Regulations Relating to the Examinations for Phd Programme

Programme of Studies

1. The minimum period for completion of PhD requirements shall be three years from the date of registration, and the maximum period shall be seven years. Only under exceptional circumstances, to be described in detail by the candidate and supported by the supervisor, the Research Board may allow extension beyond seven years.
2. Residence requirement of two years shall be necessary for the students pursuing PhD programme. However, in cases where the Supervisor and Co-Supervisor are satisfied that research work can be carried out outside the university, residency requirement may be exempted.
3. A PhD student falling in the category defined by Clause II(b) above shall be required to pass 24 credits of MPhil courses within the first four semesters of admission.
4. The courses shall be selected with the approval of the supervisor from amongst the courses being offered in the department.
5. For the course work, the mode of registration and examinations shall be governed by the MPhil regulations.
6. PhD course work should be completed by students in the first four semesters where they are required to do 18 credit hours after MPhil, and in six semesters where they are required to do 42 credit hours.

Comprehensive Examination and Seminars

1. A student shall be required to pass a comprehensive examination, consisting of a written and an oral part, within two years of admission to the PhD programme.
2. If a student does not pass the comprehensive examination in the first attempt, he/she may be given one more chance on the recommendation of his/her Supervisor. The registration of a PhD student shall be deemed as cancelled if he/she does not pass the comprehensive examination even in the second attempt.
3. A department shall normally hold at least one comprehensive examination in an academic year.
4. The comprehensive examination shall consist of written and oral parts. The examination shall be conducted by a PhD Examination Committee appointed by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendations of the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department and Dean of the faculty concerned in consultation with the supervisor. The supervisor of the student will also be co-opted as a member of this committee. The pass percentage shall be 50%.
5. After passing the comprehensive examination, but before the submission of his/her thesis, a PhD student will give at least one seminar on a topic relevant to his/her field of research.

Supervisor, Thesis Title and Synopsis/Research Proposal

1. The Research Board shall appoint a supervisor (and a co-supervisor, if necessary) from the relevant field and approve the field of research/title on the recommendations of the department concerned.
2. In the faculty of Social Sciences, a research proposal will also be submitted by the candidate to the department within one year after passing the comprehensive examination.

Biannual Progress Report

The supervisor of a student shall submit a detailed report to the Research Board by 30th June and 31st December each year on the progress of the student in accordance with the prescribed format. In cases where no supervisor has been appointed, progress report will be submitted by the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department concerned.
In case of two consecutive adverse reports, the Research Board may cancel the registration of the candidate.

Thesis

The thesis submitted by a PhD candidate shall comply with the following conditions:

1. It shall form a distinct contribution to knowledge and afford evidence of originality, shown by the discovery of new facts, by the exercise of independent critical judgment, and/or by the invention of new methods of investigation.
2. It shall not include research work for which a degree has already been conferred in this or any other university.
3. It shall be written in English and the presentation must be satisfactory for publication.
4. Any part of the thesis which has been published before submission of the thesis may be appended at the end of the thesis.
5. The thesis shall be typed on A4 size (11.69”x8.27”) paper with margins of 1-½” on the left and 1” to the right, top and bottom of each page. The thesis shall be hard bound with red cloth cover and golden lettering on the front and the spine.

Examination

1. There shall be a standing list of external examiners for each department consisting of persons of eminence in the respective field of research. The list shall be suggested from time to time by the Board of Studies of the department/Board of Faculty concerned and approved by the Research Board. The external examiners will be requested to critically examine the thesis for its suitability for the award of PhD degree.
2. There shall also be a standing list of local examiners for each department consisting of eminent persons engaged in research in the respective area. The list shall be suggested from time to time by the Board of Studies of the department/ Board of Faculty concerned and approved by the Research Board. The local examiners will be requested to conduct the final viva-voce examinations of thesis.
3. 1. The candidate shall in the first instance submit six unbound copies of his/her completed thesis along with an application on prescribed form for the evaluation of his/her thesis, duly forwarded by his/her supervisor and the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department:
      1. Three for external examiners
      2. One for Examination section
      3. One for department office
      4. One for the supervisor
   2. After corrections have been incorporated in accordance with the comments of external examiners; two copies of thesis in loose binding, to be sent to viva-voce examiners.
   3. 1. After the viva-voce examination; four copies of the final hard-bound thesis be submitted:
      2. One for Examination Section
      3. One for Central Library
      4. One for the departmental office
      5. One for Supervisor
         to be returned to the student after submission of hard bound copy.
4. The supervisor shall suggest a panel of at least eight external examiners from the approved list. The Vice-Chancellor shall appoint two external examiners from the suggested panel to evaluate the thesis.
5. The reports of the examiners shall be placed before the Research Board for consideration.
6. If the thesis is adjudged as adequate by two of the two examiners, the Research Board shall allow the candidate to appear in the viva-voce (thesis defence) examination.
7. If one out of two reports by foreign references is negative then third referee should be consulted.
8. If any of the examiners suggests modification/revision of the thesis, the candidate shall be required to resubmit a revised version of the thesis, duly certified by the supervisor, within one year.
9. The revised version of the thesis shall be approved by the same examiner who suggested modification/revision of the thesis.
10. If any of the examiners finds the thesis adequate but suggests minor modifications/revision, this may be incorporated without referring again to the examiner as required in clause (i).
11. The viva-voce examination shall be conducted by the two external examiners appointed by the Vice-Chancellor from the panel approved by the Research Board, the Supervisor and the Chairperson of the department concerned.
12. The viva-voce examination shall be open to the public but the evaluation will be done only by the panel of examiners.
13. If the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners in the viva-voce examination he/she may be given a chance to defend the thesis for the second and final time within a period of six months.
14. A candidate who successfully completes all the requirements shall be awarded, with the approval of the Research Board and the Syndicate, the degree of PhD under the Seal of the University.

