Punjab Engineering College to start part-time MTech, dual degree courses from upcoming session

Punjab Engineering College (PEC) is planning to start part-time masters of technology (MTech) courses and a dual degree programme in MTech-PhD from the upcoming academic session.

A proposal for an executive programme (for working professionals) is also being prepared by computer science engineering department of the institute. Earlier, the part-time MTech course was discontinued at PEC. During its 80th meeting in 2018, the college’s senate said that a committee could examine the possibilities of the resumption of the programme. A panel comprising heads of the departments (HODs) of computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering -- Sanjeev Sofat, Tilak Thakur and PS Satsangi, was constituted for the same.

Based on the committee’s recommendations in December 2019, it was decided that the MTech part-time programme may be restarted in various departments of the engineering college.

PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said, “There is a general belief that part-time programmes are typically of poor quality and that is why, they were discontinued. Now, a section of people have started believing that it is possible to maintain quality of such academic courses, hence, the MTech part-time programme is being reconsidered. Also, a decline in MTech admissions is pushing people to reconsider pursuing the part-time programmes.” Meanwhile, the senate has asked all the departments to submit proposals in this regard. The proposal will include eligibility criteria for the part-time programme, admission process and number of seats.

After approving the MTech-PhD dual degree programme, the senate has directed the committee concerned to formulate detailed regulations for the same. Presently, the Punjab Engineering College authorities are discussing about the number of seats to be offered under the programme. The admissions will be conducted along with those of PhD at the institute level.

The senate members have also decided that there will be no admission under the programme on part-time basis and once admitted, the students will not be allowed to convert to the part-time mode for first five academic years. An MTech student at PEC, Suraj Sharma, said, “Part-time MTech courses are a welcome step as these are the need of the hour for aspirants who are already working. It will enable them get a specialisation degree, while continuing to work.”

The student, however, said that dual degrees are not beneficial if the applicant wants to go for research. “There are certain subjects that are skipped in case of dual degree courses which, otherwise, would have been covered in case of regular ones. In dual degree programmes, there is lack of thesis work and it has a direct impact on the students’ base knowledge and research.”