The course, open to students of all faculties, will span two years and will consist of subjects that pertain mostly to numismatics. “There are four subjects in the first year and four in the second, covering all aspects — ancient, modern, symbolic, technological etc,” said Dr Kishor Gaikwad, Director of the Dinesh Mody Numismatics Institute.

“Our faculty will include Dr Dilip Rajor, who is an expert in numismatics and we also have guest lecturers and other experts from Pune and Mumbai,” said Gaikwad, adding that there were also plans for a festival and other get-togethers during the course period.

Gaikwad also said that there would be good placement opportunities for students who complete the course. These would include working at museums and with numismatic experts who need help in cataloguing. “Even private collectors are sometimes in need of cataloguing experts,” he said, adding that though many courses offer an understanding of numismatics as part of Archaeology, Ancient Indian Culture and Art courses, this degree is unique as the focus is on numismatics.

“Since this is the first batch, students will be selected by an expert panel which will scrutinise application forms and shortlist those who they believe are suitable for admission,” said co-ordinator and administrative officer of the Mody Institute, Mrinalini Jamkhedkar.