Q I am enrolled in first year BCA at an off-campus study centre of a deemed university. Some people say that such degrees are not recognised. Is this true? What is the exact situation? I am very disturbed.

— T.K . Sewak

A All courses offered through distance learning, must be approved by the Distance Education Council as well as by UGC/AICTE/Distance Education Council.

Branding them as commercial ventures, the UGC is cracking the whip on the so-called "off-campus study centres" of universities offering courses through distance learning. Moneymaking deals are struck with private franchisees in the name of "collaboration".

The Distance Education Council and UGC have jointly outlined the conditions that must be complied with, failing which the degrees offered by the universities will be de-recognised.

Presently, courses ranging from B.Sc Internet Sciences, BSc Information Systems and Bachelor’s in Computer Applications & Mgt to MSc IT, MSc Medical Microbiology, Masters in E-commerce and a wide array of PG diplomas, mainly technical with fancy nomenclatures are being trotted out.

The UGC does not permit deemed universities to affiliate any college or institute. Even opening a new on-campus department requires prior permission of the UGC or the state government concerned. Similarly, distance education programmes can be offered only through the university’s own study centres (not through private franchises) with the prior permission of the UGC and the DEC. This is clearly stated on the UGC website.

However, regardless of the UGC notification, off-campus centres of deemed universities like Allahabad Agriculture Institute Deemed University; Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur and Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE) which operates out of a tiny hamlet in Rajasthan, Sardarshahar, which had appointed 900 "study centres" (2-3 room affairs sans faculty or facilities) all over the country are still admitting unwary students. Belatedly but rightly, the UGC has derecognised the IASE. The I-T officials have uncovered a huge scam that runs into crores. What happens to the thousands (lakhs?) of hapless students who were enrolled at these centres is a shuddering thought.

So, please make sure you enrol for a course, only if the university or study centre shows you concrete proof of their recognition/accreditation status. Otherwise, it’s a risk, best avoided.

Nothing can be more traumatic than discovering that the course on which you spent precious years (not to mention the effort and money), carries no recognition or merit - either in the industry or when seeking higher education! So do move with utmost caution. Better to be safe than sorry. What say?

Geophysics avenues

Q I am a final year B.Sc student. I want to study Geophysics at the Master’s level. Please list some universities and tell me something about the prospects in this field.

— Jasminder Lamba

A MSc Geophysics is presently offered at the following two universities:

Osmania University, Hyderabad 500007 (www.osmania.ac.in) Elig: BSc with Maths, Physics, and any other subject preferably geology with 45 per cent marks in Maths and Physics separately. Admission is on the basis on entrance exam.

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005 (www.bhu.ac.in) Elig: BSc (Hons) with Physics, Maths and one more Science subject (50%) and 45% (agg).

Subsequently, you can pursue MTech in Applied Geology at IIT Kharagpur after clearing GATE.

A Master’s programme in Geophysics will give you a broad knowledge of the subject together with a firm understanding of the physical and geological sciences. This will enable you to pursue a rewarding career in industrial, academic or government research, advisory work related to environmental problems, administration and management, or teaching.

Students of Geophysics can also pursue careers as exploration geophysicists, earth scientists, meteorologists, oceanographers and seismologists.

Possibilities in PR

Q I am a student of English Literature keen on becoming a Public Relations Officer. Please tell me something about the qualifications required and the job prospects in this field.

— Gurbaksh Kaur

A From being a support function, public relations has developed into a full-fledged industry.You need good communication skills (written and oral) to get your foot in the door.

PR professionals work in public relations firms, advertising agencies, large business houses, non-profit organisations, media and entertainment companies, hotels, tourism, hospitals, MNCs, lobbies and pressure groups.

After gaining some experience, you can also turn image consultant or PRO for celebrities such as film stars, politicians, star sportspersons, etc. who rely on the media for publicity. Here the work would also involve negotiating endorsement fees and assignments with advertisers.

Almost every ministry in the government has an Information/Liaison Officer to handle press relations and public relations. All public sector enterprises, govt. information departments, trade fair authorities and banks and other financial institutions employ PROs and corporate communication professionals.

The travel and hospitality industry also hires publicity officers. A hotel may hire you as a guest-relations officer. The pay here is much better.

You can attach yourself to a PR firm or government agencies and big NGOs. Independent PR consultants often recruit assistants to help them. In a medium-sized firm, you’ll get about Rs 5,000 - 7,000 p.m. as a fresh trainee. With a few years of experience in media, advertising, marketing, corporate communication, etc., you can expect Rs 20,000-50,000 p.m.

The work will range from researching and creating content to media relations and business development. With sufficient experience in hand, you can also start your own PR consulting service.

Contact the Public Relations Society of India, which is a national body which has links with international PR agencies. They also have a placement cell and regularly conduct seminars and workshops on the latest developments and different aspects of this industry.

