Eligibility criteria for admission to the Ph.D. Programme.-
The following are eligible to seek admission to the Ph.D. programme: (1) Candidates who have completed:
i. A 1-year/2-semester master’s degree programme after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme or a 2-year/4-semester master’s degree programme after a 3-year bachelor’s degree programme or qualifications declared equivalent to the master’s degree by the corresponding statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregateorits equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by anassessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutoryauthority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of the educational institution.
A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time. Provided that a candidate seeking admission after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed.
A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision ofthe Commission from time to time.
(2) Candidates who have completed the M.Phil. programme with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of educational institutions, shall be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. programme. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time
4. Duration of the Programme.-
(1) Ph.D. Programme shall be for a minimum duration of three (3) years, including course work, and a maximum duration of six (6) years from the date of admission to the Ph.D. programme.
(2) A maximum of an additional two (2) years can be given through a process of re-registration as per the Statute/Ordinance of the Higher Educational Institution concerned; provided, however, that the total period for completion of a Ph.D. programme should not exceed eight (8) years from the date of admission in the Ph.D. programme. Provided further that, female Ph.D. scholars and Persons with Disabilities (having more than 40% disability) may be allowed an additional relaxation of two (2) years; however, the total period for completion of a Ph.D. programme in such cases should not exceed ten (10) yearsfromthe date of admission in the Ph.D. programme.
(3) Female Ph.D. Scholars may be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave for up to 240days in the entire duration of the Ph.D. programme.
5. Procedure for admission. –
(1) The admission shall be based on the criteria notified by the institution, keeping in view the guidelines/norms in this regard issued by the UGC and other statutory/regulatory bodies concerned, and taking into account the reservation policy of the Central/State Government from time to time.
(2) Admission to the Ph.D. programme shall be made using the following methods:
i. HEIs may admit students who qualify for fellowship/scholarship in UGC-NET/UGC- CSIR NET/GATE/CEED and similar National level tests based on an interview. And/or
ii. HEIs may admit students through an Entrance Test conducted at the level of the individual HEI. The Entrance Test syllabus shall consist of 50% of research methodology, and 50% shall be subjectspecific.
iii. Students who have secured 50 % marks in the entrance test are eligible to be called for the interview.
iv. A relaxation of 5 % marks will be allowed in the entrance examination for the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/differently-abled category, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.
v. HEIs may decide the number of eligible students to be called for an interview based on the number of Ph.D. seats available.
vi. Provided that for the selection of candidates based on the entrance test conducted by the HEI, a weightage of 70 % for the entrance test and 30 % for the performance in the interview/viva- voce shall be given.
(3) Universities and Colleges which are eligible to conduct Ph.D. programmes, shall:
i. Notify a prospectus well in advance on the institution’s website specifying the numberof seats for admission, subject/discipline-wise distribution of available seats, criteria for admission, the procedure for admission, and all other relevant information for the candidates;
ii. Adhere to the National/State-level reservation policy, as applicable.
(4) The Higher Educational Institution shall maintain a list of Ph.D. supervisors (specifying the name of the supervisor, his or her designation, and the department/school/centre), along with the details of Ph.D. scholars (specifying the name of the registered Ph.D. scholar, the topic of his/her research and the date of admission) admitted under them on the website ofthe institution and update this list every academic year.
6. Allocation of Research Supervisor.- Eligibility criteria to be a Research Supervisor, Co-Supervisor, Number of Ph.D. scholars permissible per supervisor, etc.
(1) Permanent faculty members working as Professor/Associate Professor of the Higher Educational Institution with a Ph.D., and at least five research publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals and permanent faculty members working as Assistant Professors in Higher Educational Institutions with a Ph.D., and at least three research publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals may be recognized as a Research Supervisor in the university where the faculty member is employed or in its affiliated Post-graduate Colleges/institutes. Such recognized research supervisors cannot supervise research scholars in other institutions, where they can only act as co-supervisors. Ph.D. awarded by a university under the supervision of a faculty member who is not an employee of the university or its affiliated Post- graduate Colleges/institutes would be in violation of these Regulations. For Ph.D. scholars working in Central government/ State government research institutions whose degrees are given by Higher Educational Institutions, the scientists in such research institutions who are equivalent to Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor can be recognized as supervisors if they fulfill the above requirements. Provided that in areas/disciplines where there is no, or only a limited number of peer-reviewed or refereed journals, the Higher Educational Institution may relax the above condition for recognition of a person as Research Supervisor with reasons recorded in writing. Co-Supervisors from within the same department or other departments of the same institutionor other institutions may be permitted with the approval of the competent authority. Adjunct Faculty members shall not act as Research Supervisors and can only act as co-supervisors.
