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Manipal University collaborates with 26 partner universities to offer international degrees

SURESH Kumar wanted to study abroad, but his conservative parents were not willing to send him outside the country for an undergraduate programme. Suresh joined SRM University. The twinning programme with Warwick came to his rescue. He did two years at SRM Chennai and the next two at Warwick. He obtained a BS (Computer Science) from Warwick, and did so at half the cost, thanks to the twinning arrangement.

How twinning courses started

The concept of twinning programmes began in India in 1995. Twinning programme offers a cost-effective opportunity for exploring international academic atmospheres through collaborations with universities abroad. The programme aims to expose students to world-class facilities and academic practices as they spend significant term of the course overseas.

Meeting students’ needs

And nowadays with stricter visa norms and multiple loan requirements, many students find taking up a degree courses abroad quite tough. But when you join a twinning programme, the process is a lot easier. “Visa processing is simplified as the students have already started the programme with the backing of a higher ranking institution,” shares Dr M. Usha of Sona College of Technology. “These 4-year UG courses have been designed to address the needs of students to get trained to the requirements of a globalized world,” says Dr. Madan Gopal, Director, School of Engineering, Shiv Nadar University (SNU).

Imbibing best practices

In addition to this, global exposure makes the students more tolerant to diverse cultural practices. During the course, the strategies adopted in teaching and learning equip students with global standards in education and training. After having spent some time in India, students can relate to the varying styles of teaching and learning at foreign universities. It enables them to imbibe the best practices from the two academic institutions to develop a well-rounded perspective on courses. The degree may be treated as a foreign university degree unless it is declared as a dual degree programme by the Indian university. Students must evaluate the course and cost structure along with the admission guidelines for foreign universities before applying for the twinning arrangement to ensure a productive academic experience.

PROGRAMMES ON OFFER

Shiv Nadar University

Students at SNU are required to study alternate years at Greater Noida and Carnegie Mellon University’s Pittsburg campus for the 4-year dual B.S./B.Tech degree programme in the domains of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. “This programme has been designed with a common curriculum where the students pursuing the programme will be awarded two degrees. The students will be awarded a Bachelor in Technology from SNU and a BS in Engineering from CMU,” says Dr. Gopal. The application procedure for international term may be completed after enrolling at SNU as Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has its own set of requirements. “The applicants need to meet both SNU and CMU’s admissions criteria, including taking the SAT and TOEFL. The fee structure meets the requirements of both SNU and CMU,” Dr Gopal said.

SRM University

The university attempts to replicate international teaching and learning practices. The ‘Academy for International Programme (AIP)’ at SRM is well equipped to enable students to take up ‘Twinning (Transfer) Degree overseas and Dual Degree overseas’ programmes. The students under a programme structured as ‘2+ 2 program’ are expected to complete first two years of BTech at SRM and the rest at the foreign university. According to the university, the admission is subject to the requirements laid down by the selection procedure of over 70 top-class universities from the USA, UK and Australia in varied engineering specializations.

Manipal University

Through its International Centre for Applied Sciences (ICAS) programme, the university leverages the opportunities for students at universities in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada and France. The credit transfer systems allow them to complete their last 2 years of engineering programme at a foreign university. The 5-year course in Aersopace engineering is an exception, requiring students to complete only the first year at Manipal Campus. Students can select from 26 partner universities that Manipal University has collaborated with for awarding international degrees.

Lovely Professional University

After fulfilling the application requirements of international universities separately, LPU students may apply for specializations at foreign locations through B.Tech (Regular) with Twinning Arrangement. The degrees are offered in specialized fields like Digital Signal Processing in Electronics Engineering, Networking & Security from Computer Engineering and Mechatronics domain of Mechanical Engineering. After the first two years, students can stay back in case of any obstacle to joining the foreign university. This would lead to the award of B.Tech degree.

Amrita VishwaVidyapeetham

The university started the two-year part-time programme in ‘Engineering, Master of Science in Embedded Systems- MSES’ in 2009. The programme in the domain of semiconductors is spread across weekends to suit professionals. The twinning arrangement with University at Buffalo, New York requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Science or technology or a postgraduate degree (MSc, MCA). 

Sona College of Technology

The two-year PG degree in Computer Engineering is offered on completion of the second year at Syracuse University. “This is the best choice for those who aspire to study and get placements in USA in a cost effective way. There is a 50% cost reduction when compared to students who study both years at Syracuse University,” says DrUsha. The admission to international university requires GRE and TOEFL scores with an engineering degree in Computers or Electrical Engineering.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

TNAU has tied up with Cornell University to equip PG students with an international learning experience through Dual Degree programme. The MS-MPS programme is offered in Food Processing and Marketing, Biotechnology and Business management.