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Undergraduate Occupational Minor

Explore interdisciplinary themes with courses like Education, Data and Democracy, Media and Journalism, Arts Education, Sports and Fitness, and Climate Studies.

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The four-year BA and BSc Honours programme 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 the option of a Disciplinary Minor)
  5. Research or Internship (in the fourth year of Study)

What is an Occupational Minor?

The occupational minor is an integral part of our academic framework that will enhance the educational experience of our students. It will provide them with an opportunity to gain specific knowledge and skills in a field that complements their chosen major.

The occupational minor is an innovative interdisciplinary theme designed to provide students with a deep understanding of current global and Indian social, political, cultural, and ecological conditions while equipping them with the skills and tools necessary for occupational readiness.

This track offers a range of courses to choose from, allowing students to tailor their education to their specific interests and career goals. These courses include Education, Data and Democracy, Media and Journalism, Arts Education, Sports and Fitness, and Climate Studies.

The minor is structured around three key elements:

1. Perspectives:

Students will embark on a journey of acquiring foundational perspectives critical to developing a nuanced understanding of their chosen domain. These courses will provide the necessary intellectual framework for exploring and engaging with real-world issues.

2. Skills:

The programme will equip students with practical knowledge that is directly applicable to various work situations. This practical training will help our graduates stand out in the job market and excel in their chosen careers.

3. Field Immersion/​Internship:

To ensure a well-rounded education, students will have the invaluable opportunity to gain direct exposure to the realities of their chosen field. The internship (in the seventh semester) prepares students to further deepen their understanding and capabilities and allows for different pathways into higher education or entry into the workforce. Students opting to join the workforce will do a semester-long interdisciplinary occupational internship. 

The occupational minor will empower our students to not only gain a deeper understanding of the world around them but also to make a meaningful impact through their work and further studies. Students who graduate with a four-year degree will be fully ready for the workforce or direct entry into a PhD programme. 

Key details about the occupational minor

1. Complementary Skill Development:

The occupational minor is designed to offer students a well-rounded education. While their major focuses on their primary area of academic interest, the minor allows them to acquire valuable skills in a related or complementary field. This not only broadens their knowledge but also enhances their versatility in the job market.

2. Real-World Readiness:

The courses within the occupational minor are carefully curated to ensure that students gain practical knowledge that is directly applicable in professional settings. This translates to increased employability and the ability to make meaningful contributions to their chosen careers from day one.

3. Personalised Learning:

Students have the flexibility to choose an occupational minor that aligns with their career goals and interests. This individualised approach allows them to tailor their education to their specific aspirations and enhances their academic journey.

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

Note : Themes such as Biodiversity Conservation, Design for Communities, Music Education, Tech for Social Good will be added as Occupational Minors from 2024. 

The Media and Journalism courses aim to complement existing majors and support students’ interests in media and journalism. 

The programme consists of two parallel tracks: Media Production and Journalism.

Each with three mandatory courses, designed to impart skills for creating media in meaningful, reflective, and responsible ways, and teach students to write, report, and edit for different types of media. 

The Journalism track covers reporting and editing techniques, treatment of stories, working with sources, and different styles of journalism for various media.

The curricular goals aim to enable students to understand the role of media and communication technologies in contemporary life, engage with emergent media forms, develop abilities to deploy communication technologies, create texts, conceive alternative uses of media texts and technologies, and intervene in the public domain.

Courses in this track would include subjects like 

Internship: The internship would ideally be with a media organisation.

The Constitution of India guarantees individual freedoms through its fundamental rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy articulate policies that can be undertaken by the governments to ensure these rights are honoured. Development initiatives must advance these principles and incorporate transparency, accountability, and participatory democracy.

While technology has improved administrative efficiency and public service delivery, it may also result in technological exclusions and dilution of accountability. It is essential to consider unique social and geographic constraints and involve rights-holders in creating people-centric data dashboards. Rigorous analytical skills and a grounding in statistical methods are critical for evidence-based analysis and evaluating policies.

The Interdisciplinary curriculum for Data, Democracy and Development aims to develop critical perspectives on technology and data for policy. It emphasises understanding the political context of data systems, designing and deploying ethical information systems, and developing analytical toolkits for identifying systematic patterns of exclusions. The curriculum also explores how adopting the right technology and data analysis lens can advance constitutional values.

