Distance Learning Courses in India

Growing demand for alternative education methods emerged over the years to take care of the higher education needs of those who could not continue formal education and those who are not able to attend full time college education due to personal commitments or work. To cater to this and expand access to education Universities came up with distance education programs.  The objective of distance education is to provide equal opportunity of education to everyone regardless of one's socioeconomic status. Millions of Indian students get benefitted by distance learning every year. With advent of internet and its interactive features, imparting and receiving online learning has also become possible and distance education in many fields is being delivered in form of online learning programs these days.

Distance learning in India is coordinated by The Distance Education Council (DEC), an authority of IGNOU. Distanceeducation has expanded at a very rapid rate and at present distance learning courses are offered at certificate, diploma, under graduate, post graduate, executive education and PhD levels. Universities offer distance learning courses in all major professional fields like science, engineering, management, computers, humanities, journalism and mass media, political science, foreign languages, literature, law, agriculture, health sciences and tourism.

In a distance learning course lessons are delivered in person in flexible timings or remotely over internet and the exams are conducted online or on paper at the designated examination centers. All leading distance learning Universities have their learning and examination centers in cities across the country. Many universities conduct weekend classes at their study centers. Online courses are also getting popular among working professionals due to their grueling work schedules as they have flexibility to learn anywhere anytime. Many leading universities are offering online courses in various disciplines today. The curriculum of distance learning courses is similar to that of full-time courses and is well accepted by the employers. Most of the universities enroll students for their distance learning courses twice in a year in spring and fall sessions.

Some most sought after distance learning courses at under graduate level are Bachelors of Computer Applications (BCA), Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelors of Commerce (B. Com.), Bachelor of Sciences (B. Sc.) honors and pass courses, Bachelor of Arts (B. A.) honors and pass courses. Some popular post graduate degree programs include Master of Arts (M.A.) in various humanities streams, Master of Sciences (M. Sc.) in various science streams, Master of Commerce (M. Com.), Master of Computer Applications (MCA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Before applying for a distance learning program thoroughly research the credibility of the program and institution. Carefully introspect on the requirements and outcomes of the choice of courses you are considering before you enroll for a particular course. Be certain about your career path. To be successful in a distance learning program and get the most out of it one needs to be an effective time manager and disciplined as it requires a lot of self-learning.

IGNOU and some other universities have announced their notices for distance learning admission 2013 so those who are interested can submit their applications.