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Four-year Undergraduate programmes at Azim Premji University

An education that nurtures fundamental capabilities along with deep disciplinary knowledge

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Introduction

Azim Premji University started its Undergraduate Programmes in 2015 with majors in Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities leading to BA, BSc, BA Honours and BSc Honours degrees. Six batches have graduated so far, and our rigorous academic experience has opened doors to multiple opportunities in both higher education and employment for our graduates.

Azim Premji University’s four-year undergraduate programmes aim to prepare and nurture highly motivated, socially conscious and reflective young citizens capable of self-learning, in line with National Education Policy (NEP2020

Meaningful education is creative and that happens not in individual isolation but in dialogue with fellow students, faculty and peers — ensuring that students acquire valuable intellectual and occupational knowledge at the undergraduate level.

The programme helps 

  • Develop the disciplinary understanding in-depth, of a chosen Major subject.
  • Acquire interdisciplinary breadth and practical knowledge that provide occupational opportunities and employability in domains of interest through a Minor.
  • Prepare students to become active, self-directed learners with capacities for Critical understanding and thinking.
  • Students engage with the challenging social realities in India.

The four-year programme’s curriculum is divided into five key components:

  1. Disciplinary Major (Sciences | Social Sciences | Humanities)
  2. Occupational Minor (Inter-disciplinary themes)
  3. Common Curriculum (Foundational capacities)
  4. Flexible Credits (with option of a Disciplinary Minor)
  5. Research or Internship (in the 4th year of Study)

Note: We also offer four-year BSc BEd Dual degree programme in Science and Education.

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Arjun Jayadev, Director- School of Arts and Sciences answers the most frequently asked questions about our 4‑year Undergraduate programme.

Components of the four-year Undergraduate programme

Our four-year bachelor’s degree programme allows the opportunity to experience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary liberal education in addition to a focus on chosen Major and Minor.

We also want to provide the learner with a flexible curricular structure that will enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, thereby creating new avenues for both work opportunities and higher education pathways.

Will help build deep disciplinary understanding, and at the same time help the student to explore integrative thinking. Students will choose majors of study from a variety of disciplinary subjects on offer.

The courses in a Major are divided into required Core Courses and Electives. Core Courses will include introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses specific to the discipline. Elective courses will include courses from the disciplinary major or related disciplines that enhance the understanding of the student.

Research Thesis

Students who are considering higher education pathways have the option to do a year-long independent research project in their fourth year of study.

The Research project is designed for students to be able to apply their knowledge in an area of study related to their major, involves working closely with a faculty member, developing a research question, and finally writing up a thesis. 

Students must be prepared for the world of work at the end of the programme should they choose to enter it. We aim to provide the required skills and competencies for this through a Minor featuring courses in an Occupational or Interdisciplinary theme.

These sets of courses are aimed to provide both conceptual understanding and skills and tools that will allow students to contribute through work and further study.

Students can opt for a minor in any one of the indicative areas listed below:

  • Education
  • Media and Journalism
  • Data and Democracy
  • Sports and Fitness
  • Climate Studies
  • Arts Education

The selection of these indicative areas is based on the availability of courses and our evaluation of the student’s interests and academic needs. For each cohort, a final list of available courses will be announced at the end of their second semester.

Through courses in the Occupational Minor, we aim to help students understand and engage with current Indian and global social, political and cultural, and ecological conditions and also build the capacities to readily enter the workforce.

The Common Curriculum will introduce students to the study of the themes and areas that emphasise and build critical and analytical abilities, and sensibilities for dialogue, reflection and cooperative learning. The Common Curriculum has three sub-components organised as below:

Foundations: Build capacity for critical thinking, reasoning and communication.

Understanding India: India’s history, society and possible futures

Creative Expressions: Explore music, visual art, theatre, dance, martial arts, yoga, pottery, sport, and other creative areas.

Students can craft their own educational experience by selecting courses in the following ways:

  • Take additional courses within their Disciplinary Major
  • Pursue a Disciplinary Minor outside of their Major (For e.g. Economics Major and Philosophy as a Minor)
  • Interdisciplinary Minor that will enable them for their further higher studies or career pathways.

These courses could also be selected to enhance and broaden their

  • Language skills and Quantitative reasoning capacities/​programming skills
  • Understanding of themes outside their Major subject

Students can opt for Research or Internship in the 4th year of their Study

Research

Students who are considering higher education pathways have the option to do a year-long independent research project. The Research project is designed for students to be able to apply their knowledge in an area of study related to their major, involves working closely with a faculty member, developing a research question, and finally writing up a thesis.

Internship (Integrated with Occupational Minor)

Students can opt for a a rigorous semester-long internship in organisations — working in the domain allied to the Occupational minor chosen by the student. (i.e., Education, Media and Journalism, etc.). Students opting to join the workforce immediately after graduation will benefit from this pathway providing them with both occupational readiness and professional capacities for employment.


You can choose majors for your BA Honours degree:

Economics | English | History | Philosophy | Social Science | Philosophy, Politics & Economics

You can choose majors for your BSc Honours degree:

Biology | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry | Environmental Science and Sustainability | Information Sciences

In summary — What we offer

  • Deep disciplinary understanding through theory and practical experiences
  • Critical thinking, analytical capabilities, an understanding of India — its opportunities and challenges through our Common Curriculum
  • Work readiness through our Occupational track component
  • A flexible structure that allows students to explore and follow their interests

Our Philosophy

  • Living in a learning community of faculty and mentors committed to student well-being.
  • We help each student realise their potential and the capacity to pursue their dreams.
  • We encourage you to think about the world we live in and India’s past, present and future.

A world of opportunities

Our programme will open doors to multiple opportunities in both higher education and employment. Whether in business, the social sector or even entrepreneurship, our graduates will benefit from an education that nurtures fundamental capabilities along with deep disciplinary knowledge.