(2) In case of interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary research work, if required, a Co-Supervisor from outside the Department/School/Centre/College/University may be appointed.
(3) An eligible Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor can guide up to eight (8) / six (6) / four (4) Ph.D. scholars, respectively, at any given time.
(4) In case of relocation of a female Ph.D. scholar due to marriage or otherwise, the research data shall be allowed to be transferred to the Higher Educational Institution to which the scholar intends to relocate, provided all the other conditions in these Regulations are followed, and the research work does not pertain to a project sanctioned to the parent Institution/Supervisor by any funding agency. Such scholar shall, however, give due credit to the parent institution and the supervisor for the part of research already undertaken.
(5) Faculty members with less than three years of service before superannuation shall not be allowed to take new research scholars under their supervision. However, such faculty members can continue to supervise Ph.D. scholars who are already registered until superannuation and as a co-supervisor after superannuation, but not after attaining the age of 70 years.
7. Admission of International students in Ph.D. programme.-
(1) Each supervisor can guide up to two international research scholars on a supernumerary basis over and above the permitted number of Ph.D. scholars as specified in clause 6.3 above.
(2) The HEIs may decide their own selection procedure for Ph.D. admission of international students keeping in view the guidelines/norms in this regard issued by statutory/regulatory bodies concerned fromtime to time.
8. At any point, the total number of Ph.D. scholars under a faculty member, either as a supervisor or a co-supervisor, shall not exceed the number prescribed in clause 6.3 and clause 7.1.
9. Course Work.- Credit requirements, number, duration, syllabus, minimum standards for completion, etc.
(1) The Credit requirement for the Ph.D. coursework is a minimum of 12 credits, including a “Research and Publication Ethics” course as notified by UGC vide D.O. No. F.1- 1/2018(Journal/CARE) in 2019 and a research methodology course. The Research AdvisoryCommittee can also recommend UGC recognized online courses as part of the credit requirements for the Ph.D. programme.
(2) All Ph.D. scholars, irrespective of discipline, shall be required to train in teaching /education /pedagogy/writing related to their chosen Ph.D. subject during their doctoral period. Ph.D. scholars may also be assigned 4-6 hours per week of teaching/research assistantship for conducting tutorial or laboratory work and evaluations.
(3) A Ph.D. scholar must obtain a minimum of 55% marks or its equivalent grade in the UGC 10-point scale in the course work to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit his or her thesis.
10. Research Advisory Committee and its Functions.-
(1)There shall be a Research Advisory Committee or an equivalent body as defined in the Statutes/Ordinances of the Higher EducationalInstitution concerned for each Ph.D. scholar. The Research Supervisor of the Ph.D. scholar concerned shall be the Convener of this committee, and this committee shall have the following responsibilities:
i. To review the research proposal and finalize the topic ofresearch.
ii. To guide the Ph.D. scholar in developing the study design and methodology of research and identify the course(s) that he/she may have to do.
iii. To periodically review and assist in the progress of the research work of the Ph.D.scholar.
(2) Each semester, a Ph.D. scholar shall appear before the Research Advisory Committee to make a presentation and submit a brief report on the progress of his/her work for evaluationand further guidance. The Research Advisory Committee shall submit its recommendations along with a copy of Ph.D. scholar’s progress report to the Higher Educational Institution concerned. A copy of such recommendations shall also be provided to the Ph.D. scholar.
(3) In case the progress of the Ph.D. scholar is unsatisfactory, the Research Advisory Committee shall record the reasons for the same and suggest corrective measures. If the Ph.D. scholar fails to implement these corrective measures, the Research Advisory Committee may recommend, with specific reasons, the cancellation of the registration of the Ph.D. scholar from the Ph.D. programme.
