Undergraduate curriculum can be customised to suit individual needs

The concept of ‘emerging adulthood’ acknowledges the diverse levels of individuality exhibited by young people and reflects the process of their decision making. The increasing maturity, knowledge, and individuality of youngsters have encouraged governments around the world to lower the voting age. In India, the Sixty-first amendment to the Constitution in 1988, lowered the voting age from 21 years to18 years in public elections. Subsequently, an individual is categorised as an adult and is allowed to enter into binding legal contracts. However, the Indian education system does not provide undergraduate students with the flexibility to select courses of their choice & interest, especially for commerce and business courses. The rigid orthodox programme structure does not incorporate the ongoing financial advancements and the changing business regulations. Consequently, students tend to study the assigned and outdated courses in their bachelor programme.  

Jindal School of Banking and Finance, O.P. Jindal Global University considers that students are well informed and should be guided, not directed to pick subjects of their interest. The current technological advancements make it imperative to offer a variety of relevant courses. Therefore, the proficient faculty of JSBF, in consultation with industry experts, proposes a wide variety of subjects under four different pathways. 

In JSBF, students are encouraged to choose any particular area such as financial planning & risk management, banking laws & financial regulation, FinTech & analytics, global consultancy & entrepreneurship. Students are provided with options to choose various subjects from financial technologies to corporate finance; from financial valuation to risk management; from blockchain to advanced analytical and data visualisation softwares. In addition, students have the option to choose from over 100 electives offered by eight other schools of Jindal Global University (JGU). 

Under-graduate studies is a golden time for youngsters, where they should explore and focus on the subjects which are relevant in today’s world. At JSBF, we offer unique learning opportunities to students. This further helps them to get prepared for their post-graduation level courses. To support this endeavour, we provide matchless facilities such as the faculty-led CFA club and in-built value-added certifications (offered by KPMG & EY). We have structured our course in such a way that 6 out of 14 papers of ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) are exempted under the BCom (Hons) curriculum itself. The in-house talks from industry veterans provide students with a learning opportunity which can help them to explore the real business world. 

The world economy is integrated to such an extent that awareness and knowledge about global businesses and regulations are indispensable. Our undergrad education system acknowledges this fact but is somehow reluctant to incorporate international exposure in a curriculum. JGU has over 250 foreign universities collaborations not only for summer programmes but also for semester exchange and dual degree programmes. The list includes Wharton in the US, ISDE (Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía) in Spain, Queen Mary University of London in the UK, The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel, Macquarie University in Australia and many others.

Expert faculty and dedicated office of career services provide all the support required for internship and placements. Students at JSBF are guided from an early stage on the exercise of resume building which is strengthened using unconventional pedagogic instruments such as undergrad research projects, faculty-led research internships and corporate projects. This provides students with practical experience of identifying and solving key problems. The output can be a project report or publication, which even adds value to a student’s resume. 

The structuring of the undergraduate programmes by JGU aligns with the creativity and innovativeness of young minds. We believe students are well informed and should be guided to progress on the courses which are relevant in the current scenario. Particularly, the BCom(Hons) programme at JSBF provides an opportunity for students to explore what they like, and not what is typically offered. Be the one to see the change!!

About the author

Dr Monika Gupta is an Assistant Professor at Jindal School of Banking and Finance, O.P. Jindal Global University. She is an FPM of IIM Ahmedabad and her research interest includes earnings management, creative accounting, regulation and audit quality.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha