To create stronger knowledge cooperation, the US State Department has taken an important step in conjunction with India’s New Education Policy (NEP). This effort entails the development of an innovative educational programme aiming at providing greater opportunities for Indian students to pursue specialised one-year professional master’s degrees in American colleges, with an emphasis on industrial specialisations. More than 15 Indian colleges and a total of twenty American institutions are participating in constructive exchanges organised by the State Department.
The spotlight of these courses falls on the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and are set to begin in the fall semester of 2024. The post-degree component is what distinguishes this programme. After finishing their courses, students will have the exclusive chance to stay in the United States for up to three years by utilising current visa regulations. They can actively get industry experience during this period while simultaneously managing their college loans.
The architect behind this programme is Akhilesh Lakhtakia, a Jefferson Science Fellow associated with the State Department’s South and Central Asia (SCA) bureau. Lakhtakia, who left his position as a professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State University to contribute to the programme, was entrusted with developing a model that benefits both nations and coincides with the aims of colleges in both India and the US.
The Hindustan Times quoted Lakhtakia as saying, “What was proposed was very much to my liking. It is student-centred, flexible, multidisciplinary, futuristic, and international. If this can be implemented, it will simply revolutionise school and higher education.”
The launch of these specialised courses is beneficial for both the State Department and the Commerce Department. On the one hand, it fosters ties between individuals from diverse regions of the world, increasing US soft power. On the other hand, it is expected to increase income production for the Commerce Department since overseas students contribute to the economy after they arrive in the United States.
The positive impact of these courses on the American economy is expected to be immediate, given that these one-year courses are designed to attract the most skilled and unique individuals.
Lakhtakia spent the last six months working with American colleges to narrow down a set of specific courses. Wireless technology, satellite guidance and control, semiconductor processing, nano-technology, photonics, 5G and 7G communication systems, display technology, AI, quantum engineering, and generic medication are just a few examples of the diverse areas covered by the courses.
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