphia, USA. In this regard, two rounds of talks have already been held, and the third round of talks will be held soon. In addition, an agreement will be made with foreign universities to come to India and offer twinning programmes.”
