NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC), on April 24, revised the criteria for faculty appointments and the awarding of PhD degree at higher education institutions (HEIs). The decision was taken during the Commission's 568th Meeting in a bid to check the violation of regulations.
The amendments have been made to ensure the quality in appointing teachers and awarding doctoral degrees in HEIs. Considering the reports of violations of UGC Regulations on minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff, leading to concerns from various stakeholders, UGC formed a Committee to monitor the appointment of teachers and the award of PhD degrees in HEIs.
This Committee will be responsible for ensuring compliance with UGC regulations, selecting particular institutions, gathering information regarding faculty appointments and awarding PhD degrees, and recommending appropriate action when violations are found.
UGC Changes PhD Degree Criteria
The first major change implemented by the UGC is the discontinuation of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) as a mandatory criterion for admission to PhD programmes. Know it that now students can directly apply for a Doctoral degree after completing one-year Master's degree and four-year Undergraduate (UG) programmes or two-year Master's degree and three-year UG.
Additionally, UGC has also waived the obligation of compulsory publication of research in peer-reviewed journals before submission of PhD thesis.
Part-Time PhD opportunity
UGC has also allowed part-time PhD. This practice was stopped under the rules of 2009 and 2016. But as per the new regulations, students or professionals can do PhD on a part-time basis, provided they have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their employer.
Change in Course Duration
This year, there is also a change in the PhD course duration, which will now be from minimum two-years to maximum six-years. Also, females and differently-abled candidates will get a relaxation of two years to complete the degree and women candidates will get maternal leave and child care leave up to 240 days.
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