11. Evaluation and Assessment Methods, minimum standards/credits for award of the degree,etc.-
(1) Upon satisfactory completion of course work and obtaining the marks/grade prescribed inclause (3) of Regulation 9 above, the Ph.D. scholar shall be required to undertake research work and produce a draft dissertation/thesis.
(2) Before submitting the dissertation/thesis, the Ph.D. scholar shall make a presentation before the Research Advisory Committee of the Higher Educational Institution concerned, which shall also be open to all faculty members and other research scholars/students.
(3) The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall have a mechanism using well-developed software applications to detect Plagiarism in research work and the research integrity shall be an integral part of all the research activities leading to the award of a Ph.D. degree.
(4) A Ph.D. scholar shall submit the thesis for evaluation, along with
(a) an undertaking from the Ph.D. scholar that there is no plagiarism and
(b) a certificate from the Research Supervisor attesting to the originality of the thesis and that the thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other degree/diploma to any other Higher Educational Institution.
(5) The Ph.D. thesis submitted by a Ph.D. scholar shall be evaluated by his/her Research Supervisor and at least two external examiners who are experts in the field and not in employment of the Higher Educational Institution concerned. Such examiner(s) should be academics with a good record of scholarly publications in the field. Wherever possible, one of the external examiners should be chosen from outside India. The viva-voce board shall consist of the Research Supervisor and at least one of the two external examiners and may be conducted online. The viva-voce shall be open to the members of the Research Advisory Committee/faculty members/research scholars, and students. Higher Educational Institutions may formulate appropriate rules/ordinances to effect the provisions of this Regulations.
(6) The viva-voce of the Ph.D. scholar to defend the thesis shall be conducted if both the external examiners recommend acceptance of the thesis after incorporating any corrections suggested by them. If one of the external examiners recommends rejection, the Higher Educational Institution concerned shall send the thesis to an alternate external examiner from the approved panel of examiners, and the viva-voce examination shall be held only if the alternate examiner recommends acceptance of the thesis. If the alternate examiner does not recommend acceptance of the thesis, the thesis shall be rejected, and the Ph.D. scholar shall be declared ineligible for the award of a Ph.D.
(7) The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall complete the entire process of evaluating a Ph. D. thesis, including the declaration of the viva-voce result, within a period of six (6) months from the date ofsubmission of the thesis.
(1)There shall be a Research Advisory Committee or an equivalent body as defined in the Statutes/Ordinances of the Higher EducationalInstitution concerned for each Ph.D. scholar. The Research Supervisor of the Ph.D. scholar concerned shall be the Convener of this committee, and this committee shall have the following responsibilities:
i. To review the research proposal and finalize the topic ofresearch.
ii. To guide the Ph.D. scholar in developing the study design and methodology of research and identify the course(s) that he/she may have to do.
iii. To periodically review and assist in the progress of the research work of the Ph.D.scholar.
(2) Each semester, a Ph.D. scholar shall appear before the Research Advisory Committee to make a presentation and submit a brief report on the progress of his/her work for evaluationand further guidance. The Research Advisory Committee shall submit its recommendations along with a copy of Ph.D. scholar’s progress report to the Higher Educational Institution concerned. A copy of such recommendations shall also be provided to the Ph.D. scholar.
(3) In case the progress of the Ph.D. scholar is unsatisfactory, the Research Advisory Committee shall record the reasons for the same and suggest corrective measures. If the Ph.D. scholar fails to implement these corrective measures, the Research Advisory Committee may recommend, with specific reasons, the cancellation of the registration of the Ph.D. scholar from the Ph.D. programme.
11. Evaluation and Assessment Methods, minimum standards/credits for award of the degree,etc.-
(1) Upon satisfactory completion of course work and obtaining the marks/grade prescribed inclause (3) of Regulation 9 above, the Ph.D. scholar shall be required to undertake research work and produce a draft dissertation/thesis.
(2) Before submitting the dissertation/thesis, the Ph.D. scholar shall make a presentation before the Research Advisory Committee of the Higher Educational Institution concerned, which shall also be open to all faculty members and other research scholars/students.
(3) The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall have a mechanism using well-developed software applications to detect Plagiarism in research work and the research integrity shall be an integral part of all the research activities leading to the award of a Ph.D. degree.
