Institutes, students take to dual degrees

International exposure and the opportunity to learn things not usually taught in a single institute make double degrees valuable.

A management degree is no more complete with the stamp of just one good Indian or international college on it. With recruiters preferring students with diverse education profile, quite a few institutes are offering dual-degree or double-degree programmes in collaboration with foreign institutes. The programmes allow the student to complete the first year in India and the second year at a foreign institute.

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A), for instance, launched its first dual-degree programme in partnership with Essec Business School, Paris, in 2006.

IIM-A has now signed up for a dual-degree programme with Italian Bocconi University and is close to doing so with University of Texas.

Academicians say the growing interest towards dual-degree programmes is not surprising. A student earns two management degrees from top management schools in the world. The exposure of both national and international markets is valuable, they add.

IIM-Lucknow (IIM-L) was one of the early readers of this trend. It launched a dual-degree programme with European School of Management (ESCP-EAP) in 2003. At least six students graduate from the programme every year.

According to Devashish Dasgupta, chairperson, Financial Aid and International Linkages at IIM-L, students are selected on the basis of academic performances in first year, potential to emerge as an ambassador for the institute and on the basis of prior international exposure.

"While top six of our students are selected for the dual degree, ESCP-EAP sends between one and three students. Students are supposed to complete three terms before the award of the degree. The biggest advantage in such partnerships is that students tend to get international exposure and learn things usually not taught in their respective institutes," said Dasgupta.

The tuition fee under such a programme is usually worked out between the two institutes, making it an attractive proposition for the student. Meritorious students can also bag full or partial scholarships for such programmes. The Institute of Business Management and Research (IBMR), a rapidly expanding business school in the country, will launch a dual-degree programme with University of Stirling, Scotland.

Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar, has tied up with the University of East London (UEL) and offers a dual-degree in computer sciences, management, biotechnology and applied sciences.

The trend has caught on in other disciplines as well. The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, has signed up for a dual-degree programme with the National University of Singapore. Likewise, The Institute of Clinical Research is offering a dual-degree programme with the Cranfield University, UK.