NIIT ties up with Karnataka’s open Univ

BANGALORE: NIIT has entered into a tripartite agreement with Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) and Virtual Education Trust to allow its one year diploma and GNIIT students to pursue the university’s BSc and MSc IT programs with advanced standing. A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed between the three parties recently.

As part of the five-year exclusive agreement, Karnataka State Open University will provide lateral entry to the third semester of the B.Sc IT Program to NIIT students, who have successfully completed one year in a Diploma of NIIT after 10+2.

GNIIT pass-outs from NIIT with graduation from a recognized university would get lateral entry to the third semester of MSc IT programs of KSOU. This gives NIIT students a clear competitive edge to emerge the real winners as, when they pass out they will have both a formal degree from KSOU as well as an NIIT qualification.

Karnataka State Open University, Vice-Chancellor, Rame Gowda said, ''India’s 10th Five-year Plan highlights the importance of the IT industry and education. KSOU’s state-of-the-art B. Sc. and M. Sc. IT programs fulfill the IT manpower development needs of the country.''

NIIT, Chief Operating Officer, P Rajendran said, ''In the technology driven world, the future is all about the formal and non-formal educational systems complementing and supplementing each other to meet the market needs. Our partnership with Karnataka State Open University will help NIIT emerge as a single window education service provider to the students.''

NIIT already has a similar partnership with US-based ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT/ESI). The alliance with ITT Technical Institute allows NIIT to offer ITT/ESI’s 4-year Bachelor’s degree in IT with specialization in Information Systems Security (BS ISS) program to NIIT students in India. NIIT’s past, present and prospective students can transfer their completed (2-year) DNIIT program credits and secure direct admission into the third year of the 4-year, US-accredited degree program, BS ISS.