Eligibility for Admission to the PhD Programme

Candidates seeking registration to the PhD Programme, whether full time or part time, shall hold a Master’s Degree/Post Graduate Degree (or accepted as equivalent to it and declared eligible for doing PhD, by Kerala University of Health Sciences) in the concerned or allied/cognate subject with minimum 50% marks and declared a pass. If the candidate is qualified with a pass and marks scored by the candidate in the qualifying examination are not specified, it will be presumed as 50% marks. The faculty wise list, of such eligible qualifying Degrees/other qualification, is given in the schedule.The candidate also has to qualify the entrance examination for PhD, if not duly exempted

Admission of students to the PhD Programme

A candidate who wishes to pursue a programme of study and research leading to the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) will be required to seek registration to the programme, under an appropriate Supervising Guide of the University, in a Recognised Department in a ‘Centre of Research’/Centre/Institution which is so recognised for this purpose by the University, as a ‘Centre of Research’.

• A candidate, working in a research project which has been taken up by University Department/School/Academic staff College/Centre of the University or by a Centre of Research/Recognised Department in a Centre of Research and the project is funded internally or externally, will be deemed to be a full-time PhD research student, provided they are otherwise qualified for the PhD programme and can duly be admitted to the PhD Programme of the University with the approval by the funding agency/related authorities, for considering the project for PhD research also, for the candidate, in full or in part and for getting registered for PhD.

Entrance Examination.

• Candidates who are applying for admission to the PhD Programme shall be required to have passed an entrance examination conducted by the University. The entrance examination will be conducted by the Controller of Examinations of the University as per the guidelines of the Board of Examinations and will be of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) type consisting of 100 questions for one and half (11⁄2) hours duration. Questions will be related to Research Methodology and general research aptitude (approximately 60 Marks), Biostatistics (approximately 20 Marks) and Research Ethics (approximately 20 Marks). Those scoring at least 50% marks will get qualified in the entrance examination. The qualifying mark for the candidates belonging to the scheduled cast/scheduled tribe category will be 45% or more. The result will remain valid for four subsequent notifications and admissions for PhD.
• There will not be any exemption for the entrance examination except as per the sub-clause 6.2(iii) or any other as approved by Academic Council and Governing Council from time to time.
• The following candidates are exempted from taking the entrance examination,
  
  
  • Candidates coming under agreement between the Kerala University of Health Sciences and a University/Institution in India or abroad where specific clause(s) exist for registration of candidates to PhD degree by the University.
  • Candidates selected under international cultural/educational exchange programs of Government of India/UN bodies.

Procedure for applying for admission.

• Candidates seeking registration to the doctoral programme (PhD) may do so by submitting their applications in the prescribed form, in response to the notification in this respect, issued by the University. Registration for PhD may be granted in January and July sessions every year for which applications may be received in response to notification by the University. However, the University reserves its right not to invite applications.
• Application for the Registration shall be submitted to the University in the prescribed form with payment of the prescribed fees. Those candidates qualified as per the entrance examination/duly exempted from entrance examination, are eligible to apply, provided they otherwise qualify for the programme and can duly be admitted to the PhD Programme of the University, as per the regulations.
• On response to the notification for admission, the candidates shall submit the provisional title of the research/Thesis they are planning to do, along with the application, giving sufficient background material and the proposed line of research, and obtain the consent of a Supervising Guide duly recognised by the University, through the Head of the Department and Head/Principal of the recognised Centre of Research from where the candidate has to register for PhD.
• For part time PhD students, additional requirements (as given in 3.1) also apply.
• The candidates are permitted to do PhD in the subject/related subject/ related specialities, restricted to the discipline of their Post-Graduate degree, but can have an inter-disciplinary component, if the area of research demands.

Preparation of the Admission List.

• For approval of candidates for PhD, an Admission Committee shall be constituted by the Vice Chancellor, with and three experts nominated by Vice Chancellor, as members, one of them designated as Chairman of the committee. Dean (Research) will facilitate in convening the meetings.
• The candidates for PhD would be required to give a presentation on the proposed topic of research before the Admission Committee.
• The candidates recommended by the committee will be listed and offered provisional registration under the regulations of KUHS.

Admission and Registration.

• Each selected candidate, for PhD, shall be issued with an admission letter by the University.
• A candidate who has been selected for admission may take provisional admission with the Centre of Research/Department of the Centre of Research by paying the required fee and fulfilling such other requirements as per the admission rules and other relevant Rules and Regulations of the University.
• A candidate for PhD who wishes to take admission shall do so within four weeks of the notification of selection list for admission to the PhD programme.
• A candidate for PhD is not allowed to take up any other course simultaneously.
• For selection of PhD candidates for permanent registration, at the end of the 1st year, there will be a qualifying examination (Year-end examination) consisting of two papers of three hours duration and a Protocol/Methodology Approval Presentation. Those who are successful in the year-end examination will be given permanent registration.

Duration of the PhD Programme.

• For full time registration, the minimum duration including the time spent for course work shall be 3 (three) years and the maximum period 5 (five) years. For part time registration, the minimum period including the time spent for course work shall be 4 (four) years and the maximum period 6 (six) years.
• PhD students can submit the final Synopsis/Abstract within maximum period prescribed, once the minimum period is over (either as Part-time or Full- time PhD, as the case may be). However, a grace period for one month (30 days) after the completion of maximum period prescribed will be allowed to submit the final Synopsis/Abstract. The name of a PhD student shall be removed from the rolls of the University, if the PhD student fails to submit the final Synopsis/Abstract/Thesis for the award of the PhD degree within the period prescribed under sub-clause 10.1, with a grace period of one month (30 days) after the maximum period prescribed. The date of submission of the final Synopsis/Abstract after Pre-submission presentation will be taken as date of submission for this purpose.
• The University on the recommendation of the concerned Supervising Guide and the Head of School/Department/Centre/Centre of Research, may, however, subsequently accept the request of a PhD student, whose name has been removed from the rolls of the University under sub-clause 10.2 above, to get re-enrolled and become eligible for submission of the Thesis, provided that the candidate remit the prescribed fee for re-enrolment and submits the Thesis not later than the expiry of one year from the date of re- enrolment. The period of re-enrolment as provided above shall be presumed to be in continuation of the original registration of 5 years (full- time) or 6 years (part-time) as the case may be, without any break or interval.
• Before completing the minimum period prescribed in sub-clause 10.1, no candidate for the PhD degree shall undertake any employment (unless for a part time course to start with or converted to part time course in due course) or undergo any other course of study of the this University or any other University. Teaching and research faculty members may be exempted from this clause, if the University so decides after due consideration of the merit of the case.
• The University may cancel the admission of a PhD student for a breach of the provisions of sub-clause 10.4 and/or on account of his unsatisfactory progress, on the basis of the monitoring reports and the proposals from the Doctoral Committee and recommended by the Centre of Research/Department concerned.