Dual degree and university articulation: how to simplify a key process

At Universidad Siglo 21, the management of dual degrees and articulations is no longer a scattered process but has been transformed into a digital, integrated, and agile one, thanks to a solution developed by Bitlogic. Previously, this process could take up to 20 business days; today, with the new platform, it is resolved in just 48 hours.

First, what are dual degrees and articulations?

A dual degree allows students to obtain two bachelor's degrees in fields with a common foundation. To do this, courses from the first degree are recognized for the second, although this is conditional until the student graduates from the original program. To be eligible, students must have passed all courses up to the fourth semester, and course recognition can be based on competence, identical name and code, electives, final seminars, or courses with different names but the same content.

Articulations, on the other hand, connect different levels of study (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate), promoting academic continuity and the acquisition of interdisciplinary skills. Each articulation is regulated by a rectoral resolution, involves an administrative process, and can be of two types: undergraduate to graduate and graduate to undergraduate.

A project focused on redesigning the user experience

The project was conceived as a fundamental challenge: redesigning the experience for students and administrative teams without disrupting daily operations.

Similar to the modernization of the admissions process and the digitization of course equivalencies, the focus was on converting manual procedures into fluid academic journeys that are part of a broader digital ecosystem.

A process that integrates the entire academic ecosystem

Dual degree is not a single application but a complex process that connects multiple systems:

• Academic Offer: Configures programs at different campuses and for various schedules, including setting prices for each combination of program, campus, and schedule.
• Admissions and E-commerce: Allows students to enroll autonomously and complete the entire process without intermediaries.
• Program administrator: Configures which programs can be combined for a dual degree, with which other programs, and how the curricula are articulated.
• Equivalencies platform: Automatically determines which courses are recognized to meet the dual degree requirements.
• Student and payments portal: Shows approved courses in real-time and allows students to make necessary payments for courses and enrollment.

Each system executes its part automatically, reducing the operational load on advisors and eliminating the need to manually review spreadsheets and documents.

Technologies and inter-team coordination

The solution was developed using Java, Node.js, and React and was made possible by close coordination among different teams: admissions, equivalencies, payments portal, and exams portal. This integration allowed each application to share data, validate rules, and perform calculations automatically, turning the dual degree into an agile, reliable, and completely self-managed process.

The impact on the university experience

• Student Autonomy: Students no longer need to call or wait for long processes; everything can be done from the platform.
• Administrative Efficiency: Advisors verify calculations instead of doing them, allowing them to focus on strategic tasks.
• Process Agility: What used to take up to 20 business days is now resolved in 48 hours, ensuring speed and reliability.
• Integration with Other Processes: The dual degree leverages the admissions and equivalencies systems, consolidating a complete digital academic ecosystem.

Digitizing a complex process like a dual degree is much simpler when an accompanying ecosystem exists, with integrated systems that share data, validate rules, and perform calculations automatically. Bitlogic has succeeded in making dual degree no longer an isolated procedure but part of a modern, fast, and reliable university experience.

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