Revised Regulations for Ph. D Registration and Award of the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy, 2010/2012
1. Short Title, Application and Commencement.
i. These revised and updated regulations constitute the Revised
Regulations for Ph D Registration and Award of the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy, 2010, incorporating the revisions and amendments made
thereto subsequently, and include the revisions made in accordance with
the Academic Council resolution of 15.10.2011. These regulations shall
be called “Revised Regulations for Ph. D Registration and Award of the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2010/2012”
ii. These Regulations shall apply to the University Departments of
Teaching and Research as well as the approved Research Centres in
Affiliated Colleges and other Research Centres recognized by the
University for the purpose of research
iii. These Regulations apply for Ph D registrations granted in and after the
July 2010 admissions, though some of the revised provisions pertaining
to the modalities of constituting Doctoral Committees and organizing
course work take effect only from 2011 and 2012 admissions.
2. Definitions
In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires
i. “Act,” “Statutes”, “Ordinance” and “Regulations” mean the Act, Statutes,
Ordinance and Regulations respectively of the University.
ii. “Affiliated College” means a College affiliated to the University in
accordance with the provisions of the university Act and Statutes and
where instruction is provided in accordance with the provisions of the
Statutes, ordinances and regulations.
iii. “Centre of Research” or “approved Research Centre” means the
institution where the University allows a research scholar to carry out
research on the subject approved by the University leading to the Ph. D
Degree.
iv. “Department” or School” or “University Department” means the
University Department of Teaching and Research established under the
statutes or the Inter-School or Inter-University Centres established by
the University or the Government of Kerala.
v. “Doctoral Committee” means a Doctoral Committee constituted in a
specific subject either in a University Department or for approved
Research Centres.
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vi. “Department Doctoral Committee” means a Doctoral Committee
constituted in a Department to scrutinize the application for registration,
interview the candidates and make appropriate recommendations to
the University regarding matters of research in subjects coming under
their purview or in subjects that have been entrusted to them by the
University.
vii. “Research Centre Doctoral Committee” means a Doctoral Committee
constituted by the University in specific subjects for approved Research
Centres other than the University Departments to scrutinize the
applications for registration, interview the candidates and make
appropriate recommendations to the University.
viii. “Fellowship” means a regular monetary assistance, awarded to a research
scholar and includes, apart from the scholarships offered by the
University, the national Merit Scholarship, and other assistance offered
by approved funding agencies such as NCERT, CSIR, ICSSR and UGC.
ix. “Laws of the University” means the Act, Statutes, Ordinances,
Regulations, Rules and Bye-Laws of the University, as the case may be.
x. “Recognized institution” means an institution defined in subsection (21) of
Section 2 of the Act
xi. “Registration” means registration for Ph.D degree under these regulations.
xii. “Research Scholar” means any full-time or part-time student duly
registered for the Ph. D. degree of the University under these
regulations.
xiii. “Supervising Teacher”, “Research Supervisor” or “Research guide”
means a teacher or an expert approved as a qualified guide to supervise
research.
xiv. “University” means the University as defined in the Act.
xv. “Adjudicators” or “Examiners” means the experts appointed by the
University for the evaluation of the thesis.
3. Notification
Notification inviting applications for admission to the Ph D programmes in
different disciplines shall be issued along with the notifications for other regular
programmes in the University Departments of Teaching and Research every year.
July 31 shall be the last date for applying for the programmes.
4. Eligibility for Application
A candidate who has passed the Post-graduate Examination in any discipline of
Mahatma Gandhi University or of other Universities recognized as equivalent
thereto securing not less than 55% marks in the aggregate shall be eligible to
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apply for registration for Ph.D. For SC/ST candidates, the minimum marks
required for application is 50% in the aggregate in the Post-graduate Examination.
Provided, however, that MBBS, BAMS, BHMS and BDS degree holders who
have secured not less than 50% marks for their final examinations shall be eligible
for registration for Ph D. Provided further that CA qualified candidates, that is, a
person whose name has been entered as a member in the Register maintained
either by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India or by the Institute of Cost
and Work Accountants of India shall also be eligible to apply for registration for
Ph.D. When the application is made for registration at an approved Research
Centre other than the University Departments, the application shall be
accompanied by letters of consent from the Head of the Research Centre (The
College Principal in the case of an affiliated college centre) where the applicant
proposes to work as well as from the Supervising Teacher under whom he/she
proposes to work.
5. Mode of Admission
Admission to the Ph D programmes shall be made on the basis of (a) the
qualifying degree marks; (b) a written aptitude test; and (c) an interview.
However, UGC-CSIR JRF candidates (and awardees of other similar Fellowships,
including the KSCST and INSPIRE Fellowships) and UGC Teacher Fellows can
be admitted directly into the Ph D programme. They are not required to appear in
the written test and shall be accommodated against available seats, provided the
Doctoral Committee is satisfied with their performance in the interview. The
relative weight for the three components (qualifying marks: written test:
interview) for admission in the case of all other candidates, except those who are
exempted from the written test under these regulations, shall be: 40:40:20. In the
case of those who are exempted from the written test, selection will be on the
basis of the candidates’ qualifying degree marks and their performance in the
interview, the relative weight for the two components being 50:50. M Phil holders
in the subject concerned shall be given adequate weightage in the selection.
