Want to learn about hip hop, data science, video gaming or urban and regional planning? Do you want to pursue a diploma in airport operations or auditory verbal therapy, and all this without having to travel outside Mumbai? The University of Mumbai (MU) is offering new courses — diploma, degree or certificate — keeping in mind placements, demands of the industry and interests of students.
“The idea is for students to have the option of studying subjects of their liking in a manner that also promises a decent job. All departments are working on introducing innovative courses,” said a MU spokesperson.
The university’s department of communication and journalism has introduced seven certificate courses, which include a three-month certificate course in hip hop studies. Another interesting certificate course is on video game studies.
“The video games industry has witnessed a global shift in the past few years. From being considered a children’s entertainment system to turning into a multi-billion dollar industry, there’s a lot of demand for any training in the field,” said Sanjay Ranade, head of the department of communication and journalism, MU.
“A committee was put together to look at the curriculum of this certificate course and make sure a subject like Hip Hop Studies can be taught. The Board of Studies (BoS) as well as the Academic Council has already approved the course curriculum. We are now waiting for one final approval from the management council before inviting admission applications,” added Ranade.
The purpose of the courses such as Covering Elections in India as well as Legal Journalism is to help students develop critical thinking about issues and the dynamics of legal as well as the political system of our country. The focus, said Ranade, will be on sharp writing skills, attention to detail and the ability to operate effectively within deadline pressure.
{{/usCountry}}The purpose of the courses such as Covering Elections in India as well as Legal Journalism is to help students develop critical thinking about issues and the dynamics of legal as well as the political system of our country. The focus, said Ranade, will be on sharp writing skills, attention to detail and the ability to operate effectively within deadline pressure.
{{/usCountry}}Ranade told HT that courses such as Hip Hop Studies and Video Games Studies require practitioners and not professors to teach. “These are subjects where students will learn more from interacting with people in the field rather than someone who has only studied the subject in books. We have also started sharing and collecting research papers from many foreign universities to better support our curriculum.”
Along with international languages that have attracted several thousands of students to MU over the years, the varsity is also bringing back the focus on regional languages. A host of diploma and certificate courses in Gujarati as well as an advanced diploma course in communicative Marathi have been introduced this year.
“Everyone wants to go back to their roots and be able to read, write and understand regional languages just as much they like international languages. We want to provide as many part-time courses as possible to make available lecture timings that are comfortable for working professionals as well,” said the spokesperson.