Gandhinagar: Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has introduced 21 new minor/honors courses in fields such as Data Science, Internet of Things, Electric Vehicles, AI Techniques and Machine Learning, Construction Technology, and Energy Engineering across 16 colleges under its affiliation, said Higher Education Minister Rushikesh Patel in response to a question raised by a member in the Legislative Assembly.

In this regard, the Minister added that for the academic year 2024-25, GTU has collaborated with industries to offer a total of 13 minor/honors programs. These include partnerships with iACE – Maruti Suzuki, L&T EduTech, and TCS iON. These industries offer minor/honors degrees in subjects such as Electric Vehicles, Internet of Things, Industrial Process Safety, AI and Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, and 3D Printing.

Explaining the minor/honors courses, the Minister stated that the concept of a ‘minor degree’ has been implemented under NEP in emerging areas that are not generally covered in the bachelor’s degree credit framework. This concept has been introduced across the country, including in Gujarat, as part of a multi-disciplinary education system.

Similarly, under the ‘honors degree’, students choose a program within their own course area that is not covered in the degree credit framework. Upon successful completion, the student is awarded an honors degree in addition to their primary course degree, he added.

Providing an example, the Minister explained that students pursuing a major in Civil Engineering can opt for minor degree programs in Computer Science and Engineering, Data Science, or Cybersecurity. Likewise, students majoring in Computer Engineering can specialize in subjects such as Data Science, Cybersecurity, AI, and Blockchain under the honors degree program.

Thus, a student can simultaneously pursue an additional specialization alongside their primary course. Upon successful completion, they are awarded an additional minor/honors degree. DeshGujarat