Though the aptitude for research will be an important consideration in selecting
the research scholars, due attention shall be paid to the reservation pattern
followed in the University while making admissions. This will be subject to the
consent and availability of Supervising Teachers.
6. Aptitude Test/ Interview
The University Departments of Teaching and Research shall be responsible for
the conduct of the written aptitude tests in the subjects that directly come under
their purview as well as in other subjects, if any, that are assigned to them. The
written aptitude tests in subjects that are not part of the academic programmes of
the Departments shall be conducted directly by the University under the
supervision of the University Research Committee/Research Director and the
office of the Controller of Examinations. Question papers for the tests in all
subjects shall be prepared by experts nominated by the Vice Chancellor. The
evaluation of the tests too shall be made by experts in the subject nominated by
the Vice Chancellor. Only candidates who acquire 50% marks in the written test
shall be called for the interview. The following University Departments shall
conduct the research aptitude tests in the subjects indicated:
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(1). School of Gandhian Thought and Development Studies (Gandhian Studies, Social
Work, Development Studies)
(2). School of International Relations (International Relations, Political Science,
Public Administration, Economics)
(3). School of Social Sciences (History, Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy)
(4). School of Letters (English, Malayalam, Comparative Literature, Theatre Arts,
Fine Arts)
(5). School of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology, Special Education, Behavioural
Medicine, Rehabilitation Nursing, Disabilities Studies)
(6). School of Bio-sciences (Bio-sciences)
(7). School of Chemical Sciences (Chemistry, Polymer Science/ Engineering)
(8). School of Computer Science (Computer Science)
(9). School of Pure and Applied Physics (Physics, Electronics)
(10). School of Environmental Sciences (Environmental Sciences)
(11). School of Pedagogical Sciences (Education, Educational Psychology)
(12). School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (Physical Education)
(13). School of Management and Business Studies (Management Studies, Business
Administration)
(14). School of Indian Legal Thought (Law)
The following are the subjects in which the University shall make separate
arrangements for the conduct of the written aptitude tests:
Library and Information Science, Hindi, Sanskrit, Syriac, Arabic, Botany,
Zoology, Pharmacy, Mathematics, Applicable Mathematics, Statistics, Civil
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Fishery Science, Home Science,
Commerce.
Applications for admission to Ph D research in the University Departments shall
be made to the Head of the Department concerned. Applications for admission to
the approved Research Centres shall be made to the Registrar.
Applications for admission to Ph D research received in the University
Departments before the prescribed date shall be scrutinized by the Doctoral
Committee of the School/Department concerned. The Committee shall consist of
the Head of the Department as Chairperson and four senior teachers of the
Department, who shall be supervising teachers in the subjects coming under the
purview of the Department, as members. Though the Department is free to have
separate committees for different subjects, it will as far as possible have the same
committee to make the selection in related subjects coming under the purview of
the Department. The Committee shall interview all eligible candidates, that is,
those who are exempted from the written aptitude test as well as those who have
qualified in the written aptitude test (i.e. those who obtain a minimum of 50%
marks in the written test) and prepare a list of selected candidates for the required
number of vacancies in each subject/discipline. During the interview the
candidates shall discuss with the Committee their research interests on the basis of
their proposed plan of work. Selected candidates shall be tentatively allocated
Supervising Teachers by the Department Doctoral Committee on the basis of their
interests and performance. The selected candidates shall pay the fees and join the
University Department on the dates specified by the Department, pending official
issue of registration orders by the University office.
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6 (a) Interview – Approved Research Centres
The University shall constitute separate Doctoral Committees in each subject for
approved Research Centres. The Research Centre Doctoral Committee shall
consist of the Head of the University Department or the University Professor in
the subject concerned as the Chairperson and a Professor/Scientist/Expert from
outside the University, to be nominated by the Vice Chancellor, as the Subject
Expert. The Supervising Teacher who has consented in writing to supervise the
applicant shall also be a member of the Committee for that particular applicant. In
subjects where there are no Professors in the University, the University shall
appoint both the Chairperson and the Subject Expert from outside the University.
Only eligible applicants who are exempted from the written aptitude test and
applicants who have qualified in the written aptitude test (i.e. those who obtain a
minimum of 50% marks in the written test) shall be called for the interview. The
candidate will be recommended for registration only if the Doctoral Committee is
satisfied with the candidate’s research aptitude and the research potential of the
topic proposed. The rest of the selection procedure will be as given in clauses 5
and 6 above.
7. Exemption from the Written Test
Apart from JRF candidates and UGC Teacher Fellows, the following categories of
candidates are exempted from appearing for the Written Aptitude Test.
a. M Phil and M.Tech (all disciplines), MD (Medicine) and MS
(Medicine) holders in the subject of research concerned.
b. Regular and permanent teachers from the Government and Aided
Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University and from the
University Departments.
c. Candidates who have become qualified in the
NET/SLET/GATE/GPAT or other Tests conducted by such
Government bodies as UGC, CSIR, ICAR, and ICMR.
d. Scientists from Accredited R&D Institutions
e. Candidates who hold a valid certificate for having qualified in the
Research Aptitude Test conducted by Mahatma Gandhi University.
