Pursuing two regular degrees together – an offense?

by Aneeket Barua

Pursuing two regular degrees together might not fetch you an offer letter from a multinational company, but a show cause notice from the Court of law for sure!

Recently while enjoying a cup of coffee with an old friend, we started a discussion over a concern which eventually led to an argument. And when it comes to an argument with a practicing lawyer, it’s a wise decision to back pedal.

The discussion took off from a question posted by a student on Shiksha Café on whether one can pursue two regular degrees at the same time or not. A question which seemed simple yet interesting! The student had asked – “Can I pursue BCA and B.Sc Computer science together?”

For me the answer was a simple “Yes” as there is no harm in possessing extra knowledge and a proof of it. However, the case was not the same as I thought. To my surprise I was informed that pursuing two regular degrees is legally not acceptable.

Firstly, let’s understand what is a "Professional Degree”?

A professional degree is basically a college degree that allows you to be engaged in a business entity/ profession. In certain kind of professions, like in the case of advocates, doctors or Chartered Accountants (CA), you cannot be engaged in any professional enterprise unless you hold the required qualification and therefore, professional degree requires extensive education and hard work.

Manisha Parmar, a practising lawyer at the Delhi High court, cleared all my myths about holding two professional degrees in India.

She informed, “Pursuing two regular/full time degrees is not allowed. However, one can study two courses separately. One of the courses which you wish to pursue can be done from a regular college, but the other one must not be a full time course. You can do diploma courses instead”.

Two regular degrees cannot be obtained simultaneously, she asserted.

Towards the end of our conversation, she brought into picture an incident where, the Bar Association of Delhi (regulatory body for advocates) issued a Show Cause Notice to a noted advocate of Delhi, for "Professional Misconduct".

He was charged with violating the law which prohibits a practicing advocate from indulging in two active professions, in his case – Advocate and CA. He owned both the degrees, and therefore was slapped with a show cause notice.