Dual degree programme has many benefits - Education

  Students can benefit from a practical and research oriented education format while pursuing a double degree.

Take up a programme that would give exposure both in the Indian condition and as well as in a university overseas, writes Sumit Bhattacharjee

When it comes to study abroad, why not take up a programme that would give exposure both in the Indian condition and as well as in a university in Europe.

The double degree programmes offered by Blekinge Institute of Technology (BIT), Sweden, gives such an opportunity.

BIT has signed MoUs with Andhra University, JNTU-Hyderabad and JNTU-Kakinada for two-year M.Tech/M.Sc. programmes in software engineering, signal processing and telecommunication.

As per the MoU the first semester will be taught at the Indian university and the remaining three will be imparted at BIT. While the Indian university will award an M.Tech degree, BIT will give a M.Sc. degree.

The Project Director of Blekinge, Velpula Gurudutt informs that the tuition fee is only Rs. 1.5 lakh, as BIT has exempted the tuition fee, which normally amounts to Rs. 14 lakh INR, from Indian students under the annual exchange programme.

“The students however have to arrange their living expenses, which normally amounts to about Rs. 4.5 lakh. The visa given is a residence permit, hence the students can also take up part time jobs,” he says.

According to Gurudutt, the students who intend to take up the dual degree programme need not write any qualifying examinations such as GRE, TOEFL or IELTS.

“If he or she has studied in English medium from 10+2 level, that is sufficient to process the application.” Each course caters to 10 seats.

Kiran Kishore and David Hempaul who recently passed out from BIT and AU with dual degrees in telecommunication and software engineering, respectively, say, “The quality of education is very high. The education format is more practical and research oriented.”
Integrated

BIT also offers five-year integrated courses in software engineering, computer science engineering, radio communication, signal processing, telecommunication systems and structural mechanical with JNTU-Hyderabad and JNTU- Kakinada.

Students coming from JNTU-K will be offered B.Tech degree by JNTU-K and M.Sc. degree by BIT.

Students from JNTU-H will be awarded B.Tech and M.Tech degree by the university and M.Sc. degree by BIT.
Programme

Under this programme a student has to study three-and-half-years in any of the JNTUs and the remaining one-and-half-years at BIT.