Thiruvananthapuram: Come January 2009 and students at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) can also choose four new options as IGNOU is planning to launch four new courses. These courses would be primarily in the field of Cyber Laws, Intellectual Property Rights, Aeronautical Engineering and Endodontics.

For this, IGNOU would join hands with many reputed Indian institutes and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia.

Under the tie-up, students who clear the first year of their Master's Programme at IGNOU would now be eligible to carry forward to QUT to complete the Second Year of the Masters Programme in IP Law and gain both IGNOU and QUT degrees. The course for Post Graduation Certificate on Cyber Law will start from this year in July.

According to V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, the new course which will be two-year Master's Programme in IPRs, will develop awareness, knowledge and practical skills on IPR issues.

Moreover, this programme aims to promote a new brand of IP Lawyers and supporting professionals in the emerging world order as it will also inculcate creativity in science and technology and protect invention and innovation, particularly developing nations.