Maharashtra govt approves 4-year UG programmes with honours, research degrees: Understand course structure

The Maharashtra government approved the rollout of four-year undergraduate programmes, introducing honours and honours with research degrees from the 2026-27 academic year.

The programmes are in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

What's the new programme structure?

A government resolution (GR) issued on Monday stated that the four-year undergraduate programme will be structured into eight semesters, offering two options after completion of the third year: a standard honours degree and an honours degree with research, news agency PTI reported.

Students opting for the honours degree will be required to complete 160-176 credits over four years, including an internship component in the final year.

Meanwhile, those choosing the honours with research track will have to undertake a research project or dissertation, carrying 12 credits in their major subject.

Eligibility for admission to 4th year

The Higher and Technical Education Department stated that eligibility for admission to the fourth year of the honours programme will require successful completion of 120-132 credits in the first three years.

For the honours with research programme, students must also secure a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 7.5.

Other key points to note

1. The intake capacity for the research track will be determined based on the availability of recognised PhD guides, with each guide allowed to supervise up to five students.

2. The GR mandates that all students register on the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) platform to facilitate credit transfer and enable multiple entry and exit options under the NEP framework.

3. It also allows lateral entry into the fourth year at other colleges or university departments, subject to eligibility, seat availability and the state's reservation policy.

4. Colleges offering only three-year undergraduate programmes will be required to obtain permission to start the fourth year.

However, institutions already offering postgraduate courses in the same subject will be allowed to introduce the fourth-year honours programme automatically, while those with recognised PhD centres can also start the honours with research programme without additional approvals.

5. The evaluation system will be semester-based, combining continuous assessment and semester-end examinations, with universities given flexibility to decide the exact assessment pattern.

6. The GR further permits up to 40 percent of courses in a semester to be offered through online platforms such as SWAYAM, in line with UGC regulations.

7. Linking undergraduate and postgraduate education, the government stated that the fourth year of the Honours programme would be aligned with the first year of a two-year postgraduate course.

8. For engineering programmes governed by AICTE, the fourth year will follow a separate framework allowing options such as a single major with a minor, a double minor, and honours degrees.

9. The government said that the implementation of these guidelines will be reviewed periodically through a steering committee to ensure smooth rollout across the state.

Why was this implemented?

According to news agency PTI, the decision aims to bring uniformity and ensure effective implementation of the revised four-year undergraduate structure across all public universities, and affiliated as well as autonomous colleges in the state.

(With inputs from PTI)