After SVU, dual degrees to be launched in other AP universities, engineering colleges

VIJAYAWADA: After successful implementation of dual degree programmes in Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), Tirupati, the State government is also planning to introduce the same in a few other universities and engineering colleges across the State. In fact, SVU started to offer a six-year dual degree programme in B.Tech and M.Tech from the current academic year on its campus.

The programme received a huge applause and all the seats assigned under the dual degree were filled.
Branches such as Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) and Computer Science Engineering (CSE) have got 120 seats each, whereas the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Civil and Mechanical Engineering branches have got 60 seats each. Similarly, the higher education department is planning to implement similar dual degree programmes in other universities from the coming academic year.

Apart from BTech-MTech programmes, the officials are also planning to bring BSc-MSc programmes too.
Speaking to Express, a senior official from the higher education department said, “Dual degree programmes will benefit the students with a standardised and quality education. In majority of the cases, the four-year BTech might not help the candidates to gain knowledge, but the dual degree will certainly fill the gaps in the stream and benefit students and give them better opportunities.”

However, the admission process for securing a dual degree seat varies from the usual admissions. Usually, all the admissions for engineering will be done through EAMCET. But in these dual degree courses, the university itself conducts a special admission test and the candidates who qualify in the examination will be allotted a seat. For the current academic year, SVU conducted an examination SVUEET-2017, through which qualified students were given admission.

Meanwhile, student organisations and educationalists are demanding implementation of a five-year dual degree programme instead of a six-year one. “Dual degree programmes are meant to save time of the students and finish the entire course at a go. With four year of graduation and two years of post graduation, candidates can prefer the regular method,” said K S Lakshman Rao, former MLC. “Opting for dual degree must be something useful and it would be beneficial if the government comes up with five-year degree programme,” said Lakshman Rao.