City colleges chart new-age course to attract students

Kochi: As shifting student preferences reshape higher education in Kerala, autonomous colleges and universities in Kochi are revamping their academic courses with industry-oriented and interdisciplinary programmes ahead of the new academic year. Also, many have tied up with foreign universities to offer customised courses.Colleges are introducing specialised courses in artificial intelligence and data science and dual degrees aimed at improving employability, even as approval delays from Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) affect some colleges.St Teresa's College, Ernakulam, in collaboration with Leeds Beckett University (LBU), UK, has launched a dual master's degree programme in journalism and mass communication. Students enrolling in the programme will earn a Master of Arts (MA) degree from MGU along with a Master of Science (MSc) degree from LBU. "Those enrolling for the course will study the first year at St Teresa's College and the second year at LBU, UK," said a college official.Sacred Heart College, Thevara, introduced three new self-financing programmes — BSc Aquaculture, BBA Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Master of Social Work. "The college is preparing to offer new aided programmes this year, including BA Politics (Public Policy and Governance) and BSc Physics in Quantum Computing and AI, subject to university and Kerala govt's approval," said vice-principal Fr Joseph Varghese Kusumalayam.Bharat Mata College will begin MSc Actuarial Science and MCA programmes this year. "We have applied for two programmes in Econometrics and Business Analysis and BA Mass Communication and Journalism," said college's academic director Johnson K M.However, uncertainty over university approval for self-financing courses remains a concern. Rajagiri College of Social Sciences refrained from launching new programmes due to lack of approval from MGU. "University officials say govt decided not to allot self-financing programmes for aided colleges. Starting a course without approval may cause inconvenience to students," said principal Binoy Joseph, adding that the matter is now in court.Faculty members from colleges running courses without university approval said students were facing difficulties in securing educational loans from banks. "Students complain that they are not getting educational loans, but loans are provided to courses with AICTE approval," said a faculty member.Meanwhile, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, is awaiting university approval for govt-sanctioned undergraduate programmes in International Relations and Data Science. St Albert's College refrained from introducing new courses this year, citing infrastructure expansion ahead of including new courses and to accommodate fourth-year students from the first Four-Year Undergraduate Programme batch in 2027-28 academic year.Cochin University of Science and Technology expanded its academic portfolio with five new programmes for the coming year, including BTech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, integrated MSc in Econometrics and Data Science, integrated MA in Hindi Language and Literature, BVoc (Honours) in Data Science and Analytics and MTech in Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing.InfoboxCustomising programmes a new catchDemand for traditional courses declining and increasing student migration from state have forced institutions to introduce new-age programmesHigher education institutions are concerned over lack of clarity from university over duration of master's programmesGovt earlier suggested students completing FYUGP course would have option to complete a master's degree in one yearDespite granting autonomy, MGU interferes in various aspects, including introducing new courses and syllabus preparation, say officials of autonomous colleges