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Explained | New regulations for awarding PhDs
Will the university grants commission’s move to remove the mandatory requirement to publish a research paper reduce pressure on doctoral scholars what led to the need to introduce new rules how have the latest regulations been received.
November 13, 2022 10:52 pm | Updated November 14, 2022 07:05 pm IST
PhD awards | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
The story so far: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made sweeping changes in its latest regulations governing the award of PhDs. Important changes such as abolishing of MPhils, relaxing course work for obtaining PhDs and allowing candidates to register for a PhD after finishing four years of a graduation programme, have been seen as steps that could lead to diminishing academic rigour as well as impediments to inclusivity in higher education.
What are the key changes?
The UGC on November 7, 2022 notified the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022. One of the notable changes it made was to the evaluation and assessment criteria for the award of the degree, where it has waived the need to mandatorily publish a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal. This is accompanied by completely abolishing MPhil, which has been a gateway for PhD programmes, in line with the recommendation in the National Education Policy 2020. The eligibility criteria for admissions too have been revised, and a candidate can register after completing a one-year (or two semester) master’s degree programme after a four-year (or 8-semester) bachelor’s degree programme or a two-year (or four-semester) master’s degree programme after a three-year bachelor’s degree programme with at least 55% marks or its equivalent grade.
There are also important changes to course work. Earlier, the description of course work candidates needed to finish was more detailed, with at least four credits assigned to courses on research methodology. Candidates were also required to finish this either in the first semester, or by the second semester. Only candidates who were awarded MPhil or had completed their MPhil were exempted. But the new regulations leave it more open ended and says that all PhD scholars “shall be required to train in teaching/ education/ pedagogy/ writing related to their chosen PhD subject.” They can also now be assigned 4-6 hours per week of teaching/research assistantship for conducting tutorial, or laboratory work and evaluations.
The UGC now also allows part-time PhDs, a practice that was disallowed under the 2009 and 2016 regulations.
How will research scholars be evaluated under the new regulations?
PhD scholars will be required to undertake research work after completing their course work, make a presentation and produce a draft dissertation or thesis. If the evaluation of the submission is satisfactory, the candidate will have to defend the thesis in a public viva voce. They will not have to publish a research paper in refereed journal and make two paper presentations in conferences or seminars before submitting the thesis. The Chairman of UGC M. Jagadesh Kumar says that while publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal is not mandatory anymore in order to curb unethical practices such as pay-to-publish or plagiarism, students should be motivated and trained to publish in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences. He says that a one-size-fits-all approach is not desirable as doctorals in computer science prefer presenting their papers at conferences rather than publishing them in journals. Former UGC Chairman and Ambedkarite, Sukhdaeo Thorat, welcomed the move to discontinue publishing papers in journals as it would often lead poor candidates to pay to get published like their peers, as well as put them at a disadvantage as they wouldn’t have contacts to get published. However, Jamia Milia Islamia Professor Furqan Qamar says that while these concerns are valid, there is a need to provide enhanced and cost-effective opportunities to the researcher to publish as there is a limited availability of quality journals but far more researchers. He cites from the Scopus database of scientific publications for 2020 to point out that India accounted for only 4.52% of total research papers in the world though it accounts for 12% of the global faculty pool.
Are there other concerns?
Experts like Professor Thorat say that discontinuing MPhils, along with the introduction of four-year BA course and 2-year MA course with multiple exits will hurt socially disadvantaged groups who may not be able to pay for longer-duration courses and may have to exit earlier, which will put them at a disadvantage in the job market. He adds that while a four-year Bachelors course will allow some students to pursue Masters abroad without studying for one more year, others will be discriminated against. Though UGC says the move is intended to attract younger students for research.
There are also concerns over diminishing scholarships and fellowships to support PhD scholars as well as severe shortage of teachers, impacting the number of research supervisors available.
“Until the 2009 regulations were notified, the award of PhDs, their evaluation, course-work was not regulated. Part-time PhDs were also widely prevalent. In 2016, these were strengthened and publishing a paper in peer-reviewed journals was made mandatory. However, the changes being brought in the latest regulations take us back to the pre-2009 era,” says Professor Qamar.