8. Fellowships:
University Junior Research Fellowships shall be made available to a limited
number of candidates registered for Ph D each year. Selection in this regard shall
be made on the basis of merit from among the candidates other than UGC Teacher
Fellows and holders of JRF and other Fellowships. The University shall determine
annually the number of such fellowships on the basis of funds available and notify
them separately.
9. Registration for Research:
All candidates admitted to the Ph D programmes of the University shall be
registered as full time research scholars, except regular and permanent teachers
from the Government and Aided Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi
University and from the University Departments, who shall be granted part-time
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registration if they so desire. They shall join the University Department or the
Research Centre concerned, as the case may be, on receipt of provisional
registration orders issued by the office of the Director of Research/University
office dealing with matters concerning research. The registration shall be
confirmed on the successful completion of coursework within the first two
semesters (extendable by a year in the case of candidates who fail to clear the
end-semester examination of the coursework in the first chance). Provided that
part-time research scholars (regular and permanent teachers from Government or
Aided Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University or from the University
Departments of Mahatma Gandhi University) shall be permitted to do their
coursework in the first four semesters of the programme in accordance with the
convenience of the Department/Research Centre (extendable by another year in
the case of candidates who fail to clear the end-semester examination of the
coursework in the first chance).
10. Course Work
Each student, other than regular and permanent teachers from the Government
and Aided Colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University and from the
University Departments, who shall be granted part-time registration if they so
desire, admitted to the Ph D programme shall be required to undertake course
work for a period of one semester within a continuous period of two semesters.
The course work shall be organized by the University Departments for students
registered at the Departments. Students registered at approved Research Centres
shall undergo coursework at their own Centres. If there are no facilities at their
Research Centres or if the Centres are not willing to organize coursework for their
students, the students can apply for prior permission from the University to join
other Research Centres nearby for coursework, for which specific orders shall be
issued by the University. Applications for such permission should be
accompanied by consent letters from the Heads (College Principals, in the case of
affiliated colleges) of the two Centres. The course work shall be worth 12 credits
and shall have the following three components:
(a) A course in Research Methodology (4-credits): There shall be two courses for
the students to choose from: one common for the disciplines coming under the
science stream and the other common for all the disciplines coming under the
non-science stream.
(b) A course on recent developments in the broad discipline (4 credits)
(c) A course in the area of research which will include detailed review of the
current status of scholarship in the area (4 credits).
The University shall make arrangements for designing course (a) above centrally
with the help of experts. Course (b) shall be designed by the Departments in the
case of subjects that are taught in the University Departments and by Expert
Committees constituted by the University in the case of subjects that are not
taught in the University Departments. Course (c) shall be prepared by the
Supervising Teacher in consultation with the Doctoral Committee concerned. The
Supervising Teacher shall submit a draft syllabus for course (c) within a week of
the meeting of the Doctoral Committee. All courses shall be forwarded to the
Vice Chancellor for approval through the Research Director who shall monitor
the conduct of the coursework for quality assurance both at the University
Departments and Research Centres. The Department can choose to ask the Ph D
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scholars to do some of the M Phil courses in the Department, if relevant, in place
of course (b) above. The courses could be given as lecture courses or seminar
courses. The University Department is free to arrange any of the courses forming
part of the Ph D course work in the second semester of the Ph D programme.
Candidates with M Phil shall be exempted from courses (a) and (b). The course
work in their case shall be limited to the third course (course c) of 4 credits. The
pattern of evaluation and grading in the Departments will be the same as the
pattern of evaluation/grading followed for M Phil programmes under CSS.
However, no student who has not acquired a minimum GPA (Grade Point
Average) of 5 shall be qualified to continue research. A Ph D candidate in a
University Department who fails to acquire the minimum GPA of 5 can avail of
another chance to improve his/her GPA by repeating the end-semester exams for
the courses to be held a year later. No further chance for improving the evaluation
of the course work shall be given. Such candidates cannot continue Ph D research.
10 a. Coursework in approved Research Centres
Approved Research Centres where there are facilities for conducting coursework
and which are willing to organize coursework shall be permitted by the University
to organize course work. In such cases, the Head of the Institution (Principal in
the case of affiliated colleges) concerned shall be responsible for ensuring that a
full-semester course work of the prescribed standard and duration has been
organized at the Research Centre. (A certificate to this effect is to accompany the
candidate’s application for end-semester examination.) The syllabi for the courses
shall be provided by the University and the end-semester examination shall be
conducted by the office of the Controller of Examinations with the support of the
office of the Research Director. A common schedule for the end-semester
examinations of candidates subject-wise from all Research Centres shall be
prepared by the office of the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the
University Research Committee/Research Director. Question paper setting and
evaluation shall be undertaken by external experts and arrangements for this shall
be made by the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the Research
Director. Evaluation shall be on the basis of the percentage of marks obtained in
the end-semester examination. There shall be single evaluation of the answer
script of each course by an external expert from outside the University. The
minimum percentage of marks required to qualify in each course shall be 45%
marks. No candidate who fails to obtain a minimum of 45% marks in each course
separately shall be declared to have completed the coursework successfully. A Ph.
