Around the world, postgraduate education is flexible and interdisciplinary. The goal of such programmes is to align advanced learning to market needs without compromising academic rigour. In addition, there is now a greater need to run high-intensity one-year master’s (1YM) programmes alongside two-year routes.
India’s new Curriculum and Credit Framework for Postgraduate Programmes, issued by the UGC, operationalises this flexibility. Based on the National Credit Framework, it includes a 1YM for students who complete a four-year bachelor’s with honours, a two-year master’s for those with a three-year bachelor’s, and an integrated five-year route following 12th standard.
Why is 1YM necessary now? In rapidly-expanding domains such as AI, data, materials, advanced manufacturing, deep tech and digital public infrastructure, time-to-skills has become important for both learners and employers. As we expand at scale, it is necessary for students graduating from the four-year undergraduate programmes to have access to focused, multidisciplinary postgraduate knowledge.
The UGC’s framework for 1YM offers flexibility within a clearly defined credit architecture. One-year master’s programmes can be course-heavy, research-heavy or a course-plus-dissertation combination, provided that outcomes, levels and credits are in tune with the National Credit Framework.
A key objective is to promote multidisciplinarity. UGC regulations explicitly specify that there is no discipline-specific entry barrier to PG admission. Universities should use this flexibility and admit graduates based on major or minor competence or via an entrance assessment. This non-discipline-specific entry barrier will allow students from engineering and science disciplines to pursue social sciences or policy, and students from non-technical disciplines can enter applied engineering and technology tracks. Where required, students can undergo bridge courses to ensure preparedness.
Consider an example. An electrical engineering graduate from a four-year UG could complete a 1YM in public policy with a technology focus. Such competencies in regulation, ethics and technology governance are increasingly in demand.
For working professionals, 1YM programmes are especially well-suited for reskilling and upskilling. There is a sustained demand in industry for advanced digital skills. The 2026 Nasscom Strategic Review projects India’s tech sector over $315 billion in revenue, with around 6 million direct jobs and over 2 million professionals upskilled in artificial intelligence. A short, intensive master’s delivered in stackable modular blocks will allow professionals to accumulate credits at their convenience without multi-year career interruptions.
Online learning is another expanding pathway in helping people earn a 1YM degree. The UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 recognise a large number of higher education institutions for online and ODL programmes, providing a regulated pathway for high-quality digital delivery of a 1YM degree. Universities can adopt hybrid models for laboratory or design practice where needed.
The case for a rapid, research-heavy 1YM becomes even stronger from the standpoint of India’s national missions. The National Quantum Mission is working on developing intermediate-scale quantum computers, multi-node quantum networks and satellite-based quantum communication, backed by over ₹6,000 crore in funding. Such missions require a pipeline of graduates with specialised knowledge in physics, engineering, algorithms and systems. The India Semiconductor Mission aims to train 85,000 design and manufacturing engineers, expand electronic design automation access from 315 to 500 institutions under ISM 2.0, and clock 1.85 crore hours of design tool usage.
Entrepreneurship is another area that will benefit from 1YM. India’s university incubators are already driving deep tech innovation. To cite one such example, consider IIT Madras Incubation Cell. It has 500 startups with a portfolio valuation exceeding ₹53,000 crore. A 1YM programme is particularly useful in such ecosystems by shortening the time from research to venture. Students can turn their work into incubated startups with faculty mentorship and access to labs.
A shorter, flexible programme, especially with online theory and on-campus lab work, will reduce time and mobility burdens that disproportionately affect women. As of October 31, 2024, 73,151 Centre-recognised startups had at least one woman director, indicating that India’s startup ecosystem is seeing greater participation by women. Introduction of 1YM programmes can, therefore, strengthen women’s retention and progression into skilled roles and founder pathways.
Two-year master’s remains indispensable for some disciplines and learner needs. Therefore, the UGC framework rightly keeps all pathways open with flexibility and students can choose what best fits their preparation and career goals.
Without losing time, therefore, India’s universities should offer a well-designed 1YM with a work integrated dissertation linked to research and partnerships with industries. These 1YM programmes will provide a productive, rigorous pathway to the students.
In higher education, the coming decade should be about creating short, rigorous, outcome-aligned postgraduate routes that respect students’ time and India’s strategic needs.
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar | Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Calcutta and Former Chairman, University Grants Commission
(Views are personal)
