11 get BSc degrees from Madras univ’s tieup with Oz

Chennai: As many as 11 students received their degree certificates from the first-ever BSc (blended) science degree programme offered by the departments of the University of Madras on Wednesday. The degree programme is offered in partnership with the University of Melbourne, Australia. This degree programme is a multidisciplinary initiative jointly conducted by nine departments of the University of Madras, including theoretical physics, biophysics, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, zoology, genetics, microbiology, mathematics, and materials science.
"For the first four semesters, we studied all four subjects-physics, chemistry, biology, and maths-as majors. In the final year, I chose chemistry as my specialization. The level of the course is so high that I find my postgraduate analytical chemistry easy," said Chinmayan Avinash, one of the students from the first batch.Another student, Gopika, said the multidisciplinary course helped her understand the basic concepts of all four subjects. Rita John, registrar of the University of Madras, said the programme will soon be upgraded to a dual degree programme, where students will have an option to complete their degree at the University of Melbourne."Students graduating from this research-oriented programme can seamlessly pursue higher education in any university. It gives them exposure to cutting-edge technologies such as quantum computing," she added.Higher education secretary P Shankar distributed the degree certificates to students. Willa Huston, coordinator of the BSc (blended) science programme at University of Melbourne, and G Ambika, national coordinator of the programme from IISER, Thiruvananthapuram, participated in the event.Later, they held discussions on curriculum design, question paper setting, curriculum revision, and future academic enhancements. More than 15 faculty members participated in the discussions. Students also demonstrated their learning outcomes in core subjects such as physics, chemistry, maths, and biology.