Ph.D./M.Phil. Rules and Regulations, 2012
Introduction
The objectives of the University as enshrined in the International University Canada Act 2011 require it to promote research in the emerging areas of science and technology, humanities, social sciences and many fields of knowledges.
Definitions
“Research” means systematic study or investigation in order to discover new knowledge in the form of facts/patterns or new interpretation of ideas or inventions of new devices.
“Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)” signifies that the awardee of the degree has undertaken a substantial piece of original research, which has been conducted and reported by the holder under proper academic supervision, and in a research environment for a prescribed period.
“Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.)” M.Phil. is a postgraduate research degree. An M.Phil. is in most cases thesis-only, and is generally regarded as a senior or second Master’s degree, standing between a taught Master’s and a Ph.D. An M.Phil. may be awarded to students, after completing several years of original research with Thesis.
“Research Student” means a student who is admitted to Ph.D./M.Phil. program in International University Canada through the procedures adopted by IUC.
“Supervisor” means a person who is recognized by International University Canada to supervises the research work carried out by the student/candidate for M.Phil. and Ph.D.
“Co-Supervisor” means a person who is recognized by International University Canada to supervise the research work of a student jointly with a Supervisor.
“Research Committee (RC)” is the apex body that administers the research programs of the University. The President of the University constitutes the committee by nominating eight professors across disciplines to it. The President shall be the chairperson of the research committee.
“Departmental/Center’s Research Committee (DRC/CRC)” is the Research Committee of a teaching department/center of the University. It shall be constituted by the research committee with a minimum of three members on recommendation of the Head of the department /center. However, a maximum of two members may be drawn from the faculty of related department(s)/center(s) of the University. The number of members in the DRC/CRC shall not exceed ten. The Head of the concerned department/center shall be the chairperson of the DRC/CRC.
“Board of Examiners of Thesis (BET) ”: Board of Examiners for examination of a thesis shall consist of internal examiner(s) (normally all the supervisors) and two external examiners. The external examiners shall be chosen by the chairperson of the Academic Council (AC) from a panel of six members proposed and recommended by the supervisor through the Head of the Department, the center chairman. The supervisor(s) shall propose the panel of examiners at the time of submission of synopsis of the thesis.
“Oral Defence Evaluation Committee (ODEC)”: Oral defence evaluation is an essential component of the evaluation process. Oral Defence Evaluation Committee of a research student shall evaluate the performance on the Viva-voce examination or oral defence of the research work carried out by him/her. The committee shall consist of the internal examiner(s) and one of the external examiners of BET selected by the chairperson of DRC .If none of the external examiner(s) of BET is available for evaluation of oral defence, an alternative examiner shall be selected by the chairperson of the DRC/CRC, preferably from the panel of examiners submitted by the supervisor(s).
Ordinances
1. International University Canada awards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) to a candidate who has successfully completed the stipulated program of research in one of the schools of studies in IUC.
2. The Academic Council (AC) of the University formulates the program of research with the governing rules and regulations. The AC can modify or change the structure, the governing rules and regulations from time to time.
3. A candidate to be awarded the Ph.D. and M.Phil. degree has to submit a thesis embodying the findings of his/her research carried out under this program .The thesis should be a record of an original contribution of high quality to the advancement of knowledge as judged by experts in the relevant area.
4. A candidate becomes eligible for the award of Ph.D/M.Phil. degree after fulfilling the entire academic requirement prescribed by the AC of the University.
5. The Board of Management of the University shall approve the award upon the recommendation of the AC.
6. In case of any controversy in the BET or ODEC report the decision of the AC shall be final and binding.
7. The Ph.D./M.Phil. degree shall be awarded in the discipline of the department in which the student registers for Ph.D./M.Phil. program.