Courses in this track would include subjects like 

Internship: The internship would ideally be with the government or any CSO that generates data or uses public data for policy implementation and/​or advocacy.

The Sports and Fitness courses combines the knowledge bases of health sciences, physical education, and the sports and fitness industry. In urban India, there is a growing interest in a healthier lifestyle, leading to a rise in fitness and sports-related organisations. 

Another role Sports and fitness activities play is to bring about social change by promoting awareness of biases, building life skills, and bringing diverse groups of people together. Various projects in India creatively use sports to resolve conflicts and build connections between people.

The programme aims to equip individuals with various capacities across two dimensions: 

  • self/​individual
  • team/​group practice

In the self/​individual practice dimension, participants will focus on identifying anatomical structures and physiological systems, understanding their response to physical activity, listing and demonstrating a variety of strength and conditioning exercises along with their applicability, assessing potential injuries, and preparing individuals for possible outcomes. Additionally, participants will recognise patterns of emotional regulation/​dysregulation and cultivate habits of emotional wellness.

The team/​group practice dimension involves describing the basic rules of Ultimate Frisbee, outlining the gross motor skills required, assessing the needs of beginner groups, devising strategies for building a team with individuals of varied capabilities, demonstrating practices and body language that foster cohesion and respect, developing an effective ​‘spirit circle,’ and creating an atmosphere of open and free communication to address biases on the field.

Courses in this track would include subjects like 

Internship: The internship would ideally be applied sports practice at a school or fitness centre or a sports for development organisation.

Climate change is unequivocal, and there is substantial evidence that human activities are the primary cause of the crisis. This interdisciplinary ​‘Climate Studies’ curriculum takes an integrated approach to teach students about the scientific background of climate change and Earth as a complex system.

It aims to develop analytical skills and enables students to appreciate the complexity of climate challenges at multiple scales and contexts. The curriculum also emphasises the importance of climate justice and its connection to marginalised and vulnerable populations. Students will engage with issues such as energy, emissions, consumption, and the design of sustainable solutions.

Courses in this track would include subjects like 

Internship: The Internship could be at a science lab working on climate science or at an organisation working on climate change alternatives or advocacy.

The Arts Education track fosters understanding, skills, and tools to contribute to Arts Education in schools and communities. When referring to Arts Education, we borrow from NEP 2020’s expansive definition, which includes classical and folk dance, drama, music, visual arts, literary arts, craft, cultural practices, and local knowledge.

The occupational minor emphasises the relationship between the arts, educational development, and community interactions. It cultivates foundational capacities in teaching, pedagogy, and community arts practices, offering valuable insights and skills that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Courses in this track would include subjects like 

  • Arts in Context
  • Embodied Learning
  • Arts Integration
  • Arts Facilitation
  • Teaching Arts
  • Arts Partnerships
  • Applied Theatre Practice (Performing Arts) or Collaborative Art Practice (Visual Arts and Crafts). 

Internship: Internships could be at community organisations, schools, etc.

Azim Premji Foundation, of which the University is a part, has a clear interest and mandate for work in the field of education. The systematic study of Education provides a significant opportunity for occupational engagement as well. It offers a way to explore and understand human society and its conditions, its endeavours, and the relationships between these.

In its intention and design, the Occupational Minor in Education is not just a teacher preparation programme. It will also allow for other kinds of meaningful engagement with schools and organisations involved in the field of education. 

The programme will be an introductory exploration of the following:

  • Perspectives from philosophy and sociology that contribute to an understanding of education.
  • The context and structure of Education in India.
  • The process of teaching and learning in the classroom.

Students who complete this Occupational Track (Courses and the Internship) will be able to articulate the nature and purpose of education, articulate the nature of teaching and the role of the teacher in learning, demonstrate a range of techniques and skills that are useful in classroom teaching, evaluate curriculum and classroom practices vis-à-vis the understanding developed about education and society, human development, and the nature of teaching and learning.

Courses in this track would include 

Undergraduate Programmes 

Your time at the University is for you to explore the complexities of the world you live in. We endeavour to make this experience a meaningful one by preparing you to become a creative and thoughtful citizen who can express and most importantly, think critically and contribute to society.