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| Follow us on INDIA GLOBAL INDIA INDIA | 17 November 2022 As part of far-reaching changes in eligibility criteria, admissions and evaluation methods for doctoral degrees, India’s higher education regulator has scrapped a rule that requires PhD students to publish an article in a peer-reviewed journal to qualify for a doctoral degree. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had previously required PhD students to publish at least one article and present two papers at conferences or seminars before they submit their research thesis. Under the latest regulations governing minimum standards and procedures for the award of PhD degrees, announced on 7 November, scholars will no longer be required to do this. The UGC expects that the withdrawal of the publishing requirement will mean a less challenging research environment for students and universities, as seen in the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), where there has been no such requirement for PhDs. UGC Chairperson Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar has attempted to allay fears that an end to the rule would affect research quality. “Focusing on high-quality research will lead to publications in good journals, even if it is not mandatory. It will add value when [graduates] apply for employment or post-doctoral opportunities,” he said. Some academics have pointed out that withdrawal of the requirement is in line with global standards, because publishing a paper before obtaining a doctorate is not mandatory in most countries. However, doing so is considered essential for any good researcher. A recent UGC study featuring 2,573 research scholars across India’s centrally funded universities and IITs revealed that mandatory publication has not been helpful for maintaining research quality in universities because about three-quarters of the submissions are not in quality Scopus-indexed journals. According to some academics and students, the latest change will curb “cash for trash” – the practice of researchers paying to get their papers published in poor quality and so-called ‘predatory’ journals. India was recently found to be one of the largest users worldwide of predatory, or substandard, journals. In 2018 a study conducted by Bhushan Patwardhan, a professor at the University of Pune, found that 88% of a list of journals approved by the UGC and recommended by universities were substandard or ‘dubious’. Patwardhan, who is also a former vice-chairman of the UGC, has said the tendency to equate research quality with the number of citations and further connect it to the reputation of a scientist, was a matter of concern. In an in the newspaper, Patwardhan and K P Mohanan, the chairman of India’s National Accreditation and Assessment Council’s (NAAC) executive committee, said the UGC’s new PhD guidelines addressed only a small part of a bigger problem. “The real challenge is how to strengthen the research culture in Indian universities. It is expected that any good doctoral research should be a quest for truth, adding to the existing body of knowledge,” they said. “It should not be done just for the sake of a degree like a PhD to get a job, promotion, recognition, prestige, publications, patents, etc, although these may emerge as natural outcomes.” A psychology research scholar in New Delhi who requested anonymity told that scholars “often publish their papers in journals that are not adequately peer reviewed and this trend has affected the quality of research work in India”. She added: “The UGC's move is indeed a sound one. Studies have shown that most doctoral students, instead of sending their papers to reputed journals and waiting for review and revision, get them published in journals of dubious quality just to fulfil the requirement. Many students want to complete their doctoral degrees as soon as possible, rather than spending more time on quality research.” Some academics argue that the reputation of a researcher and a university depends on the papers published and cited. Funding is also based on publishing and citation indicators. Without the requirement, the responsibility of encouraging research scholars to publish papers in reputed journals now rests with the university research advisory councils and doctoral supervisors. However, Rajesh Jha, a former member of the Executive Council of Delhi University, questioned how the scrapping of publications of research papers would contribute to improved quality of the PhD. “At one stroke you had introduced [it] and at another stroke you had withdrawn publication of research papers,” he said, referring to the UGC. Referring to other moves that could arguably lower standards, he said the UGC is “allowing online classes for course work” and “has removed the residency period as well”. Partha Pratim Ray, a professor in the department of physics at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, said the UGC needed to conduct checks on substandard publications instead of doing away with the mandatory publication of research papers. He said the move, which will make it easier for researchers to complete their degree, would benefit private universities “who would be making money as the mandatory clause of publication has been scrapped”. Other changes to the doctorate announced by the UGC include the launch of part-time PhDs aimed at working professionals (IITs already allow such programmes) and changes to eligibility criteria for admissions. The UGC also amended the rules to allow students graduating with a four-year bachelor’s degree to register for a PhD. Alongside those students, “we have students having three years of graduation and two years of post-graduation, so there will be two categories of students, which will create another problem,” noted Ray. In terms of the new rules, anyone with a four-year/eight-semester bachelor’s programme degree with a minimum aggregate of 75% or an equivalent grade will be eligible to register for a PhD. Until now, a masters degree with at least a 55% aggregate was required for doctoral aspirants. The option to take up a PhD immediately after obtaining a four-year bachelors could lead to an increase in the number of research scholars needing supervision, academics said. Jha said there may be subjects which allow for doing a PhD part time, but many subjects need “the total presence and total involvement of the student. “Earlier, there were no UGC regulations for the PhD and universities used to frame their own rules and regulations. Every university has its own system and requirements so this policy of the UGC is not in sync with the basic philosophy of higher education [which] needs a lot of autonomy and much respect for diversity,” Jha added. According to the latest report of the All India Survey on Higher Education, PhD enrolment in India rose from 126,451 in 2015-16 to 202,550 in 2019-20. . |
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Draft University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 egrees) (2nd amendment ) Regulations, 2018 dated 16th October 2018, the University Grants Commission hereby makes the following Regulations, na Short title, Application, and Commencement:
The UGC Research Guidelines, 5th Ed 2019 The UGC Research Development and Innovation Programs Implementation Guidelines, 2019 Fifth Edition September, 2019 University Grants Commission Sanothimi, Bhaktapur Nepal
The field of research study shall be Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences or developing innovative methods of application in the above sciences that would contribute to the betterment of lives of people. The Ph.D regulations of CARE conform to UGC (Minimum standards and procedure of award for of M. Phil/Ph.D. Degrees) Regulations, 2016.