1. Categories of candidature
1.1 The University shall admit Ph.D./M.Phil. students under the following categories
a) Full Time: Students under this category shall work full time for the Ph.D./M.Phil. courses/research. They may apply for fellowship/assistantship available from different funding agencies.
b) Sponsored: Recognized organizations, national institutions, other universities, government organizations or industries may sponsor Students/candidates. They shall be admitted through the normal process, and they shall not be entitled to any fellowship/assistantship from the University. They shall work full time for the Ph.D./M.Phil. courses/research.
c) Project Fellow: Students working on different research projects at International University Canada may be admitted to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program provided they satisfy the eligibility criteria , subject to the consent of the Principal Investigator of the project.
d) Part Time: Students/candidates employed in academic institutions/universities (including International University Canada) organizations may be considered for admission into the Ph.D./M.Phil. program of International University Canada, following the normal admission procedures. They shall fulfill the stipulated requirements for Ph.D./M.Phil. admission.
2. Supervision
2.1. Supervisor
The supervisor is a member of the faculty of International University Canada who supervises the research work carried out by the student/candidate for Ph.D./M.Phil.
2.2 Co-Supervisor
A co-supervisor is a suitably qualified person, who may or may not be a member of the faculty of International University Canada, who has been recognized by the University..
2.2. The maximum limit for supervising Ph.D./M.Phil. students as Supervisors/Co-Supervisors at a time shall be as follows:
Professor: 8 (both as Supervisor and Co-supervisor)
Reader: 6 (do) Lecturer: 4 (do)
However, before deciding the number of students for each category of faculty, the DRC/CRC shall take into consideration the availability of infrastructure and the teaching commitments of the supervisor.
2.3. Allotment of Supervisors
2.3.1. Following the recommendation of the DRC/CRC the chairperson shall nominate a supervisor to supervise the research of a candidate during the first semester with the consent of the person so nominated.
2.3.2. A student may apply in prescribed format (Form I) to the chairperson, DRC/CRC for changing his/her supervisor/co-supervisor (or both) on sufficient and valid grounds. On the basis of the application and the recommendation of the DRC/CRC, the RC may approve the change.
2.4. Recognition of Supervisor
2.4.1. Any member of the faculty of the university with a Ph.D. degree with at least three years of post doctoral teaching/ research experience.
2.4.2. the student(s) till she/he/they complete the work. However, the student(s) can apply to the DRC/CRC for a co- or a different supervisor with the publications including book chapters/ articles in research journals may be recommended by the DRC/CRC for recognition as supervisor. However, all Professors and Associate Professors will generally be included in the list of recognized supervisors once they express their willingness to act as supervisors. Those teachers who acquire the requisite qualifications subsequent to their appointment shall express their willingness to supervise research by writing to the chairperson, RC through the chairperson DRC/CRC.
2.4.3. Any member of the faculty/scientist from other recognized universities/institutes/organizations with requisite qualifications may be recognized as Supervisor/ co-supervisor if the DRC/CRC recommends such a person for approval of the R.C, with justifications and with the CV of the person concerned. Any member of the faculty of International University Canada who is eligible to become a supervisor may work as a co-supervisor.
2.4.4. In very exceptional cases an eminent scholar with significant contribution in his/her area of specialization/expertise but without a Ph.D. degree may be recognized as co-supervisor, following the procedures laid down in 2.4.2.
2.4.5. Under no circumstances a Ph.D./M.Phil. candidate shall have more than two supervisors including a co-supervisor.
2.4.6. Even when a supervisor leaves the University permanently or temporarily or retires from service she/he shall continue to supervise consent of the original supervisor.
2.4.7. In case a supervisor or a co-supervisor is not in a position to continue supervision due to prolonged illness or other problems (in such a case she/he shall communicate her/his inability to the DRC) or factors beyond his/her control the DRC/CRC may appoint a new supervisor or a co-supervisor on receiving an application (Form 1) from the student.
3. Admission to the Ph.D./M.Phil.program
3.1 Eligibility for admission
3.1.1 Master’s degree in Humanities and Social Sciences/Management Sciences/ Science/Engineering/Technology or Master’s degree in the allied subjects with consistently good academic record and a minimum of 45% marks or an equivalent CGPA in the Master’s degree/ B.E./B.Tech with an aggregate of 60% marks or equivalent GPA with valid GATE score (Annexure I).
3.1.2 A fellowship in Chartered Accountancy/Company Secretaryship from a recognized institution with not less than 60% marks or equivalent CGPA having a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.
