Nishikant Khajuria
nishikantkhajuria@gmail.com
Over the previous week, whereas engaged on this characteristic, I observed a stunning sense of envy towards some college students on the College of Jammu — all due to the diploma program they’re pursuing.
I want I might flip again the clock to my late teenagers and enrol myself in that very program simply to design the long run completely of my selecting.
You’ve possible guessed which one I’m speaking about: the undergraduate “Design Your Diploma” program on the College of Jammu, a daring innovation that’s revolutionizing and rewriting the foundations of upper training.
For many years, college students have been compelled to decide on between streams—Science, Commerce, or Humanities—typically at the price of their broader pursuits. Design Your Diploma (DYD) programme dismantles this “both/or” framework and replaces it with a multidisciplinary method. Conceived by JU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Umesh Rai, in alignment with the transformative imaginative and prescient of the Nationwide Schooling Coverage (NEP) 2020, this revolutionary four-year undergraduate programme seeks to redefine how college students study, specialize, and put together for the long run.
Launched in 2023, the DYD programme has been designed to maneuver past the inflexible, conventional construction of mounted programs. As a substitute, it provides college students the liberty to craft their very own tutorial pathways, combining topics from a number of disciplines based on their pursuits and profession targets. Constructed on flexibility, inter-disciplinary, and experiential studying, the programme isn’t just producing graduates—it’s nurturing innovators, problem-solvers, and assured people able to navigate an unsure future.
The programme begins with a two-year exploratory section, the place learners have interaction with various topics starting from Arithmetic and Expertise to Environmental Science and Ethnographic Analysis. This deliberate “mental wandering” allows college students to find intersections—comparable to utilizing satellite tv for pc information for agriculture or linking tourism with cultural preservation. Solely after this section do college students transition right into a domain-specific main, comparable to BBA or B Tech, however with a powerful interdisciplinary basis already in place.
What really distinguishes DYD isn’t just its construction, however lived experiences of the scholars themselves as the school rooms prolong into laboratories, communities, industries, and even nationwide establishments. This mix of educational and sensible studying permits college students to attach idea with utility—a vital ability in in the present day’s job market.
“My journey started at a defining second… I felt a disconnect with conventional programs. Selecting DYD was a shift from being a passive learner to an energetic ‘doer,” says Narayan Choudhary, a BBA scholar, whose journey displays the core philosophy of the programme—freedom to discover earlier than committing to a specialization.
Equally, Malhar Khadyal remembers how the programme helped him discover course. “After I began, I didn’t have a lot readability about what precisely I wished to do, however this program gave me the area to discover completely different areas and perceive what really fits me,” he stated.
A defining characteristic of DYD is its emphasis on real-world publicity. Internships, initiatives, and fieldwork kind an integral a part of the curriculum. Shubham Sharma, a third-year scholar, highlights this side by saying: “The very best factor about DYD is that it’s not solely about idea… I labored on completely different initiatives and likewise did internships, together with at IIT Bombay and Zigma International. These experiences helped me perceive the true work atmosphere.”
One of the crucial putting outcomes of the programme is the transformation it brings in college students’ confidence and mindset. Adil Mahajan, who transitioned from a medical background to Synthetic Intelligence, shares: “I had a deep concern of arithmetic… however this program helped me see math and code as instruments to resolve real-world issues. That shift in perspective modified all the pieces.”
Likewise, Paridhi Mahajan displays on her private progress: “Initially, I had very low communication abilities and a concern of talking on stage… DYD supplied me a platform to specific myself and change into assured.”
For Kashvi, the transformation was equally profound. “I used to be fairly introverted once I joined, however DYD helped me come out of my consolation zone… At this time, I really feel extra assured and able to face new challenges,” she stated.
The programme’s interdisciplinary method has enabled college students to develop revolutionary options and compete at nationwide and world ranges. Narayan Choudhary’s staff, as an illustration, achieved outstanding success. “We had been ranked 1st within the nation within the qualifying rounds of a nationwide innovation problem and represented India at a world platform,” he notes.
College students like Vidhita Arora have additionally excelled in hackathons. “Collaborating in competitions helped me improve my sensible abilities, teamwork, and talent to assume beneath strain,” she stated. These achievements underline the programme’s give attention to turning concepts into impactful outcomes.
Regardless of its many benefits, DYD will not be with out its challenges. The pliability it provides can typically really feel overwhelming. Neamat Kour candidly shares: “Making the correct decisions with out a mounted construction was typically complicated… however it helped me change into extra unbiased and assured in my choices.” Equally, Vidhita Arora acknowledges that there have been moments of confusion and setbacks, however every problem taught her resilience, persistence, and consistency.
These experiences spotlight how the programme not solely imparts data but in addition builds important life abilities. Past teachers and innovation, DYD fosters holistic growth. Sarnish, one other scholar, emphasizes the worth of publicity and says: “It’s not nearly classroom studying—we had internships, workshops, webinars… These helped me construct confidence and perceive my strengths.” For Tavishi Amla, the journey has been deeply private. “DYD gave me the liberty to discover and develop past boundaries… It helped me flip curiosity into goal,” she stated.
The Design Your Diploma programme displays a bigger shift in training—in direction of flexibility, inter-disciplinary, and student-centric studying. It prepares college students not only for jobs, however for dynamic careers and evolving industries. As Pawandeep Singh aptly places it: “DYD has been a journey of self-discovery… It helped me establish my pursuits and select a path that excites me and has actual affect.”
On the College of Jammu, the DYD programme is greater than a tutorial innovation. It’s a transformative expertise. By giving college students the liberty to discover, the instruments to create, and the boldness to guide, it’s redefining what it means to be educated within the twenty first century. Within the phrases of its college students, it’s not nearly incomes a level—it’s about designing one’s future.
