AP changes 3-year degree programme to 4-year UG honours

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has redesigned  the  curriculum  framework  of  4-year  UG  honours  degree programme  into a single  major  from  the  2023-24 academic year.

This is in accordance with the National Education Policy-2020 under the UGC’s new  student-centric “Curriculum  and  Credit  Framework  for Under graduate  Programmes  (CCFUP)”, incorporating  a  flexible  choice-based  credit  system,  multidisciplinary  approach  and multiple  entry  and  exit  options.  

The AP  state  council  of higher  education  has  redesigned  the  curricular  framework  for  the  4-Year  honours  UG programmes  with a single  major and one  minor and this is changing degree course to four years from the present three years.

Prof K Hemachandra Reddy, chairman of the state council of higher education said this would be effective from 2023-24.  “This is a flexible choice-based credit system with a multidisciplinary approach and multiple entry and exit options. This would facilitate students to pursue their career path by choosing the subject/field of their interest."

Prof Reddy said this redesigned programme is mandatory for all colleges-government, aided and private, unaided institutions across the state.

“The existing degree programmes including B.Sc, BA etc need to be converted into single-major programmes.  Pursuing an honours degree in a single major provides the opportunity for a student to have an in-depth study of a particular subject or discipline. Along with a single major, a student shall also study one minor. A student is eligible to pursue a postgraduate (PG) in the minor he/she selected along with the subject selected as a major. The minor courses are assigned with 24 credits, required for admission into a PG program in a particular subject.”

Explaining that the students will have a variety of choices in selecting minors for the study cutting across disciplines, Reddy said, thus, a science student may opt for economics, history, music, yoga, design-thinking, data science or any other subject of market relevance.

Similarly, those doing BA, B.Com, BBA etc also can pursue the subject of their interest as a minor. A student is required to opt for a minor after completing the first semester.

“The minor shall stand as an open vertical. Students shall choose any vertical of choice offered either offline by the college or online by SWAYAM, NPTEL, UGC, or any other Edu Tech Company approved by the respective affiliating university and APSCHE” he added.

Vice chairman of APSCHE, Prof. Ramamohan Rao, said a college can offer multiple verticals of minor programmes offline or online based on the availability of required infrastructural facilities and faculty resources. The 10-month mandatory internship including a community service project, short-term internship and semester internship would continue.

“We offered single majors in 53 areas and the management of the colleges will opt a few of them based on the demand and facilities available on the premises,” he added.