D. candidate in an approved Research Centre who fails to acquire the minimum
percentage of marks required to qualify in the coursework can avail of another
chance to improve his/her marks in the coursework by repeating the end-semester
examinations to be held next year. No further chance for improving the evaluation
of the course work shall be given. Such candidates cannot continue Ph D research.
11. Place of Research.
Research shall be carried out by a Research Scholar in a University Department or
in a Research Centre in an Affiliated College or in an institution recognized as a
Research Centre under these regulations.
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12. Part-time Research
Registration for part-time research shall be granted from the beginning only to
regular and permanent teachers from the Government and Aided Colleges
affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University and from the University Departments.
All other applicants shall initially be granted full-time registration. The following
categories, however, are eligible to apply for conversion of their research to parttime
after completing six months or on successful completion of the course work,
whichever comes later:
a) Regular employees working in Government/ Quasi-government institutions
b) Teachers working in Government and Aided educational institutions in the
state.
c) Teachers working in the institutions run by the University.
d) Scientists working in accredited R&D institutions and Clinical Psychologists
attached to Government/Quasi-government organizations.
13. Other conditions
a) Persons applying for conversion of their research to part-time shall produce a
“No Objection Certificate” from their employers.
b) Foreign candidates shall be registered for research only if they are on visas
issued for research scholars/students and with the necessary clearance from
Government of India.
c) Conversion of research from full-time to part-time shall be granted by the
Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of the Supervising Teacher and the
Head of the Research Centre.
14. Supervising Teachers
A research student shall work under a recognized supervising teacher who shall
invariably be the staff of the institution in which the student is permitted to work.
(1) Supervising Teachers within the University Departments:
Teachers of the University Departments/Schools of Teaching and Research in the
University do not require any formal recognition as research guides in order to
supervise research in the Schools/Departments concerned. They can undertake
research guidance as part of their duty as assigned by the School/Department
provided they have the following qualifications:
a. He/she should be a doctorate degree holder and be in a substantive teaching
post of the School/Department.
b. A Professor/Associate Professor (Reader) of a University department can
guide research even if he/she is without a doctorate degree, provided that
he/she has ten years of teaching and research experience and ten
publications of research papers in refereed journals of national or
international standing, or a book brought out by one of the accredited
publishers after obtaining post-graduate qualifications.
c. An Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of a rare specialization in an
interdisciplinary subject area can be assigned the duty of research
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guidance even if he/she does not posses Ph. D, provided he/she has M.Phil
degree and a minimum of five years of research experience with five
research papers in refereed journals of national/international standing or a
book brought out by one of the accredited publishers.
d. If he/she is an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in a Medical subject in a
School of Interdisciplinary specialization the degree of the Doctor of
Medicine with five research papers in refereed journals of
national/international standing or a book brought out by one of the
accredited publishers, shall be the minimum qualifications for being the
research guide in the area of his/her specialization
i). In case of (c) and (d) above the research student being supervised will have a
co-guide who will be a regular supervising teacher of the School/Department.
ii). An Assistant Professor (Lecturer) who is doing research for his/her first
doctorate degree shall not be permitted to induct candidates for research
before the award of his/her doctorate degree.
(2) Supervising Teachers in approved Research Centres:
i. Only approved college teachers working in Government and Aided Colleges
affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University and scientists in reputed research
institutions run by the Government shall be recognized as Supervising
Teachers by the Syndicate.
ii. Only teachers and scientists permanently employed in the
colleges/institutions to which the Research Centre is attached shall be
recognized as Supervising Teachers.
iii. To be recognized as a supervising teacher in a particular subject a college
teacher must have a Doctorate Degree in the subject concerned obtained
from Mahatma Gandhi University or from other Universities recognized by
the UGC. He/She shall have a minimum of 2 years of post–doctoral
research experience evidenced by research output. He/She must have at
least three post-doctoral research publications in his/her subject published in
refereed journals of national / international standing.
iv. A Scientist in the service of a recognized research institution having a Ph.
D. degree and in the rank of a University Lecturer and above shall be
eligible to apply for recognition as Research Guide. He/she must be
permanently employed in this institution and must have a minimum of 5
years teaching/research experience of which two years shall be post-doctoral
experience. He/she should further have three post-doctoral research
publications on his/her subject published in refereed journals of
national/international standing.
v. In both (i) and (ii) above, the Boards of Studies of the University
Department/Schools of study and research shall be the competent body to
decide on the standing of the journals coming under the subjects/disciplines
concerned. The University shall prepare a list of such standard journals for
the purpose in consultation with Department/School/Board of Studies
concerned.
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vi. The Supervising Teachers who have not been active in the research
activities of the Departments/Research Centres continuously for a period of
two years shall cease to be the approved research supervisors of the University
in the subject concerned.
15. Number of candidates under a Supervising Teacher:
i. A Supervising Teacher shall not have, at any given point of time, more than
eight Ph.D. scholars working under him/her. However, in the case of the
Supervising Teachers in the University Departments, the Doctoral Committee
can allot Teacher Fellows under the TFS of the UGC, JRF holders, SC/ST
candidates or foreign scholars irrespective of the ceiling of eight, but the total
number of research scholars shall not exceed ten under such a supervising
teacher.
ii. A Supervising Teacher shall not guide any of his close relatives (spouses,
parents, children, brother, sister, first cousins, nephew, nieces, uncles, aunts and
in-laws) as research scholars.