3.1.3. Relaxation in requisite qualifications candidates shall be relax by the RC.
3.2 Notification for Ph.D./M.Phil. admission
The Authority shall make notification for admission to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program through the University website .
3.3 Admission Procedures
3.3.1 The application form for admission to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program in prescribed format (Form II) duly filled in and complete in all respects must reach the IUC admission office.
3.3.2 Applicants of the candidates of categories (b), (c) and (d) in 1.1 must be submitted through proper channel.
3.3.3 Sponsored candidates shall submit a sponsorship certificate from their employers in proper format (Form III).
3.3.4 Employed part time candidates shall submit a no objection certificate from their employers stating that the candidates shall be allowed to get themselves admitted to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program, if selected. Such candidates shall complete their course work.
3.3.5 Project fellows shall submit their applications accompanied by a no objection certificate from the Principal Investigator (Form V).
3.3.6 The applications received by the IUC admin office shall be sent to the concerned chairpersons of the DRCs/CRCs for scrutiny. The DRCs/CRCs shall scrutinize the applications, shortlist the candidates and call them for interview.
3.3.7 The panel of candidates recommended for admission by a selection committee set up by the chairperson, DRC/CRC shall be sent to the IUC admin office for approval of the chairperson of the AC.
3.3.8 Selected candidates shall be intimated by the IUC admin office for getting themselves admitted to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program.
4. Course work, course registration and attendance
4.1 A student admitted to the Ph.D./M.Phil. program shall be required to complete specified course work prior to the submission of the Plan of Research as per the recommendation of the DRC/CRC. The DRC/CRC shall suggest course work of a minimum of 24 credits and a maximum of 36 credits on the areas of research to be carried out by the students within the first two semesters.
4.2 The DRC/CRC shall advise Instructror about the nature and content of the course work and also the mode of imparting this for each candidate depending on the following:
i. specific requirements of the area of research;
ii. previous knowledge/expertise/experience and qualification of the candidate.
4.3 In order to continue research a candidate must secure 60%. If a student fails to get the qualifying 60% marks she/he shall be allowed to improve.
4.4.Once the DRC/CRC decides on the nature of course work etc (as per 4.1. and 4.2.) a student shall register for the course(s), submitting the course registration form in the prescribed format (Form VI).
4.5. During course work students shall report at the department/center regularly and attend classes or do assigned tasks. The percentage of attendance during course work shall be 75 for all categories of students.
5. Exemption from Course work
5.1 Any member of the faculty of a University/Institution conducting PG programs with three years’ experience and any candidate with an M.Phil/M.Tech degree may be exempted from course work. However, such a person shall be required to give at least two seminars on the areas related to his/her area of research prior to the submission of the Plan of research.
5.2 Those who have carried out research at another university and have completed the course work of equivalent standard/ credit may be exempted from course work at this university. However if the DRC/CRC feels, it can suggest course work (credit or non-credit) for the benefit of such candidates.
6. Ph.D./M.Phil. Registration
6.1 On successful completion of the course each candidate shall submit, within the duration of the following semester, a proposed plan of research forwarded by the supervisor to the DRC/CRC, which shall , then, arrange a seminar for presentation of the plan by the student.
6.2 The Plan shall indicate the area/issues/problems to be taken up, refer to previous research/literature on the same/similar/related areas/issues/problems, mention methodology/ types of experiments/ field works/ approaches to be adopted, expected outcome and relevance/significance of the research.
6.3 The DRC/CRC is expected to assess the feasibility of the Plan and the capability/preparedness of the student for carrying out research and recommend one of the following to the RC
a. that in view of the suitability/feasibility of the Plan and the capability/preparedness of the student he/she may be allowed to go ahead with research work;
b. that the student may be asked to modify his/her plan incorporating the suggestions made and resubmit it within a period of time specified by the DRC/CRC.
6.4 In order to continue research the student shall renew his/her studentship by completing necessary formalities in each semester.
7. Recognition of other organizations/laboratories for Ph.D./M.Phil. work
7.1 If any department of an outside institute/university /R&D organization desires to be considered for recognition for conducting research work leading to Ph.D., the Head of the institute/university/ R&D organization should apply to the Controller of examinations through the Head of the concerned department/center of International University Canadain prescribed format (Form VII) giving full details of the facilities available.
