Courses and Admission

Admission for Ph.D. registration shall be made on the basis of an entrance test conducted by the University of Kerala. No candidate shall be allowed to apply for the test unless he/she has secured 55% marks and above for his/her qualifying P.G. degree examination.

SC/ST candidates shall be given a relaxation of 10% marks in science and 15% marks in other subjects. However, one seat in each subject shall be reserved for SC/ST provided they qualify in the test. A relaxation of 5% marks shall be allowed to candidates with 10 years teaching experience. Candidates who have qualified U.G.C./C.S.I.R/ G.A.T.E. test or who possess an M.Phil Degree by research and thesis shall be exempted from the test.

University/ College teachers with seven years teaching experience are exempted from the Entrance Test. Candidates with DM/M.Ch. Degrees is also exempted from appearing for Ph.D Entrance Test.

2. Application for Entrance test/Registration

Application for Registration shall be made in the prescribed from and in the manner prescribed so as to reach the office on or before the date notified by the University.

3. Centre for Research

Research shall be carried out by a Research Scholar in a University Department or a Department of a College recognised as a Centre for Research, or in a recognised institution, under an approved Research Guide or Guides.

4. Selection

a) Registration in the University Department:- Application for admission as Research Scholar in a University Department of Study and Research received on or before the prescribed date shall be scrutinized by the Departmental Doctoral Committee. Selected candidates shall join the department within one month of the receipt of the intimation regarding registration of the candidates from the University. However, the Departmental Doctoral Committee shall be competent to grant an extension of one month in exceptional cases.

b) Registration in a Department of an Affiliated College/Recognised Research Institution: In the case of a candidate intending to join a recognised department of an affiliated college or a recognised institution for research, the application for admission shall be made to the Registrar which shall be accompanied by the consent letter from the supervising teacher and a Facility Certificate from the Head of the centre for research. In the case of candidates from institutions other than University Departments, the Departmental Doctoral Committee along with the supervising teachers will form the Doctoral Committee. In the case of subjects not offered in the University Departments, the Doctoral Committee shall consist of the supervising teacher (as convener) and the experts nominated by the Syndicate of whom one shall be the chairman of the Committee.

5. Part-Time Research

(a) Part-time PhD registration shall be restricted to teachers of the University in the concerned subjects and to those persons engaged in research institutions provided they should qualify the entrance test.

(b) In exceptional cases based on the recommendation of the Doctoral Committee the Syndicate may allow persons other than teachers in affiliated colleges to register as part-time research scholars provided they should qualify the entrance test. Part-time Research Scholars other than those working and/or residing in the head quarters of the supervising teacher should spend a period of at least six months at a stretch or in not more than three installments at the Centre for Research before they are allowed to submit the thesis. The Head of the centre for research should furnish a certificate showing that the candidate has worked in his institution at the time of submission of the thesis.

(c) On the recommendation of the supervising teacher, the Doctoral Committee may consider the request by a candidate for conversion of registration from full-time to part-time or vice-versa and make appropriate recommendations to the University.

(d) Candidates applying for registration to do part-time research shall produce along with the application a 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) from the employer concerned.

6. Inter-Disciplinary Research

Candidates intending to do research on topics of an interdisciplinary nature may have a joint supervising Teacher if the Doctoral Committee so recommends.

7. Supervision of Research Work

a) Research shall be undertaken by a scholar under the guidance of an approved Supervising Teacher.

b) A Research scholar working under a particular Supervising Teacher who has retired from service may continue to work in the same institution under the guidance of the same Supervising Teacher, subject to the discipline of the institution.

c) The number of research scholars under a supervising Teacher should not exceed ten, whether full-time or part-time. The maximum number of candidates permitted to work under different categories of Research Guides are as follows:
1. Those working in University Departments                                   10
2. Those working in recognised research institutions                       8
3. Those working in recognised departments of affiliated colleges     5
4. Those retired from service and others                                         5

d) The Supervising Teacher shall not be an immediate relative of the candidate.

8. Periodical Review of the Work

The Doctoral Committee shall review the work of the research scholar in the Department once in six months and record its decision and report the matter to the University.

9. Period of Research

The minimum period of research required by a candidate for submission of the Thesis from the date of registration shall be two years for M.Phil/M.Ed./M.Sc. Engineering Degree holders and three years for others The maximum period of research shall be five years for full time and eight years for part-time after which period the registration shall automatically lapse. The maximum period of research for part-time candidates in physical Education, Management Studies and Applied Science in six years.

10. Restriction of Employment

A full-time research scholar is not allowed to engage himself/herself in any employment either full-time or part-time.

11. Change of the Topic of Research

Based on the recommendations of the Doctoral Committee, the Syndicate may permit a research scholar to change the topic of research within one year from the date of registration.

12. Change of the Title of Thesis

Modifications of the title of the thesis may be effected on the recommendations of the Supervising Teacher and the Head of the Department, with the approval of the vice-chancellor, any time before the submission of the thesis.

13. Change of the Supervising Teacher

The syndicate shall be competent to allow the change of a Supervising Teacher in extraordinary cases at the request of the candidate and on recommendation of the Doctoral Committee.