State universities have come up with a list of elective subjects they would offer students after introduction of the choice-based credit system at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Under the system, there will be four core subjects - science, humanities, social sciences and commerce - and a student taking any of them at the undergraduate or postgraduate level can take six elective papers. These six papers will include four papers from the core subject and one each from the listed elective subjects for that core subject. The entire assessment process would be grade-based.

The universities would offer 12 subjects - economics, geography, law, psychology, language (humanities), management, social science, commerce, mathematics, statistics, environmental science and computer science/applications - as electives.

Thus, a student pursuing postgraduation in physics can take up any two subjects out of economics, geography, law, psychology, language (humanities) and management as electives. Elective courses might be supportive of the discipline of study or provide an expanded scope, enabling exposure to other disciplines and also nurture the student's proficiency.

Patna University pro vice-chancellor R.K. Verma, who has prepared the draft of the system, told The Telegraph: "There will be more flexibility now. A science student will get an opportunity to study law and management, which was not the case earlier."

Animesh Kumar, a third-year undergraduate history student at Patna College, said: "Supposing I take up history as my core subject next year, I can take up either of humanities, commerce, mathematics, statistics, law, management, environmental science or computer science/application for my elective papers."

Annual exams will also be a thing of the past. Undergraduate courses will now have six semesters and postgraduate ones four. The four postgraduate semesters will consist of four papers each. Of the 16 papers, the student has to take 10 from core subjects and the six from elective subjects, which must include four of the core subject and one each from other streams.

In short, under the new system, there will be two kinds of courses - core and elective. Every semester must have a core course, which is compulsory for all students, while elective course will try and expose students to other disciplines and nurture their proficiency and skill.

Governor Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday directed vice-chancellors to ensure implementation of the new system in their respective universities at the earliest. He said it would not only provide students much-needed flexibility but also go a long way in enhancing their knowledge.

Sources said the issue of constituting a higher education examination board to bring in a uniform examination system was also discussed at the VCs' meet.

One VC raised the issue of evolving a broad consensus among students, teachers and principals before constituting the board. The meet decided to organise a seminar so that a broad consensus emerges on this.