ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended to include a 200-mark Applied Physics paper in the BSc (Physics) course in addition to the existing General Physics paper, according to an official announcement here on Tuesday.

The announcement said the recommendation was made during a recent meeting of the National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) of the UGC.

The move is aimed at equipping graduates with practical knowledge of electronics, physics, information technology and various applications in the field of medicine.

During the meeting, the NCRC also decided to incorporate new trends in the existing MSc (Physics) syllabus to make it more job-oriented so that postgraduates would not only be able to undertake research but would also be capable of self-employment.

The committee also considered the pre-requisites for the proposed four-year BS degree programme in universities.

It was suggested that the physics course should comprise at least 120 credit hours and should be supplemented by Mathematics, Chemistry, Electronics and Statistics and “supporting subjects” of Social Science, humanities and English. The committee recommended that the core physics courses should be of 45 credit hours, optional physics courses of 45 credit hours and supporting subjects of 30 credit hours.

The revision and development of curricula is part of the science ministry’s efforts to enhance the quality of education.