With globalisation turning the world into a compact village, the most sought after commodity by institutes and companies, be it in India or abroad, is talent. The emphasis on present day education is to provide the students with important skills to work in the global environment. That is the reason why double degree programmes have come to stay and have become popular across the world.
A double degree programme can be called by various names according to the convenience and situations pertaining to a particular university or country. Some call it a conjoint degree or dual degree while others name it as a simultaneous degree.
A student can take dual degree programme, while working on two different university degrees simultaneously. These can be pursued either in the same institution or in different institutions (occasionally in different countries). The advantage is that one can complete the degree in less time than the normal time taken to complete two programmes separately.
The dual degrees may be in the same subject area or in two different disciplines.
We find undergraduate double-degree programmes more prevalent in countries, which follow the British model higher education system. Master’s double degree programmes have become very popular especially in the European Union. In the European labour market, acquiring a degree from more than one country is always considered an advantage.
In a double degree programme, both the participating institutions reduce the amount of time required to be spent at each institute.
Undergraduate Double Degree: The prevalent undergraduate double degrees include Engi-neering and Economics programme, Engineering and Business programmes such as Business and Computing. In most cases it takes four to five years to complete the course instead of the usual seven - eight year period needed to complete separate degrees.  
Available Fields of Study
Accelerated degree programmes are usually career-oriented. They are widely offered in the science faculties, healthcare, education, law, and engineering. Emerging accelerated degree fields include business, public administration, hospitality, real estate and communications.
Dual degree programmes are available in any
number of fields. One common option is to combine a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Bachelor of Science degree. This way, a student has the advantage of a liberal arts education while also graduating with a practical (and employable) degree in an applied field such as engineering.
Post Graduate Double Degrees: The common postgraduate double degrees are Juris Doctor (JD)/Master of Business  Administration (MBA) degrees as well as MBA and J.D degrees combined with M.A. in subjects like Politics, Economics, Urban Planning and International Relations.
Some of the medical schools also offer MD degrees with MBA programmes and with a range of M.A. programmes.

Double honours, double majors or dual majors
are different from double degrees and should
not be confused. Double majors or dual majors consist of two majors attached to a single degree, as opposed to two separate degrees each with its own field of study.
All the double degree programmes are done in two years. It is preferable to single degree programmes as this can make your degree customised to your needs.
Advantages:

There are many schools working with Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) on the double degrees as you can see it from the website, whether or not you are doing cross disciplinary or a regional MBA.

· Expediency: Dual degrees are a quicker way of learning in two different areas than adding the second one later.
· Innovation: Dual degrees foster graduates’ ability to add new knowledge to a field.
· Versatility: Increasingly, successful students and professionals are recognising the importance of being able to adapt their skills to new settings
Disadvantages

· Some find it difficult to adjust themselves with new environment and culture while pursuing two programmes simultaneously.
· The dual degree programmes are accessible to those who can afford.
· This increases the divide between the privileged group and the rest.
· It is costlier if one has to travel more than one country to pursue two programmes in two countries.
· One can opt for the dual degree programme after weighing the pros and cons in the scale depending on one’s taste and the ability to withstand the expenditure and pressures.