University Grants Commission Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree Regulations, 2022 The minimum standards and procedure for the award of, Ph.D have been revised according to the recommendations of National Education Policy 2020 and the UGC has notified the new UGC (Minirnum Standards and Procedure for award of Ph.D.) Regulations, 2022 in the official Gazette on 7th ...
P.1.0 Introduction P.1.1 The Regulations govern the conditions for imparting courses of instruction, conduct of the examinations and evaluation to research scholar's performance leading to a Ph.D. Degree.
UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of standards in Higher Education 2010) Regulations 2016 (Forth Amendment) (No. F. 1-2/2016 (PS/Amendment) dt. 11.
Ph.D. Ordinance (w.e.f. 26.04.2019) Framed as per the UGC Guidelines in "University Grants Commission"(.Minimum standards and procedures for award of PhD Degree Regulation - 2009) Revised as per (Minimum standards and procedures for award of PhD Degree Regulation - 2016) Regulations of Plagiarism
Minimum standards and procedures for award of Ph.D. degree regulations, 2022 Home » Minimum standards and procedures for award of Ph.D. degree regulations, 2022 » Minimum standards and procedures for award of Ph.D. degree regulations, 2022
3. Eligibility criteria for admission in Ph.D. Programme A candidate will be eligible for admission and registration for the PhD programme, provided he/she: d and other categories of candidates as per the decision of UGC from time to time, or those wh 3.2 Qualifies in the entrance examination conducted by IGNOU at the National level.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified new regulations on PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees, introducing a set of sweeping changes in eligibility criteria, admission procedure and evaluation methods governing doctoral programmes in college and universities.
Download the official UGC Regulation 2018 final.pdf from Google Drive and learn about the latest guidelines for higher education in India.
1.0 SHORT TITLE, APPLICATION AND COMMENCEMENT 1.1 These Regulations may be called the UGC [Institutions Deemed to be Universities] Regulations, 2019.
The UGC on November 7, 2022 notified the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022.
Professor M Jagadesh Kumar, UGC chairperson. In new regulations for doctoral programmes notified Monday, the University Grants Commission (UGC) scrapped the mandatory requirement of getting research papers published in peer-reviewed journals before the final submission of a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) thesis.
That is why the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced the new four-year UG programme and flexible PhD regulations permitting these students with four-year UG degrees to join PhD programmes.
4952604 UGC-(M.PHIL.-PH.D-DEGREES)-REGULATIONS,-2016
P.1.0 Introduction P.1.1 The Regulations govern the conditions on imparting courses of instruction, conduct of examinations and evaluation of research scholars' performance leading to the Ph.D. Degree of the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli.
UGC New Regulations. Sr.No. UGC New Regulations. 1. University Grants Commission (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and other Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) (4th Amendment) Regulations, 2024. Published on 07/06/2024.
Supervision Any regular Professor of this University with at least five research publications in refereed journals and any regular Associate/Assistant Professor of the University with a Ph.D. degree and at least two research publications in refereed journals may be recognized as Research Supervisor. However, in the Faculty of Medicine the guidelines provided by the Medical Council of India ...
The University Grants Commission (UGC) had previously required PhD students to publish at least one article and present two papers at conferences or seminars before they submit their research thesis. Under the latest regulations governing minimum standards and procedures for the award of PhD degrees, announced on 7 November, scholars will no longer be required to do this.
UGC Guidelines for Empanelment of Artists/Artisans in-Residence in Higher Education Institutions. Guidelines for Basic facilities and amenities for a safe, secure environment for Women and Women Cell for sensitization, policy implementation, monitoring, and grievance redressal in HEIs.
Minimum two years research experience, active research career and minimum two publications in UGC approved Journals as corresponding author after Ph.D are also required. Ad-hoc committee has to be constituted for approving Guideship for Ph.D programme.
NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 5th May, 2016 University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.PHIL./PH.D Degrees) Regulations, 2016