16. Allocation of Supervising Teachers:
The allocation of the Supervising Teacher for a selected candidate shall be
decided by the Doctoral Committee in a formal manner in the interview. The
allocation will depend on such factors as the specialization of the supervisors and
the research interest of the candidate. The Doctoral Committee can consider
allocating a co-guide to a candidate in addition to the Supervising Teacher.
17. Change of the Supervising Teacher:
Normally, a change of the Supervising Teacher is not allowed. However, in the
event of death of the supervising teacher or when a supervising teacher leaves the
Department either permanently or on long leave or in exceptional cases
warranting a change of Supervising Teacher, the scholar shall be allowed to
change the Supervising Teacher by the Syndicate based on the recommendations
of the Supervising Teacher/s concerned and the Doctoral Committee. In other
cases the change will be decided by the Academic Council.
18. Recognition of Institutions as Research Centres.
(i) It shall be competent for the Syndicate to recognize any institution engaged
in research or specialized studies as a recognized research centre of the
University in accordance with the following provisions.
a. An institution seeking recognition of the university shall conform to the
standards, aims, and objectives of the University and its programmes of
teaching and research.
b. The institution seeking recognition shall be reputed academic/scientific
institution or an affiliated college with PG departments in the subject
concerned. No institution shall be recognized as a research centre if the
subject disciplines or interdisciplinary areas in which it seeks recognition do
not fall under any of faculties mentioned in the statutes.
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c. The institution seeking recognition shall be housed in its own building
with all facilities for research. It should also be running an academic
programme of quality in the subject concerned that could be deemed to be a
feeder programme for Ph. D research.
d. It must have on the staff of the institution at least 2 doctorate degree
holders who satisfy the eligibility conditions for being recognized as
Supervising Teachers under these regulations.
e. The institution shall have its own library, laboratory, equipment and
exhibition materials conforming to the standard of good research centre.
The library shall have at least 10000 original books (text books/popular
books shall not be counted) useful for researchers in the discipline/area of
research concerned. It must also have subscribed to at least 10 journals of
national and international standard. Internet facilities are essential.
f. The institution shall show evidence of active research carried out in the
Centre in the form of research output of quality.
g. The institution should possess sufficient infrastructural facilities,
including qualified faculty support, for organizing Ph. D. coursework in the
subject concerned.
(ii) Application for recognition as Research Centres shall be made in the
prescribed form with the prescribed fee.
(iii) The University may, if it is satisfied that the application is in order, appoint
Inspection Commission to verify the physical and academic facilities available at
the institution.
(iv) The Syndicate may cause periodic inspections to be made of the Research
Centres to ascertain whether the terms and conditions imposed on the institutions
at the time of granting recognition are fulfilled. The Syndicate may, by order,
withdraw recognition of such institutions either for non-fulfillment of conditions
or for finding them unfit for continued recognition.
19. Doctoral Committee
The Doctoral Committee shall constantly monitor the progress of the research
student. The Supervising Teacher allocated to a candidate shall be invited to all
the meetings of the Doctoral Committee that consider issues relating to the
performance and progress of the candidate.
20. Director of Research
There shall be an honorary Director of Research in the University with office
support for coordinating the administration of research in the University. The
Director shall coordinate between the University Departments and the Centres of
Research as well as the different sections in the University office dealing with
matters of Ph D research, including thesis evaluation. The Director is to be
nominated from among the University Professors by the Vice Chancellor for a
period of three years.
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20 (a). University Research Committee
There shall be a University Research Committee nominated by the Vice
Chancellor to advise the University on all matters concerning research. The
members of the University Research Committee other than ex-officio members
shall hold office for a period of two years from the date of their nomination. The
University Research Committee shall consist of:
(1) Vice Chancellor (Chairman)
(2) Pro-Vice Chancellor (Vice Chairman)
(3) Registrar
(4) Director of Research (Convenor)
(5) Director, College Development Council
(6) Two Deans of Faculties
(7) One Professor of the University Departments/Schools
(8) One Associate Professor from the University Departments/Schools
(9) One member of the Syndicate other than Deans of Faculties
21. Progress Report
Supervising Teachers shall send to the University half-yearly reports of progress
of the students working under them through the Head of the Research Centre and
Doctoral Committee to the Director of Research.
22. Periodical Review of Research Work.
The Doctoral Committee shall periodically review the work of research scholars
working in the Departments as well as in the Research Centres. Each Ph D scholar
shall be asked to make a 30-minutes to 1-hour presentation of his/her research
progress once in every six months. The half-yearly progress report shall be signed
by the Supervising Teacher and Head of the Research Centre/ Head of the
Department only after such presentations have been made.
23. Privileges of Research Scholars.
Candidates who have been registered as full time research students in the
University Departments, and who pay all the fees that are to be paid normally by
the Research Scholars of the University Departments, shall be entitled to all the
privileges of the University students except those for which special fees are
charged. However, they shall cease to enjoy the privileges of the full time
students of the University Departments if they convert their research to part time.