7.2 The Controller of Examinations shall route the same through the DRC/CRC and the RC and shall place it before the AC for necessary action.
7.3 According recognition to any external organization shall be governed by the rules as stated under 7.1 and 7.2.
7.4 For all other matters relating to recognition not covered by these rules, the decision of the AC shall be final and binding.
8. Monitoring the Progress of Research
8.1. The DRC/CRC shall constitute a Doctoral Committee with the supervisor and two other members of the faculty for monitoring the progress of research.
8.2 During the period of research work all categories of students shall be in touch with their supervisors and give at least one seminar in each semester on experiments/fieldwork/ library work done. Except for Part time students, other categories of students shall be generally available in the department/center unless they are engaged in experiments/ field work/library work elsewhere with prior permission of the supervisors.
8.3 A Ph.D./M.Phil. student shall submit a progress report in the prescribed format (Form VIII) through the supervisor to the Head at least 15 days before the end of each semester to be placed for consideration of the CRC.
8.4 The DRC/CRC shall send the reports to the AC for appraisal with anyone of the following recommendations
a. allowed to enroll in the next semester and continue research;
b. allowed to enroll and continue research but with suggestions for improvement ;
c. as the performance is very poor advised to discontinue.
9. Period of candidature
Under exceptional circumstances a student may apply for extension of the period for submission of the thesis, only once, for a maximum of 3 months in the prescribed format (Form IX) to the chairman DRC/CRC. After DRC/CRC recommends the case it shall be sent to the AC for approval.
10. Change of category of candidature
If a student desires to change the category of his/her candidature, he / she shall apply to the chairperson DRC/CRC through his / her supervisor at any time after the completion of the course work (Form X).
11. Approval of the title of the thesis and pre-submission seminar
11.1 A student shall finalize the title of his/her thesis at the time of presentation of pre-submission seminar and get it approved by the DRC/CRC.
11.2 At least three months before the submission of the thesis the student shall submit a Synopsis in the prescribed format (Form XI) in not more than 1500 words —all in triplicates (hard copy as well as soft copy)- to the DRC through the Supervisor (and Co-supervisor) and give a pre-submission seminar on the research carried out by him/her. The DRC/CRC shall go through the synopsis and suggest changes, if any, in the final form of the thesis. The student shall submit the synopsis through the DRC/CRC to the IUC admin office for necessary action.
12. Submission of thesis
12.1.A Ph.D./M.Phil. student may submit his / her thesis within the stipulated period but not later than six months from the date of pre-submission seminar provided he/she fulfills all requisites for Ph.D./M.Phil. thesis submission with at least one peer-reviewed/refereed publication including book chapters/ articles in research journals.
12.2 Guidelines for preparation of the thesis are given in Annexure II.
12.3 Content and context of the thesis
a) The thesis shall be written in English/any in the specified format.
b) No part of the thesis shall have been submitted for the award of any degree/diploma of International University Canada or any other university/Institute.
c) One copy of the thesis shall be submitted initially in soft (paperback) cover within 15 days of the viva-voce examination.
12.4 The candidate shall submit a “No dues certificate” from concerned departments/sections/offices/library at the time of submission of the thesis.
13. Examination of thesis
13.1 The Supervisor (and Co-supervisor, where applicable) of a student shall submit to the IUC admin office through the chair person DRC/CRC a panel of at least six external examiners with disciplines and addresses, of which three may, preferably, be from abroad, along with the thesis submission form, at least two months before submission of the thesis. The Head shall forward the panel of examiners to the Controller of Examinations.
13.2 The chairperson of the AC will approve the Board of Examiners for Thesis (BET) as stated in Definitions with the supervisor as the internal examiner and two examiners chosen from the panel as external examiners, one of which may be, wherever possible, from abroad.
13.3 Recommendation of BET
Examiners shall be requested to submit a report on the thesis recommending any one of the following four recommendations (Form XIV)
(a) The thesis is accepted for the award of the degree.
