MDU’s Golden Jubilee push: ‘Design Your Degree’ plan to let students tailor learning pathways
ROHTAK: In its Golden Jubilee year, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, upon receiving Gold Category Award in implementation of NEP by Haryana State Higher Education Council is preparing a National Education Policy (NEP)-aligned reform blueprint that could introduce a more flexible framework tentatively titled ‘Design Your Degree’.The proposal, currently being redrafted to reflect Indian context and regional needs, aims to strengthen student choice without compromising academic structure. The university plans to implement the initiative with the academic and technical support of the Centre for Curriculum Design and Development (CCDD), MDU, which will guide programme design, outcome mapping, credit architecture and common assessment frameworks.Officials said the idea is to shift from heavily exam-driven learning to a model where projects, portfolios, internships and community-linked assignments become central to learning and evaluation. Students would be able to select elective baskets and skill tracks aligned with their interests and career plans, enabling combinations across disciplines—ranging from entrepreneurship and business innovation to data analytics, AI-enabled applications, communication skills, tourism, sustainability and creative domains.The proposed structure is expected to include clear credit pathways, defined prerequisites and academic advising, so students can build majors/minors and competency-based skill outcomes in a systematic way. University sources said the CCDD will develop standard templates for course outlines, project rubrics and quality assurance mechanisms to maintain uniformity across departments while still allowing innovation.MDU officials described the proposal as part of a larger Golden Jubilee-year academic renewal agenda—one that links classroom learning with real-world problem solving and employability. The plan also aims to strengthen collaborations with industry and public institutions in Haryana, allowing students to work on locally relevant issues such as heritage and tourism, entrepreneurship, sustainability, digital services and community development.A detailed roadmap—covering pilot departments, elective baskets, assessment formats and rollout timelines—is being worked upon and will be placed before statutory bodies for approval as per university norms.
