AICTE proposes new PhD and DSc guidelines, removing interviews and mandating publications

AICTE has proposed new guidelines to standardize PhD and DSc programs in technical education, introducing stricter criteria and removing interview-based selection, sparking debate among academics.

A five-member expert committee appointed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has drafted comprehensive rules for doctoral studies in engineering, technology, management, and design.

The move aims to align technical institutions with national standards, as until now, universities followed UGC regulations for PhDs while DSc programs were governed by separate institutional rules.

“The guidelines are necessary since research is the cornerstone of doctoral studies,” said Prof KR Venugopal, former vice chancellor of Bangalore University and head of the AICTE committee.

He added that the report, approved by the AICTE Executive Council, is now with the government and will be gazetted once cleared.

Among the major changes, interviews for PhD admissions have been replaced by written exams. Candidates who qualify for national tests such as NET or GATE can register at any time.

Selection now assigns 70% weightage to entrance tests and 30% to qualifying exams. Venugopal noted that interview-based selection sometimes led to favoritism, prompting the change.

However, some academicians have expressed concerns. Prof Arun Tangirala of IIT Tirupati said, “Institutions and supervisors may lose sight of a student’s personality and oral skills, which are equally important in the PhD journey and cannot be gauged through a written exam.”

Similarly, Prof Yusuf Akhter of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University highlighted that interviews help assess research interests and alignment with supervisors.

The new rules reinstate mandatory publication requirements dropped by the UGC in 2022. Both full-time and part-time PhD scholars must publish two Scopus-indexed journal papers and one peer-reviewed conference paper, being the first and corresponding author.

Exceptional candidates may submit their thesis six months early if they meet publication and patent criteria. Critics warn this may push students toward low-quality journals due to tight timelines.

AICTE also introduced an industrial experience route, allowing candidates with five years of work experience and a bachelor’s degree with at least 60% marks to pursue doctoral studies.

The guidelines address the use of artificial intelligence and plagiarism and define supervision limits for faculty, including expanded categories such as Professor of Practice and Visiting Faculty.

For DSc programs, candidates must hold a PhD, have 20 years of experience, have 25 research publications, have 5,000 citations or five Indian utility patents, and supervise at least 15 PhD scholars.

Academics argue these requirements are excessively rigid and could limit recognition of significant contributions from researchers with fewer publications.

Venugopal emphasized that as these are the first AICTE guidelines for doctoral studies in technical education, coordination with UGC and stakeholders will be required to resolve potential jurisdictional conflicts before the final gazette notification.

The guidelines are intended to strengthen research standards, ensure quality supervision, and promote publication-oriented scholarship across India’s technical institutions.