24. Leave.
i. A full-time research scholar shall be eligible to avail of not more than thirty
days of leave with fellowship (if applicable) in a completed year, in addition to
twenty days of casual leave.
ii. In exceptional cases, the Vice- Chancellor may, on grounds which he may
consider as sufficient and reasonable, grant two months leave as special leave for
a full-time research scholar. This special leave shall be granted to a research
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scholar only twice during the entire period of research, provided that, this period
of special leave shall not be counted for fellowship.
iii. A female research scholar shall be entitled to 180 days as maternity leave. A
student in a Department who seeks to avail of maternity leave for 180 days shall
be permitted to appear for the end-semester examinations in the second semester
provided she has a minimum of 50% attendance and has cleared all internal
assessment assignments. In all other cases, the candidates on maternity leave with
shortage of attendance shall attend the coursework with the next batch of students.
iv. Long leave can be granted to full time research scholars for taking up foreign
fellowships and other assignments for pursuing studies abroad on topics that are
closely related to their areas of research.
25. Period of Research.
i. The minimum period of research required by a candidate for submission of
the thesis from the date of registration shall be two years (4 semesters) for
M.Phil, M.Ed., M.Sc. (by research), Master of Letters and M.Tech degree
holders if the research is in the subject in which the candidate has taken the
above qualifying degree. In all other cases, the minimum period of research
required is three years (6 semesters) for thesis submission. This is inclusive of
the period spent on course work.
ii. The maximum period of research shall, if the period is not specified
otherwise, generally be five years (10 semesters) for full-time and eight years
(16 semesters) for part-time research. On expiry of this period a candidate’s
registration will lapse, provided that it shall be competent for the Syndicate to
extend the period of registration by a maximum period of one year on the
recommendations of the Doctoral Committee and also on payment of a fee for
extension. The registration shall automatically lapse after expiry of the
maximum period.
26. Confirmation of the Research Topic/ Change of the area of Research
i. A candidate’s topic of research/title of the thesis shall be confirmed and
approved by the Doctoral Committee at the end of the first or second semester,
that is, after the course work has been completed. The details of the confirmed
topic of research shall be intimated to the office of the Director of Research by
the University Department/ Research Centre.
ii. The Doctoral Committee shall not permit a change in the area of research after
it has been confirmed at the end of the second semester. It may, however,
consider and approve a candidate’s request for a change in the title of the thesis
which would not entail any change in the area of research till the end of the
second year (fourth semester).
27. Restriction on Employment.
A full-time research scholar shall not engage himself/herself in any other
employment except in imparting instruction in an honorary capacity on a topic
which forms the subject matter of his research in the institution where he is
working.
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28. Cancellation of Registration.
The Vice Chancellor may cancel the registration of any research student for
unsatisfactory progress or conduct.
The Vice Chancellor may also cancel the registration of full-time research
scholars on the recommendations of the supervising teacher for their non
attendance at the centre of research beyond the prescribed time limit.
29. Discontinuance of Research.
i. A candidate’s leave or absence from the centre beyond the permitted period, or
his failure to pay the fees for research or compliance of rules regarding
submission of progress reports for two terms or his failure to seek guidance of the
supervising teacher for more than a year shall lead to his/her removal from the
rolls.
ii. Research students thus removed from the rolls, if they want to continue their
work, shall be required to re-register themselves by submitting an application with
the proper recommendations of the Doctoral Committee and paying all arrears of
fee, the re-admission fee and the fine. In such cases the Vice-Chancellor, on the
recommendations of the Supervising teacher and with due justification, can
condone the break of research period if he/she so deserves.
iii. Re-registration shall be granted only once and that too, within the maximum
period of research permitted. The maximum period of research of such candidate
will be same as in the case of others.
30. Deregistration and re-registration.
A Candidate can choose to deregister any time after the completion of the
minimum period of research (two or three years, as the case may be) required and
before the maximum period of research permitted subject to stipulations vide 25
(2). A candidate seeking deregistration shall apply for the same. A candidate
granted deregistration shall be permitted to submit his/her thesis any time within a
period of five years from the date of deregistration after he/she has paid the
required re-registration fee to be fixed by the University. Such candidates shall be
required to satisfy the usual formalities as applicable to them at the time of the
submission of the thesis. They shall be required to pay the re-registration fee for a
term along with the other fees exacted from the regular research students at the
time of the submission of the thesis. The place of a deregistered candidate shall
be treated as a vacancy under the supervisor concerned and the Department shall
accordingly assign a fresh research scholar against the vacancy.
31. Pre-Ph. D. Presentation:
i. On completion of research and the draft thesis the research scholar shall make a
Pre-Ph. D. Presentation on the thesis in the University Department concerned.
This shall be open to all faculty members and research students whose feedback
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and comments may be considered by the research scholar for suitable
incorporation into the draft thesis under the advice of the supervising teacher.
ii. The date for the pre-Ph. D. presentation shall be fixed at the request of the
Research scholar by the Supervising Teacher in consultation with the Head of the
Department of the institution concerned; and at least 7 days notice along with a
10-page outline of the thesis shall be made available to the faculty members and
research students so as to make their participation in the presentation effective.
iii. The Dean of the Faculty shall invariably be invited to the presentation. The
Dean, the Head of the Department and the Supervising Teacher shall make a
report on the presentation and forward it to the office of the Director of Research.
