IIMs may admit students directly for PhD
HIGHER EDUCATION A number of Indian Institutes of Management had raised the PhD issue with the govt and it had also received a proposal in this regard from IIM Bangalore. NEW DELHI: We have sent a proposal to the HRD ministry to allow direct admission of students to the PhD programme after completing their four year graduation or their CA/ ICWA/CS, apart from those having a Masters
In a move that will benefit lakhs of students, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is all set to allow the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to admit students directly for PhD after completing their four year graduation or professional courses.
A number of IIMs had raised the issue with the government and it had also received a proposal in this regard from IIM Bangalore, asking it to allow IIMs to admit students directly for PhD after their four year Bachelors programme as is being done by IITs.
Confirming this, director of IIM Bangalore G. Raghuram said: “We have sent a proposal to the HRD ministry to allow direct admission of students to the PhD programme after completing their four year graduation or their CA/ICWA/CS, apart from those having a Masters. We already admit such candidates to our fellow programmes, but are not able to grant them a PhD degree. Now that the IIM Act is in place, the government should allow us to grant them a degree”.
There are 20 IIMs in the country and all are likely to benefit from the move.
Earlier, the IIMs were being asked to adhere to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) norms on award of PhD degrees. As per the commission’s notification only a student with a master’s degree is eligible to pursue PhD.
According to a senior HRD official, the issue raised by the IIMs was examined in light of PhD programme conducted by some IITs, which are also institutes of National Importance and have the power to award degrees. IIMs too have been given the same power under the IIM Act, 2017.
However, the ministry has also pointed out that IIT Delhi for instance has prescribed a minimum period of three years for PhD for scholars having degree other than Masters or equivalent.
“For students with a four-year graduation, the minimum duration would be three years. The duration for completing PhD for those having a Masters degree is two years so similar rules have to be followed by IIMs,” said a senior HRD official.
The ministry has proposed that in case the minimum entry is Masters degree/Professional qualification of CA/ICWA/CS or post graduate diploma of two years duration, the minimum course duration would be two years or four semesters. In case of four years or more Bachelors G. RAGHURAM , director IIM Bangalore
degree the minimum duration would be three years or six semesters.
The Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2017, which was passed on December 20, 2017 and came into effect from January 31, 2018, empowers IIMs “to grant degrees diplomas and other academic distinctions or titles and to institute and award fellowships, scholarships, prizes and medals, honorary awards and other distinctions”.