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The Ahmedabad University on Thursday launched a dual degree BxMx programme which allows an undergraduate student to study for a bachelor’s programme in one discipline while completing a master’s in another in five years. The BxMx programme is designed to equip undergraduate Arts and Science students with a professional degree and students can opt for it from this academic year.
“Ahmedabad University strongly believes in helping students discover their passion and find employment opportunities within their chosen fields. The BxMx programme enhances that ability for our students and also prepares them better for newer career opportunities that occur at the boundaries of many disciplines,” Pankaj Chandra, Vice-Chancellor and professor, said.
The new BxMx programme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which strongly advocates creative combinations of different degrees to enhance critical and analytical thinking and improve employability.
The programme also offers multiple entry and exit points, “thereby doing away with rigid boundaries and providing opportunities for research-based specialisations and multidisciplinary work”, the university said. For example, a Humanities and Social Sciences student aspiring to become a banker can seamlessly apply to the BxMx programme to complete an MBA alongside their BA degree.
Similarly, a student completing a BS in Mathematical and Computational Sciences or Physics can pursue a Master’s in Quantitative Finance by completing the requirements prescribed for the BxMx Programme.
“This flexibility to engage in a bachelor’s programme in one discipline while progressing towards a master’s degree in another distinguishes it from the traditional integrated programmes, which focus on one linear educational path,” Chandra added.
Students can enrol in the BxMx programme at the time of joining the university or they can apply after joining the university. The eligibility criteria, admission requirements, and courses that must be completed within the first four years will be laid down. Students have the option to exit the programme after four years, and if they do so, they will be awarded respective undergraduate degrees. The programme also offers multiple entry points at the end of semesters four, five, and six, upon completion of the credit and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) requirements.
As the university develops other master’s programmes, undergraduate students will have access to several options for completing master’s degrees in varied disciplines after their undergraduate education.