The Director shall issue a certificate regarding the pre-Ph D presentation to the
candidate.
iv. In the case of candidates from Research Centres, the office of the Director of
Research, on getting the request of the Research Scholar forwarded by the
Supervising Teacher, shall make arrangements for the presentation in one of the
University Departments.
32. Pre Ph.D. Publications
A research scholar shall publish at least one research paper in a refereed journal
before the submission of the thesis for evaluation, and shall forward a copy of the
research paper (or acceptance letter, in case the paper is scheduled for publication
at a later date) through the Supervising Teacher to the office of the Director of
Research.
32. Submission of the Synopsis:
i. On completion of the draft thesis and the Pre-Ph.D. presentation, three months
before the date of submission of the proposed thesis for evaluation, the candidate
shall submit through the Supervising Teacher twelve copies of the Synopsis of the
proposed thesis, in about 1500 words together with the title of the thesis. The
Synopsis should be accompanied by the application for the admission to the Ph.D
Degree and the fee prescribed for the purpose by the University and shall be sent
to the Controller of Examinations.
ii. The application for adjudication of the thesis shall be accompanied by a letter
from the Supervising Teacher with the recommendations of the Head of the
Department in the case of Departments and of the Supervising Teacher, HOD and
the Principal of the College in the case of Centres of Research in Colleges.
iii. Apart from other certificates and documents, the following documents shall
also accompany the application for the adjudication of the thesis:
a) Grade card/ evidence for having qualified in the course work
b) Certificate from the Director of Research regarding pre-Ph D presentation
c) Copy of the research paper published in a refereed journal, or the letter of
acceptance from a refereed journal, duly certified by the Director of Research
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33. Panel of Examiners:
i. A panel of examiners shall be prepared by the supervising teacher and
forwarded to the Controller of Examinations through the Head of the
Department/College Principal and the Director of Research.
ii. The panel shall consist of the names of ten experts of national or international
standing, known for their integrity and judgment and having not less than 10
years of teaching/research experience in the subject concerned. The Research
Committee shall be competent to add names to or delete names from the panel
suggested by the Supervising Teacher.
iii. The experts shall be from outside the University jurisdiction and at least four
shall be from outside Kerala, except in the case of subjects like Malayalam.
The panel shall be approved by the Syndicate.
35. Submission of Thesis
i. After completion of the prescribed minimum period of research, a candidate
shall be eligible to submit his/her thesis. The candidate shall submit six copies
of the thesis and a soft copy thereof together with the prescribed fee to the
Controller of Examinations through the research centre. The thesis shall be
submitted within three months from the date of submission of the synopsis. In
exceptional cases, where the prescribed fee is paid the Syndicate may, based
on the recommendations of the Supervising Teacher and Head of the
Department, condone a delay of a period up to one year, provided that the
candidate shall submit his/her thesis only during the currency of his/her
registration or during the sanctioned period.
ii. The thesis shall be accompanied by a declaration by the candidate that the
thesis has not previously formed the basis for the award of any degree or
diploma or other titles. The thesis shall also be accompanied by a certificate
from the supervising teacher to the effect that it is a record of bona fide work
carried out by the candidate under his/her supervision.
36. Adjudication of Thesis.
i. The thesis shall be adjudicated by a Board of three examiners appointed by the
Syndicate from the panel of Examiners submitted. One of the examiners shall
be the Chairman of the Board.
ii. The Examiners shall submit a report on the merit of the work embodied in the
thesis and state whether the thesis is recommended for the award of the Ph.D.
degree. The examiners should also indicate in which respect the thesis affords
evidence of originality. The Syndicate shall accept the unanimous opinion of
the Board of Examiners. If one of the examiners does not recommend the
award of the degree, the thesis shall be referred to a fourth examiner and
his/her report shall be accepted. If two examiners are not in favour of
recommending the degree, the candidate shall be asked to resubmit the thesis
within a period not less than six months.
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iii. The candidate whose thesis is not recommended for the award of the Ph.D
Degree shall be informed accordingly and shall be supplied with the
comments made by the adjudicators. The candidate shall be permitted to
resubmit a revised version of the thesis within a period of not less than 6
months from the date of which he/she has been informed of the results of
evaluation of the thesis.
iv. The Board of Examiners once appointed to adjudicate the thesis will normally
evaluate the revised thesis unless any of the Examiners is not willing to
continue in the Board. Substitutes shall be appointed by the Vice-chancellor
from the Panel of Examiners already approved by the Syndicate. However, it
shall be competent for the Syndicate to appoint fresh set of Examiners to
adjudicate the thesis for good and sufficient reasons. The revised thesis shall
be accompanied by the prescribed fee.
v. A candidate shall not be allowed to submit his/her thesis for more than two
times. However, it shall be competent for the Syndicate, on the specific
recommendation of the Board of Examiners, to permit the candidate to submit
his/her thesis for a third time.
vi. Normally adjudication shall be completed in a period of six months. Under no
circumstances shall the procedures be allowed to extend beyond a year. The
appointment of an examiner who fails to give his/her report within five
months shall be cancelled and he/she would be advised to send the thesis
back. The thesis shall then be forwarded to a fresh examiner whose name has
already been marked as standby in the panel by the Vice-Chancellor.