(4) A Ph.D. scholar shall submit the thesis for evaluation, along with
(a) an undertaking from the Ph.D. scholar that there is no plagiarism and
(b) a certificate from the Research Supervisor attesting to the originality of the thesis and that the thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other degree/diploma to any other Higher Educational Institution.
(5) The Ph.D. thesis submitted by a Ph.D. scholar shall be evaluated by his/her Research Supervisor and at least two external examiners who are experts in the field and not in employment of the Higher Educational Institution concerned. Such examiner(s) should be academics with a good record of scholarly publications in the field. Wherever possible, one of the external examiners should be chosen from outside India. The viva-voce board shall consist of the Research Supervisor and at least one of the two external examiners and may be conducted online. The viva-voce shall be open to the members of the Research Advisory Committee/faculty members/research scholars, and students. Higher Educational Institutions may formulate appropriate rules/ordinances to effect the provisions of this Regulations.
(6) The viva-voce of the Ph.D. scholar to defend the thesis shall be conducted if both the external examiners recommend acceptance of the thesis after incorporating any corrections suggested by them. If one of the external examiners recommends rejection, the Higher Educational Institution concerned shall send the thesis to an alternate external examiner from the approved panel of examiners, and the viva-voce examination shall be held only if the alternate examiner recommends acceptance of the thesis. If the alternate examiner does not recommend acceptance of the thesis, the thesis shall be rejected, and the Ph.D. scholar shall be declared ineligible for the award of a Ph.D.
(7) The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall complete the entire process of evaluating a Ph. D. thesis, including the declaration of the viva-voce result, within a period of six (6) months from the date of submission of the thesis.
12. Academic, research, administrative, and infrastructure requirements to be fulfilled by Colleges for getting recognition for offering Ph.D. programmes.-
(1) Post-graduate Colleges offering 4-year Undergraduate Programmes and/or Post-graduate Programmes, may offer Ph.D. programmes, provided they satisfy the availability of eligible Research Supervisors, required infrastructure, and supporting administrative and research facilities as per these Regulations.
(2) Colleges and research institutions established by the central government or a State government whose degrees are awarded by Higher Educational Institutions shall offer Ph.D. programmes provided they have:
i. At least two faculty members in a college or two Ph.D.-qualified scientists in the research institution.
ii. Adequate infrastructure, administrative support, research facilities and library resources as specified by the HEI
13. Ph.D. through Part-time Mode-
(1) Ph.D. programmes through part-time mode will be permitted, provided all the conditions stipulated in these Regulations are fulfilled.
(2) The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall obtain a “No Objection Certificate” through the candidate for a part-time Ph.D. programme from the appropriate authority in the organization where the candidate is employed, clearly stating that: i. The candidate is permitted to pursue studies on a part-time basis. ii. His/her official duties permit him/her to devote sufficient time for research. iii. If required, he/she will be relieved from the duty to complete the course work.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in these Regulations or any other law, for the time being in force, no Higher Educational Institution or research institution of the Central government or a State Government shall conduct Ph.D. programmes through distance and/or online mode.
14. Grant of M.Phil. Degree.- Higher Educational Institutions shall not offer the M.Phil.(Masterof Philosophy) programme.
15. Issuing a Provisional certificate.-Prior to the actual award of the Ph.D. degree, the degree- awarding Higher Educational Institution shall issue a provisional certificate to the effect that the Ph.D. is being awarded in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations.
16. Award of Ph.D. degrees prior to Notification of these Regulations.- Award of degrees to candidates registered for the Ph.D. programme on or after July 11, 2009, till the date of Notificationof these Regulations shall be governed by the provisions of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2009 or the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degrees) Regulations, 2016 as the case may be. Further, the award of degrees to candidates already registered and pursuing Ph.D. shall be governed by these Regulations or UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2016. Nothing in these Regulations shall impact the M.Phil. degree programmes commencing prior to the enactment of these Regulations.
17. Depository with INFLIBNET.- Following the successful completion of the evaluation processand before the announcement of the award of the Ph.D. degree(s), the Higher Educational Institution concerned shall submit an electronic copy of the Ph.D. thesis to INFLIBNET, for hostingthe same so as to make it accessible to all the Higher Educational Institutions and research institutions.