The Vice-Chancellor may approve the recommendations of the Research Board on behalf of the Syndicate regarding the award of PhD degree to the candidate.

Phd Refinement Rules

1. All the students registered in PhD program of the University after December 17, 2005 need to complete 18 credit-hours course work. The course work shall be based on at least 12-credit hours of class work teaching (regular courses) and up to a maximum of 6 credit hours of seminar.
2. For a PhD student who does not hold an MPhil or equivalent degree, the course work requirement shall be of 42 credit hours. The course work shall be based on at least 36-credit hours of class work teaching (regular courses) and up to a maximum of 6-credit hours of seminar.
3. Deficiency in courses, recommended by the admission committee or supervisor, shall be part of the 18/42 credit hours course requirement of the PhD program.
4. The 6-credit hours of seminar shall neither be counted towards the minimum teaching load of a faculty member, nor shall any faculty member of the University be paid for 6-credit hours of seminar.
5. The students registered in PhD program of the University after December 17, 2005 must provide a copy of the paper published from the date presented in the thesis. In case the paper has been accepted but not published, an acceptance letter from editor or editorial staff of the journal must be provided to the examination section.
6. For the students registered in PhD program of faculty of Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences after December 17, 2005, a paper published in W, X and Y categories shall be accepted until June 30th 2009. After June 30, 2009 paper published only in W category shall be accepted.
7. For the students registered in PhD program of faculty of Social Sciences after December 17, 2005, a paper published in W, X or Y category shall be accepted.
8. Student should be the first author of his / her Publication.

Procedure/Criteria for Exemption of Mphil/ Phd Courses

Procedure/criteria for exemption of MPhil /PhD Courses for the students who have studied/ cleared in other universities/ institutions recognized by HEC:

1. Transfer of Credits: The Admission Committee of the department concerned will decide on the maximum number of transferable credits on the basis of the information (Course outlines, Transcripts) provided by the applicant. The transferable credits depend on the standing of the institution where the candidate is transferring from, the nature of successfully completed courses and on the grades obtained. The maximum transferable credits will be 50%.
   
   Any decision on the transfer of credits for the courses completed by the applicant will be taken after the evaluation of the courses by the Admission Committee at the departmental level. Applicants can be called for an interview/test before making a final decision about the transfer of credits. Information about transferable courses/credits will be communicated to the candidates at the time of admission offer except for courses for which interviews or tests are required.
2. Credit Transfer and Exemption Policy: Credit will only be transferred when the following conditions are met credit transfer cases will not be entertained after a student has started the programme of study:
3. Application for credit Transfer: Application for credit transfer will be submitted by the student supported by the following documents:
   1. The course outline and teaching plan of the course that was completed in a different university/institution and which is being considered for credit transfer.
   2. The course contact hours and the name of the faculty who taught the course along with the relevant grades.
4. Conditions for Course Transfer/Exemption:
   1. If the course content is 80% similar to the course content at Quaid-i-Azam University, the course credit will be considered for transfer.
   2. A course exempted elsewhere is non-transferable unless it is pursued as a regular course.
   3. Exempted courses shall not include seminars or audited courses.
   4. Exempted courses shall not exceed 50% of the credit courses being offered by the department at QAU.
   5. B grade or 65% marks are required for a course to be considered for transfer.
   6. The course work being sought for credit transfer has been completed at an HEC recognized educational institution.
   7. Acceptability to transfer credit to a student’s academic curriculum would be determined by the head of the department in consultation with the Admission Committee where the application is being made.