37. The Public Viva-voce and Open Defence of the Thesis.
i. The thesis recommended by the Board of Adjudicators for the award of Ph.D.
degree shall be defended by the research scholar at the public viva-voce and open
defence before the Board specially constituted for the purpose. Invited scholars
and enthusiasts interested in the subject shall also attend the Open Defence. The
candidate and the supervising teacher shall be supplied in advance with copies of
the comments made by the examiners on the thesis.
ii. The constitution of the Board.
A three member board shall be constituted for the conduct of the Open Defence and
viva-voce with a Chairman and two other members.
a. The Board shall be presided over by one of the members of the adjudication
board nominated by the Vice-chancellor.
b. The Dean of the faculty concerned shall be the second member of the Board
c. The Supervising teacher shall be the third member of the Board.
iii. The supervising teacher shall convene the Open Defence and Viva-voce based
on the direction of the Controller of Examinations. The Controller of
Examinations shall inform the day, the date, time and venue for the conduct of
the Open Defence Viva
iv. The mode of invitation of the Participants and the Conduct of the
viva.
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The Controller of Examinations shall arrange the Open Defence to be held in one of
the University Departments. After getting confirmation in this regard, the
supervising teacher shall send invitations under Certificate of Posting to at least 50
people from various institutions interested in the topic. While sending the
invitations to the participants for the Open Defence Viva a one-page synopsis of the
Ph.D thesis shall be sent to them along with the invitation. Like wise a copy of
the Ph.D thesis shall be kept in the Department Library of the Department
concerned at least three days in advance for the purpose of reference to those who
are interested in the topic.
v. Conduct of Viva-voce and the Proceedings
The Chairman will conduct the proceedings. The research scholar shall present
a summary of his/her thesis for a duration not less than 30 minutes and the
Chairman will ask questions to him/her based on the comments in the
adjudication reports. Subsequently the participants in the public viva can ask
relevant questions related to the topic. The Chairman can disallow questions,
which according to him/her are not relevant to the topic.
vi. The Supervising teacher can support or supplement the arguments of the
research scholar in the Open Defence Viva.
vii. The Board of the Open Defence Viva shall judge the performance of the
candidate in the Open Defence Viva and the recommendation declared at the
end of the Open Defence. The Chairman shall subsequently submit a report
containing the recommendations of the Board to the Controller of
Examinations. In the report, it shall be mentioned whether the Degree of Doctor
of Philosophy can be awarded or not. If the thesis required rewriting it shall
also be mentioned clearly in the report.
38. Conferment of the Degree of Ph. D.
i. The Controller of Examinations, on receipt of the report of the Chairman,
recommending the conferment of the Degree of Ph.D. to the research scholar,
shall submit the same along with the reports of the examiners before the
Syndicate.
ii. The Syndicate, if satisfied on the basis of the reports of the examiners and of the
viva-voce that the candidate is adjudged worthy of being awarded the Degree of
Ph.D., shall pass a resolution to that effect; and there upon the candidate shall be
admitted to the Degree of Ph.D.
39. Depository with UGC
Following the declaration of the award of Ph.D. to the candidate, the University
shall submit a softcopy of the thesis to the UGC within a period of thirty days, for
being posted in INFLIBNET, accessible to all institutions/Universities.
40. Format of the Degree:
i. The Ph.D. degree certificate shall incorporate inter alia the title of the thesis
along with the name(s) of the faculty / faculties and discipline(s) as applicable
in the case.
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ii. In the case of the award of the Ph. D. degree for inter-disciplinary research,
the degree certificate shall bear both the subjects of the candidate’s postgraduate
degree and the discipline of the department in which the candidate
has conducted his doctoral research mentioning them as “inter disciplinary”.
iii. Along with the degree, the Ph D degree awarded under these regulations shall
carry a provisional certificate stating that the Degree has been awarded in
accordance with the provisions of the “UGC (Minimum Standards and
Procedure for Award of M Phil/ Ph D Degree) Regulations, 2009.”
41. Publication of the Thesis.
i. A thesis, whether approved or not, shall not be published in full
without the permission of the Syndicate; and the Syndicate may
generally grant permission unless there exist any valid reasons
given in writing for not granting the permission.
Provided that a research scholar may, during the course of his/her research,
publish papers on topics related to his research in standard research journals, as
advised by the supervising teacher, but the thesis as a whole shall not be
published without obtaining permission of the Syndicate.
ii. Permission for publication of the thesis shall be obtained within five years of
the award of the degree
42. Transitory provision:
These regulations will come into force for Ph D registrations granted in and after
the July 2010 session. However, in the case of candidates registered for the Ph.D.
programme as per notifications issued for earlier sessions, the previous
regulations shall be applicable.
43. Removal of Difficulties:
Without prejudice to the generality of the aforesaid regulations, the ViceChancellor
shall have the power for a period of three years from the date of
implementation of the regulation to remove any difficulties that may arise either
in the course of the transition from the previous regulations to this revised
regulation or in the course of implementing the revised regulations.
Sd/-
REGISTRAR
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