The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) has announced new policies for PhD admissions, wherein the chairman said that the condition of having an MS or MPhil degree for admission to PhD has been abolished.
He further said that an individual with 16 years of education or BSc can directly enroll in a doctorate programme.
“The earlier BA or BSc degree is now known as the Associate Degree, which is an alternative for the former two programmes,” HEC Chairman Tariq Banuri said during a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The 12-page HEC policy document, applicable from January 1, 2021, reads that a BS degree, or equivalent, will be the minimum criteria for PhD admission.
“We had received a lot of complaints regarding the PhD programme, but now universities will have to strictly follow the rules of the doctorate programmes.”
According to the policy, the maximum duration of a PhD degree will be eight years, with the minimum being three years. Furthermore, a student pursuing a PhD will have to take up a course load of 48 credit hours.
Banuri observed that graduates often face difficulties in finding employment, and he believed this was due to the lack of practical experience within the degree programmes. He said that the curriculum has been revised include the practical components.
He maintained that the institutions must educate the students about entrepreneurship and practical work.
“Courses related to social sciences will be included in every degree programme,” he added.
