REVISED REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE ADMISSION AND EXAMINATIONS FOR PH.D. PROGRAMME

(Approved by the Syndicate in its 124th meeting held on 13th April, 2002)

Regulations relating to admission, registration, and examination for Ph.D. programme at the university are given in this booklet. It is hoped that this publication shall provide adequate information and useful guidelines both for students and teachers of QAU. Attention is drawn to the rules pertaining to grades, promotion, and merit regulations for the Ph.D. degree. Further information or clarification of these rules can also be obtained from the Departmental Student’s Advisor, or from the office of the Controller of Examinations.

DEFINITIONS

• Unless stated other wise, the following terms in these regulations will have the meaning defined hereunder
• Department means a teaching department of the university or an affiliated institute or a centre.
• Chairman means the head of a teaching department or the director of an affiliated institute or centre.
• Research Board means the Advanced Studies and Research Board as constituted under section 5 of the first statutes of the Quaid-i-Azam University Act.
  

PREREQUISITE QUALIFICATION FOR ADMISSION

• To be eligible for admission to Ph.D., a candidate must possess an M.Phil degree or its equivalent with the minimum CGPA 3.00 or first division in the relevant subject from a recognized university.
• A college or university teacher or a member of the research staff of a research organization who holds an M.A. /M.Sc. degree but has shown undoubted promise for research may alsobe considered for admission to Ph.D.(Teaching must be at Post graduate college).
• After successful completion of two semesters, a student registered for M.Phil degree may be transferred, on the recommendations of the Admissions Committee of the department to the Advanced Studies and Research Board (AS & RB), for the Ph.D. Programme, provided that the student has passed all the 24 credits of the M.Phil course work, obtaining an aggregate of 75% marks or more. The time spent by the candidate in the M.Phil. Course work may be counted towards the residence requirement for Ph.D. Programme.
• In case of in-service candidates, a No objection Certificate from the employer is required to be attached with admission form and routed through proper channel.
• Admission to Ph.D. programme is made on competitive basis. The minimum period for completion of Ph.D. programme shall be three years whereas the maximum period shall be six years.
• Students applying for admission are required to submit a copy of synopsis /research work. Admission will be given subject to the availability of the supervisor in the relevant field of research strictly according to HEC’s requirements

• A candidate seeking admission to Ph.D Programme shall apply on the prescribed form.
• The application shall be submitted to the chairman of the department/ Institute in which the student wishes to persue his/her studies.
• All applications received in the department shall be periodically considered by the departmental admission committee to be constituted by the Vice-Chancellor.
• The admission committee, when satisfied, shall recommend to the Advance Studies and Research Board the candidates who are found suitable for admission to Ph.D. Programme.
• Short listed candidates will be called for interview/presentation of their research proposals.
• The admission shall be approved by the Advanced Studies & Research Board.
• A ‘notification of registration’ for each candidate approved for admission to Ph.D. Programme shall be issued by the university.
• Each student so selected shall be required to register and pay the dues within 30 days from the date of issuance of the notification of registration, failing which the admission of the selected candidate shall deem to be cancelled. The tuition fee and other dues shall be prescribed by the syndicate from time to time.

PROGRAMME OF STUDIES

• The minimum period for completion of Ph.D. requirements shall be three years from the date of registration, and maximum period shall be six to seven years (Approved in syndicate/AS & RB 16-07-08). Only under exceptional circumstances, to be described in detail by the candidate and supported by the supervisor, the research board may allow extension beyond six years.
• Residence requirement of two years shall be necessary for students pursuing Ph.D. programme. However, in case where the supervisor and co supervisor are satisfied that research work can be carried out outside the university, residency requirement may be exempted.

  • A Ph.D. student falling in the category defined by Clause II(b) (see page no. 3) above shall be required to pass 24 credits of M.Phil courses within the first four semesters of admission.
  • The courses should be selected with the approval of the supervisor from amongst the courses being offered in the department.
  • For the course work, the mode of registration and examinations regulations shall be same as in M.Phil.

• A student shall be required to pass a comprehensive examination, consisting of a written and an oral report, within three years of admission to the Ph.D. Programme.
• If a student does not pass the comprehensive examination in the first attempt, he/she may be given one more chance on the recommendation of his/her supervisor. The registration of a Ph.D. student shall be deemed as cancelled if he/she does not pass the comprehensive examination even in the second attempt.
• A department shall normally hold at least one comprehensive examination in an academic year.
• The comprehensive examination shall consist of written and oral parts. The examination shall be conducted by the Ph.D. Examination Committee appointed by the Vice Chancellor on the recommendations of the Chairman/ Director of the department and Dean of the faculty concerned in consultation with the supervisor. The supervisor of the student will also be co-opted as a member of this committee. The pass percentage shall be 50%.
• After passing the comprehensive examination, but before the submission of his/her thesis, a Ph.D. student will give at least one seminar on a topic relevant to his/her field of research.

