Sikkim Manipal University starts new courses

The Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) has started five new courses. The university will now offer journalism & mass communication, fashion design, applied biotechnology and teaching technology through its distance education programmes.

The university has 500 learning centres and 300 VSAT terminals in the country providing interactive learning sessions. The distance education programme also provides additional courseware for select markets, including Sri Lanka, West Asia, China, Mauritius and select African countries. These courses are offered jointly with channel partners who have a strong network in the locations.

The university already offers bachelor and postgraduate degrees in information technology, management and allied health. At the masters level, the university offers masters in journalism and mass communication along with some of the regular courses like MBA, MCA, BSc(IT), MSc(IT).

"We need to constantly innovate our courses, catering to the growing requirements of the industry. It is important to adapt emerging technology to education. Through our interactive technology we will ensure quality education across all the campuses of the Manipal network," said BN Manohar, CEO, Manipal Infocom.

Conforming to the University Grants Commission norms, the distance education course of the university is designed both for students as well as working professionals. The university aims to promote continuing education, while creating opportunities through lateral entry.

The courses have the option of multi-entry and exit based on which the corresponding degrees are awarded subject to the completion of the relevant semester, says Manohar.

The programmes are delivered by the Manipal faculty from a studio at Manipal ensuring access to education supplemented by real-time synchronous teaching, facilitating a mix of instructor-led courses through online delivery.

At present, the Sikkim-Manipal University has two universities, 24 professional colleges and caters to 70,000 students across 41 countries.

The Manipal group partnered with the Sikkim government to establish the Sikkim Manipal University and has been offering distance education courses for over 5 years.