Professionals Can Now Study Courses Without Enrolling in Full Time Programmes: AUD Declaration

State-run Dr B R Ambedkar University Delhi, also known as AUD, will allow professionals, practitioners and other members of society to study one or two courses per semester from the upcoming academic year without the need to enrol in any of the degree programmes, its Vice Chancellor Anu Singh Lather said Monday. 

The scheme -- Competence Enhancement Scheme -- aims to offer individuals from diverse backgrounds the chance to expand their knowledge and skills by enrolling in one or two courses per semester, which are being offered by the schools of AUD.

As many as 143 courses will be offered across 14 schools of the university as part of the CES, the university said. The fee ranges from Rs 3,000 for a 2-credit course up to a maximum of Rs 9,000 for a 4-credit course. Most 4-credit courses are for Rs 8,000.

"The scheme aims to offer individuals from diverse backgrounds the chance to expand their knowledge and skills by enrolling in one or two courses per semester, which are being offered by the schools of Dr B R Ambedkar University Delhi," Lather said at a press conference.

The objective of this scheme is to "open up existing courses of the university to professionals, practitioners and members of society to enable them to (re)join higher education and revisit or explore their areas of interest", according to the brochure issued by the university.

The schools of the university will be offering courses between two to eight credits that are focussed on generic skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, academic writing, research skills, IT software training, and the like and/or specialised courses in specific knowledge domains of the university. 

Some of the courses are Business Communication (4 credits), GST and Statutory Compliances (4 credits) and Care Health and Nutrition (4 Credits).

The candidates, on completion of the requirements, would be awarded credit, and certificates completion duly verified by the university which may be used by the candidates for credit transfer under the Academic Bank of Credits ('ABC') scheme proposed by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

All schools of the University which will be open to admission under the scheme will admit from a range of two to five students for the listed courses depending upon the nature of the course.

"The eligibility of registering for the scheme shall be the same as for regular students enrolled in the programme," the brochure mentioned. A candidate who is already enrolled as a regular student or employed personnel in any other university/institution will have to take NOC from the parent university or institution or his other employer, the AUD said.

The registration of candidates for the specific course will be valid for that semester only. 

"Applications will be screened based on past academic record and work experience. The application form will include a Statement of Purpose to assess a candidate's motivation to participate in a re-skilling programme," the brochure read. 

"The candidates will be interviewed and a merit list shall be prepared based on the marks obtained in the interview," it added.