A total of 105 universities across the country including 19 central universities are going to start the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) from the upcoming academic session, according to the University Grants Commission (UGC), reported PTI.
The central universities opting for the four-year UG courses are:
1) Delhi University
2) Aligarh Muslim University
3) Viswa-Bharti University
4) Assam University
5) Tezpur University
6) Central University of Jammu
7) Sikkim University
8) National Sanskrit University
9) Maulana Azad National Urdu University
Other varsities to have joined the list are:
10) Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University
11) The English and Foreign Languages University
12) Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
13) Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya
14) Rajiv Gandhi University
The list also includes central universities of Haryana, South Bihar and Tamil Nadu, PTI added.
The other universities include over 40 deemed-to-be universities, 18 state private universities and 22 state universities.
About FYUP
The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, had recommended that the undergraduate degree be of either three or four-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications — a UG certificate after completing one year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a UG diploma after two years of study, or a Bachelor's degree after a three-year programme.
The four-year multidisciplinary bachelor's programme, however, shall be the preferred option since it allows the opportunity to experience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the choices of the students, the policy had recommended.
More about FYUP framework
In accordance with the NEP 2020, the UGC had formulated a new student-centric Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes (CCFUP) incorporating a flexible Choice-based Credit System (CBCS), multidisciplinary approach, and multiple entry and exit options.
"The existing CBCS though provides a flexibility for students to choose from a range of disciplines, it lacks multi or inter-disciplinary flavour. In its efforts to revise the CBCS, the UGC has developed Curricular Framework and Credit System for FYUP by taking into account all relevant policy recommendations of NEP 2020," UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar told PTI.
The FYUP seeks to equip students with the capacities in fields across arts, humanities, languages, natural sciences, social sciences, ethics of social engagement, soft skills such as complex problem solving, critical thinking, communication skills, along with rigorous specialisation in a chosen disciplinary or interdisciplinary major and minor.
"Students pursuing four-year undergraduate programmes are required to demonstrate a general understanding of the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, interdisciplinary studies and vocational education as well as in-depth study of at least one subject area," he said.
How will it look like
The framework suggests a credit range of 20-22 credits per semester.
Semesters I, II and III seek to develop an understanding of all major areas of learning such as natural sciences, social sciences the humanities, mathematical and computational thinking and analysis, and vocational education.
Students will choose a disciplinary or an interdisciplinary area of learning for specialisation as major and minor in Semesters IV, V and VI.
In Semesters VII and VIII, they will take up research projects along with advanced disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses.
The framework specifies curriculum components of FYUP along with the credit apportionment.
"A suggestive credit structure for FYUP with 160 credits is also given in the framework. The curricular framework and credit system developed by the UGC for undergraduate programmes emulating the limitless learnings that existed in ancient India will throw infinite opportunities to students, we hope," Kumar said.