SUPERVISOR, THESIS TITLE, AND SYNOPSIS / RESEARCH PROPOSAL

• The Research Board shall appoint a supervisor (and a co-supervisor, if necessary) from the relevant field and approve the field of research/title on the recommendations of the department concerned.
• In the faculty of social sciences, a research proposal will also be submitted by the candidate to the department with in one year after passing the comprehensive examination.

BIANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT (University Requirement)

The supervisor of a Ph.D. student shall submit a detailed report to the research board by 30th, June and 31st, December each year on the progress of the student in accordance with the prescribed format. In cases where no supervisor has been appointed, progress report will be submitted by the chairman of the department concerned. To obtain this satisfactory report NIP has created its own research progress and monitoring sheet. This sheet makes it possible to achieve the all degree awarding mile stones easily semester wise.

GUIDELINES FOR OBTAINING SATISFACTORY REPORT (NIP Requirement)

• Ample time should be given to the Supervisor for checking of a draft. A minimum of 30 days (per chapter) are MUST. This would mean that the latest date would expire a month before the end of a target date, if a draft is being handed over to the Supervisor.
• Failing to meet the latest deadlines will automatically earn one unsatisfactory report. On two such unsatisfactory reports the case will be recommended to University for failing the student/cancellation of admission, no matter what the reasons of the delay might be.
• A report is to be submitted by the student as well as the Supervisor at the end of every semester to Director for onward submission to University. Two consecutive unsatisfactory reports by the Supervisor may lead to the failing/cancellation of the student’s admission by the University.
• At least 04 Research Group Meetings out of 06 should be attended by the student in a semester.
• Student should meet the supervisor at least twice a week, during the residency period, and at least twice a month, after the completion of the residency period, to obtain satisfactory report.
• All drafts will be submitted to the supervisor with dates of submission and checking on each.
• Data will be submitted with the supervisor with dates and signatures.

In case of consecutive two adverse reports, the research board may cancel the registration of the candidate.

THESIS
The thesis submitted by Ph.D. candidate shall comply with the following conditions:

• It shall form a distinct contribution to knowledge and afford evidence of originality, shown by the discovery of new facts, by the exercise of independent critical judgment, and/by the invention of new methods of investigation.
• It shall not include research work for which a degree has already been conferred in this or any other university.
• It shall be written in English and the presentation must be satisfactory for publication.
• Any part of the thesis which has been published before submission of the thesis may be appended at the end of the thesis.
• The thesis shall be typed on A4 size (“11.69× 8.27”) paper with margins of 1-½ on the left and 1 on the right, top and bottom of each page. The thesis shall be hard bound with sky blue cloth cover and golden lettering on the front and the spine.
• Note: At first time submission (Spiral Binding)
  5 copies of thesis (Three copies main universities, one copy for supervisor, one copy for director)
• At final submission (Hard Binding)
  6 copies of thesis (Two copies main university, one copy for director, one copy for supervisor, one copy for NIP library, one student copy)

EXAMINATION

The Vice-chancellor may approve the recommendations of the Research Board on behalf of the Syndicate regarding the award of Ph.D. degree to the candidate.

Fee and Other Dues
Each student shall be required to pay tuition fee and such other charges as may be prescribed by the Syndicate from time to time.

HEC RULES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN PH.D LEVEL STUDIES IN PAKISTANI UNIVERSITIES / DEGREE AWARDING INSTITUTIONS
(Approved by the Syndicate/ Advanced Studies and Research Board held on 9th August, 2005)

Higher Education Commission has finalized the quality parameters of Ph. D. program for adoption by all the universities/ Degree Awarding Institutions of the country in order to ensure uniform minimum standards.

• Sixteen years of schooling or 4 year education after F.A/F.Sc (130 credit hours) will be compulsory for admission in M.Phil/MS Programme leading to PhD.
• Before moving into the PhD program, candidates will need to complete 30 credit hours out of which 24 credit hours will be reserved for course work, which may lead to the award of M.Phil/ MS/Equivalent Degree.
• The minimum CGPA should be 3.00 or first division in MS/M.Phil/Equivalent Degree for admission into PhD.
• Additional PhD level course work of at least 18 credit hours followed by a comprehensive Examination along with thesis defense will be essential for the award of PhD degree.
• PhD dissertation must be evaluated by at least three experts from technologically advanced countries.
• Acceptance/Publication of at least one research paper in an HEC approved journal is essential for the award of PhD degree.