Pharmacy path

Q I could not get admission in a medical college so I have taken up B Pharm. What are the prospects in this field?

— Aditya Kapoor

A Jobs in the pharmaceutical industry range from those in sales and marketing to high-end research in pharmaceutical companies and laboratories.

Pharmacy graduates are appointed by the government as Drug Inspectors and Drug Analysts.

Hospitals also hire pharmacist consultants to advise physicians on the precise dosage schedules and possible side effects of the various drugs. Teaching is another option after a Master’s degree.

India’s pharmaceutical industry is the fourth largest after US, Japan and Europe, and the thirteenth largest in terms of value.

Apart from the drug manufacturing industry, pharmacists are also employed in the chemical industry and food and drug control organisations.

A large number of pharma grads and diploma holders go on to become medical sales representatives.

Of course, if you are enterprising, you can open your own chemist shop or even go into manufacture of drugs or cosmetics. The cosmetic industry is growing at an even faster rate as compared to pharma.

Nanotechnology field of the future

Q I am a student of Class XI (Science). I am interested in nanotechnology. Please tell me in detail about this field.

— Jyothika, Himanshu

A Conceived in 1959 by Nobel Laureate physicist Richard Feynman, nanotechnology seeks to develop products and applications at the atomic and molecular level, which could revolutionise a broad range of industries — from electronics to textiles to medicine, espionage and biotech.

A new interdisciplinary subject combining physics, chemistry, biology and engineering, it involves working with matter at the scale of one-billionth of a metre (1 nanometre) i.e 5000 to 50,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair! The trick lies in manipulating atoms and molecules individually to produce the desired structure in the form of a stable nanomaterial.

It is believed that the fortunes of nanotechnology could dwarf those of Bill Gates and within the next 10 years, $ 900 billion worth of nanotech-based products are expected to hit the US markets.

Attracting billions of dollars of global funding (US, Japan, Germany, Korea) scientists have come up with some mind boggling breakthroughs: A ‘smart’ material that can detect changes in the environment, clothing that can block chemical or biological weapons from touching the skin, fabric that is water, heat, stain and wrinkle-resistant, to targeting drug delivery to a single cell safely and effectively, new nanotech ‘finds’ have begun to surface with amazing regularity.

Computers the size of a pinhead converting sunlight into power, cleaning oceans and beaches of oil slicks — nanotechnology does all this and more.

However, farfetched this may now seem, in real terms these technologies are going to be a part of our daily lives sooner than we can even begin to fathom.

And this is going to be a global technology. Although America is in the forefront in nanotech, Japan and Europe are also moving up very strongly. India’s Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) in Chandigarh is one of the 38 labs set up by CSIR where exciting research and development in this field is under way.

With its tremendous application potential nanotechnology has been declared as the field of the future that is all set to replace even Microelectronics. Realising the true potential of this field the government has announced a National Mission on Nanotechnology and has earmarked Rs 200 crore which is housed with the Dept of S&T.

Smell success in herb cultivation

Q Could you please give me some information about Diploma/Certificate courses in Medicinal Plants? Which Universities/Institutes offer this course via distance learning? I am a postgraduate in Sociology and working as Jr. Assistant in the Education Department in HP.

— S Chander

A You can get in touch with some of the leading agricultural universities for technical guidance and details such as your own Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry in Solan.

The Central Institute of Medical & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), P O CIMAP, Lucknow 226015. The CIMAP develops agrotechnologies for economically significant medicinal and aromatic plants.

Also the University of Madras, Institute of Correspondence Education, Chepauk, Chennai (www.universityofmadras-ice.ac.in) offers a 6-month Certificate in Herbal Farming and 1-year PG Diplomas Medicinal & Aromatic Plants through distance learning, which you may find useful.

The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed University), Dindigul District Gandhigram 624302 (TN) offers a Certificate course in Medicinal Plants.

The Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Odakkali (www.kau.edu) is a lead centre for lemon grass research at the national and international level. Set up to promote conservation of endangered species of medicinal and aromatic plants, the AMPRS has standardised the farm management practices and post-harvest technology of such plants.

Politically correct

Q I am interested in doing MA in Political Science. What are the job prospects in this field?

— Priya Malhotra

A After doing your Masters in Political Science, you will have the following options:

You could either opt for teaching Political Science at the college or university level (upon qualifying the National Eligibility Test (NET), conducted by the UGC for central/state universities or the State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) for state universities).

The Civil Services in general, and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in particular, is another popular option for students of ‘Pol Sc’ as the subject is popularly called. The General Studies paper requires considerable knowledge of Indian polity and current affairs.

If you have a flair for writing, you can also become a political analyst for a newspaper, news-related website or TV.

Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29,
Chandigarh — 160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com