Students in the first batch of the four-year undergraduate programme at Calcutta University who exit after the third year this July will receive a degree titled “graduate with major”, vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh said on Thursday.
The degree will apply to students admitted in 2023 who complete six semesters but do not pursue the fourth year of the programme.
The decision brings clarity after weeks of confusion among students and teachers over what degree would be awarded to those opting to exit after the third year.
Initially, CU had considered using the term “graduate with honours” for such students, apparently following a model used by Delhi University.
“But according to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the term ‘graduate with major’ can be awarded. After a review, it has been decided that CU will go by what the UGC says,” a senior CU official said.
VC Ghosh told Metro: “We have received a proposal (graduate with major) and that is going to be accepted.”
The clarification came after many teachers said they were unable to answer students’ questions in classrooms about the degree they would receive if they chose not to continue into the fourth year.
Many teachers had urged the university to resolve the issue.
A CU official said experts consulted by the university had suggested the term “graduate with major”.
“We are looking forward to receiving a formal circular from the university in this regard,” said Siuli Sarkar, principal of Lady Brabourne College and a member of the university syndicate, CU’s highest decision-making body.
Under the four-year programme, what was earlier known as an honours subject is now termed a major.
A syndicate member said that according to the UGC, honours can be awarded only after completion of the fourth year, which includes a research component.
“The UGC’s stand is that honours cannot be awarded twice during graduation. We have accepted this,” the member said.
Father Dominic Savio, principal of St Xavier’s College, Park Street, an autonomous institution, said the college would follow the university’s terminology.
“If the university says the students will be graduating with a major, that is the term we will use. We will then state that a student has graduated with a major in English, physics or sociology, depending on the subject,” Father Savio said.
Some college heads, including Scottish Church College principal Madhumanjari Mandal, said they would wait for the university’s circular.
Metro had earlier reported that students across several colleges were seeking clarity from teachers about their status upon graduating in July. Different colleges — and sometimes even teachers within the same institution — had begun offering varying interpretations of the new system.
A CU official said the issue would be discussed at the next syndicate meeting before a circular is issued.
NEP framework
In June 2023, CU announced admission regulations and syllabi for the four-year undergraduate programme under the framework of the National Education Policy 2020.
The programme introduced exit options after the second, fourth and sixth semesters. Earlier, all undergraduate programmes were of three years.
Under the June 2023 regulations, students with a cumulative grade point average equivalent to 75% after completing six semesters “may opt for honours with research degree course in the seventh and eighth semester”.
Students exiting after semester II receive a certificate, while those leaving after semester IV receive a diploma.
While there was no ambiguity about these qualifications, confusion arose over the degree for students exiting after semester VI.
According to a DU notification, students completing semester VI with the required credits may exit with a “degree/honours degree”, depending on the programme.
“We are going to be guided by the UGC,” the CU official said.