(b) The thesis is accepted subject to modifications carried out as suggested without further reference to me.
(c) The thesis is not satisfactory for Viva voce examination but the candidate be permitted to re-submit the thesis in a revised form for re-examination.
(d) The thesis is rejected.
13.4 In the case of recommendation (c) under Clause 13.3, the student shall submit the revised version of the thesis within six months, carrying out the suggested modifications.
13.5 If both the external examiners reject the thesis, the candidate and the supervisor shall be intimated accordingly. The candidate may be allowed to register afresh. In that case he/she is not required to do the course work already completed. The candidate shall be expected to submit his/her thesis within a period not exceeding six semesters.
13.6 If one of the external examiners rejects the thesis, it shall be sent to a third external examiner to be approved by the chairperson AC. If the third examiner also rejects the thesis, the decision shall be considered as final. However, if recommended by the supervisor, the process similar to 13.5 may be adopted.
13.7 The following guidelines shall be adhered to in case of any amendment(s) are made to a thesis:
a) The Controller of Examinations shall send copies of the examiners’ reports to the supervisor /co-supervisor for advising the student to incorporate necessary corrections.
b) A Student is not permitted to make any change to the thesis not specified by the examiners (or implied in their reports).
c) Corrections and modifications to the theses shall be incorporated in the text by changing the pages/ tables/ figures wherever necessary with a separate sheet indicating the corrections made with the page numbers, within two months.
d) If the student needs more time to complete the modifications, extension of time may be sought by submitting an application to the chairperson, AC through the chairperson, DRC/CRC and the Controller of Examinations.
13.8 Oral Defence Evaluation
13.8.1 On completion of the examination process and after all the examiners certify that the amendments, corrections specified have been incorporated, and recommend the case for Viva voce examination, the chairperson of AC shall constitute the Oral Defence Evaluation Committee (ODEC) on the recommendation of the chairperson, DRC/CRC. It shall consist of the internal examiner (s) and one external examiner of BET nominated by the chairperson of RC. The external examiner shall be the chairperson of the ODEC.
13.8.2 If none of the external examiners of BET is available for evaluation of oral defence, the chairperson of AC shall appoint an alternative external examiner from the approved list of examiners.
13.8.3 The Controller of Examinations shall fix a date for oral defence evaluation of the thesis as early as possible.
13.8.4 Normally the oral defence evaluation shall be held at the premises of the concerned Study Center. However, under exceptional circumstances, the oral defence evaluation may be convened in some other places/premises outside the university but within the country as agreeable to the external examiner and other members of the BET with the approval of chairperson of the AC. Oral defence examination shall be open to all.
13.8.5 On completion of all the formalities, the ODEC shall recommend to the chairperson, AC through the IUC admin office as per format (Form XV).
14 Award of Ph.D./M.Phil. degree
The degree shall be awarded by the Board of Management of the University on the recommendation of the AC. The announcement of the award shall be made by the IUC admin office.
15 Confidentiality and copyright of thesis
15.1 The confidentiality of the content and the copyright of the thesis shall lie with the University as per the Copyright Act.
15.2 Upon submission of the thesis candidates are asked to sign the following statement, enabling the University to allow others to read the University copy of the thesis, and use it for research or private study:
“I agree that my Ph.D./M.Phil. thesis titled (title) will be lodged in the University e-Laybrary, and made available (if applicable after the expiry of any period of approved restricted access) to any person(s) entitled to use the Library and may be photocopied or microfilmed by or on behalf of the e-Librarian for use for research or private study pursuant to the provisions of the Copyright Act.
I agree that any user of the library may quote extracts from the thesis in any paper or written work prepared by the user, subject to acknowledging the source of the quotation.”
15.3 Should the author of the thesis or the supervisor wish to publish the matter in the form of a book the author and the supervisor shall obtain clearance from the University.
16. Any other
If any Ph.D./M.Phil. student happens to be a family member or a close relative of the chairperson of the DRC/CRC/RC, a member of the faculty (for the first two) or a senior professor nominated by the Academic Council shall perform the duty of the chairperson of the respective committee.
for more details contact with IUC office.
