Fresh move to make UK's one-yr Master's degree valid in India

India has decided to rework modalities for giving equivalence to UK’s one-year Master’s degree as the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry’s recommendation to offer a six-month bridge course for students with such degrees failed to take off.

Indian universities found it difficult to implement the HRD Ministry’s proposal. The Ministry has now set up a committee under University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Ved Prakash to take a relook and come up with a plan for fulfilling India’s promise made a year and a half ago to bring UK degrees on par with Indian ones, official sources told Deccan Herald.

UK’s Master’s degree is not recognised in India as British universities offer a one-year post graduate programme as against the two-year Master’s programme in India. As a result,  a large number of Indian students with UK Master’s degree are left in the lurch, unable to pursue further education or seek employment here.

Hence, India recently decided to give equivalence to UK’s Master’s degree. After months of dialogue with the UK, in November 2013 it was decided to offer a six-month bridge course for students with such degrees at Indian universities to bring on par with their Indian counterparts. Then HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju held a meeting with his British counterpart and his Ministry followed it up with the UGC to finalise the modalities for giving equivalence to UK’s Master’s degree in various disciplines.

According to the modalities, students with Master’s degree in engineering, applied arts, architecture and pharmacy from UK were required to study a one-year bridge course to gain equivalence.

Masters in Management, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences were required to undergo a six–month bridge course to gain equivalence.

A provision for six-month bridge course was also made for students who had 4-year B. Tech degree from Indian universities and one year post graduate programme from UK universities. The UGC identified 15 universities to conduct the bridge courses. However, the universities found it difficult to design an appropriate bridge course.