How UPES's "Design Your Own Degree" Option Works

Updated

UPES lets you customise your programme around your interests, skills and career goals, with 50+ unique course combinations available across its schools. You can start from the "Design your own degree" section on the UPES website, where a "How it Works" explainer and a "Customise Now" action sit side by side. The option suits students who already know the direction they want but find a single-discipline degree too narrow; it is less useful if you want a standard, fixed curriculum with no choices to make.

What the option actually is

UPES describes the programme as a way to "customise the program to suit your interests, skills and career goals," and lists "Design your own degree" under The UPES Edge as "50+ unique course combinations designed to explore horizons beyond academics." In practice, that means your degree is assembled from course combinations rather than taken as one fixed track.

The same page frames this alongside other institutional features — a residential campus in the hills, AI-focused use cases across schools and disciplines, a life-skills module, the Runway Incubator for ventures, and global pathways — so the customisation is presented as part of a broader multidisciplinary model rather than a standalone gimmick.

Which disciplines the combinations draw from

UPES is organised into schools, and the site lists its offerings under Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral categories. The combinations are drawn from across these schools and disciplines; the page's AI emphasis ("Ace use cases focused on future challenges across schools and disciplines") indicates that technology and AI content is intended to reach students beyond a single school.

The site does not publish a full course-by-course list of every combination on this page. To see which specific combinations are open to you, use the "Customise Now" flow or the school listings under Undergraduate and Postgraduate, since availability depends on the level and school you are applying to.

How to go about customising your programme

  1. Go to the "Design your own degree" section on upes.ac.in. You will see "How it Works" and "Customise Now" next to the description of the option.
  2. Read "How it Works" first. This is where UPES sets out the mechanics of combining courses; read it before selecting anything so you understand what a valid combination looks like.
  3. Use "Customise Now" to begin building your combination around your interests and target career.
  4. Check the result against your school and level. Confirm that the combination you have built is offered at undergraduate or postgraduate level in the school you are applying to.
  5. Verify before you commit. Because the public page summarises the option rather than listing every combination, confirm your chosen path with UPES admissions before accepting an offer.

The expected result at each step is a shortlist of course combinations you can defend in terms of skills and career goals — not just subjects you find interesting.

What to weigh before choosing it

Consideration What the UPES material shows What it means for you
Flexibility 50+ unique course combinations Good fit if your goals span more than one discipline
Career framing Customisation is explicitly tied to "career goals" Build the combination backwards from the job or further study you want
Breadth "Explore horizons beyond academics," plus a life-skills module Expect non-technical components alongside your core subjects
Entrepreneurship Runway Incubator, 250+ ideas; 250 start-ups have received grants Relevant if you want to build something while studying
Global options 70 tie-ups with global universities; Global Pathways Ask how a customised degree interacts with exchange or progression routes
Outcomes context 92% placements in 2024-25; 800+ recruiters in 2025 A customised degree still sits inside the same placement ecosystem — check recruiter fit for your combination

Two caveats are worth stating plainly. First, a customised degree asks more of you: you have to justify your combination to employers and admissions tutors, so keep a clear rationale. Second, the published figures — 92% placements, 800+ recruiters, 1.3 Cr highest package secured by an alumnus — are institutional outcomes, not guarantees for any particular combination. Ask specifically how your intended combination has performed.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming every combination is available at every level. The site separates Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral offerings; check yours.
  • Treating "50+" as a menu you can freely mix. The combinations are pre-defined sets, so use "How it Works" to see what can actually be paired.
  • Ignoring the global angle. With 70 university tie-ups, a customised degree may affect eligibility for progression routes — confirm early.
  • Skipping the admissions check. The public page is a summary; a short conversation with admissions resolves most ambiguity about your specific combination.