As per the latest UGC guidelines, students with a four-year undergraduate degree can directly pursue Ph.D programs, said UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday. “Universities can decide whether to offer three-year Honours degree or a four-year undergraduate program,” he stated. Three-year undergraduate courses won’t be discontinued until 4-year program fully implemented, he added.
PhD Enrolment After Graduation
Suppose the applicant does not receive a grade-point average of 75 in a four-year undergraduate program. In that case, he must enrol in a one-year master’s program and receive a minimum grade point average of 55.
A 1-year master’s degree program after a 4-year bachelor’s degree program, a 2-year master’s degree program after a 3-year bachelor’s degree program, or qualifications declared equivalent to the master’s degree by the relevant statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed, according to the new admission rules, are also acceptable.
The UGC has eliminated the requirement for PhD candidates to publish a work in a peer-reviewed journal.
READ | Graduates can directly pursue PhD: UGC Chairman
Before submitting their dissertation or thesis for review, PhD candidates were required, according to regulations from 2016, to “publish at least one (1) research paper in a refereed journal and make two paper presentations in conferences/seminars.”
According to the new regulations, individual institutions may also conduct admission exams to admit candidates for a PhD. The National Eligibility Test (NET) or other comparable tests would then not be required of the candidate. The guidelines state that the “entrance test shall consist of 50% research methodology and 50% subject-specific.”
The commission had intended to reserve 40% of the seats for students who met the NET requirements, but there was no agreement on including such language in the final notification. In addition, “provided all conditions are fulfilled,” the commission has permitted candidates to pursue a PhD in a part-time setting.
The institute will need a “No Objection Certificate (NOC)” from the competent authority in the organization where the candidate is employed, per the regulations.
