BU approves changes in PhD draft rules

Accordingly, candidates will be chosen, based only on their score in the Bangalore University PhD Entrance Test (BUPHET). The period of course work will be one year (two semesters) comprising six papers, with a provision for continuous assessment.

At a meeting of the Academic Council, BU also approved a few ‘landmark’ changes aimed at transforming the PhD programmes. Henceforth, professors supervising a student’s research work will be called ‘supervisors’ instead of ‘guides’.

The change of nomenclature was necessated due to the impression among many students that guides not only oversee their work but also write the thesis, Vice Chancellor N Prabhu Dev remarked.

A guide (supervisor) can supervise only six candidates at a time. Submitted thesis would be subjected to plagiarism scrutiny/software. Any candidate found guilty of plagiarism or malpractice in thesis would invite punishment including a fine.

The guidelines were proposed by a seven-member committee of deans, led by K Puttaraju, Dean, Faculty of Science.

The prescribed changes, however, would go a long way in improving the standards of BU’s doctoral programmes in which not a single new student has been admitted since October 2009.

Informed sources say that the university stopped registration for PhD programmes after the University Grants Commission (UGC) came up with new guidelines to enforce Common Minimum Standards for universities across the country.

“Often, guides choose candidates on grounds of caste, community, religion, etc. This has resulted in many talented candidates being left without suitable guides,” a Bangalore University  professor, who wished anonymity, told Deccan Herald.

Other decisions

* Students who have completed undergraduate courses under annual (regular as well distance modes) but failed in a few subjects in the stipulated number of attempts will be allowed to write the examination for one more attempt. Students of semester schemes can take the odd and even semester examinations for one more attempt.

* Students with writing disability can use computers in the examination.

* Cultural activities to be held every second Saturday of of each month at the Jnanajyothi Auditorium, Central College campus.

* People with distinguished lifetime achievements to be honoured.