August 11, 2011
AWNA, Amritapuri
 

Uma G. recently completed her first year of studies in the M.Tech. program for Wireless Networks and Applications at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus.
 

She will soon leave for Vrije University, Amsterdam. Starting September 1, she will attend classes abroad at this international university.
 

As part of a student exchange program jointly offered by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India and Vrije University, Amsterdam, she will obtain a dual degree M.Tech./M.S. from both universities, when she graduates next year.
 

Vrije University in Amsterdam is regarded as one of Europe’s finest universities. It offers such programs to outstanding students from partner universities all around the world.
 

“I became eligible for Vrije University’s fast track masters program after earning the designated 60 ECTS at Amrita,” explained Uma.
 

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System or ECTS is designed to measure learning experiences of students participating in national and international educational exchange programs.
 

Uma will earn another 60 ECTS at Vrije, including 36 ECTS for her project. She will focus on parallel and distributed computer systems, and conduct collaborative research with other graduate students.
 

She will also enroll in software lab courses and teach three subjects as part of the program.
 

Preliminary details of this dual-degree program were worked out last year when Dr. Maarten van Steen, Chair of the Computer Science Department at Vrije University visited Amrita.
 

“This is an example of yet another Amrita initiative reflecting the institution’s commitment to enhancing education through a global exchange of ideas,” remarked Dr. Maneesha, Director, Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications.
 

“The program aims to prepare students specifically for research work at commercial or government laboratories, or for doctoral studies at an institution,” she added.
 

Before enrolling for the M.Tech. program, Uma worked as a technical assistant in the Amrita Vidya Digital Library Team for a year.
 

After completing the program, she plans to return to Amrita and teach.
 

“Everyone at Amrita was so very encouraging when I decided to enroll in the dual degree program,” she shared.
 

“I feel confident that the experience I gained here at Amrita will help me do a good job abroad,” she added.