Rules and Regulations governing the Ph.D. Programme 

(Deemed to be University u/s 3 of the UGC Act, 1956) (Download pdf here…) ( Approved by Academic Council on 6th February 2023 and Board of Studies on 17th January, 2023) (As per UGC Minimum Standards and Procedures for the Award of Ph.D. Degree Regulations 2022)
About the Programme 1. The Institute offer following Ph.D. Programmes (1) Ph.D. Programme in Economics (2) Ph.D. Programme in Agricultural Economics (3) Ph.D. Programme in Population Studies (4) Ph.D. Programme in Law and Economics (5) Ph.D. Programme in Public Policy (6) Ph.D. Programme in Sociology (7) Ph.D. Programme in Sustainable Development
Eligibility 2. a. Candidates who have completed: A 1-year/2-semester master’s degree programme in Economics/Agricultural Economics/Population Studies/Law and Economics/Public Policy l Science/Sociology/ Sustainable Development after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme or a 2-year/4-semester master’s degree programme in Economics/Agricultural Economics/Population Studies/Law and Economics/Public Policy/Sociology/ Sustainable Development after a 3-year bachelor’s degree programme or qualifications declared equivalent to the master’s degree by the corresponding statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of the educational institution.A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.Provided that a candidate seeking admission after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.Candidates who have completed the M.Phil. programme with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of educational institutions, shall be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. programme.A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time
Duration of the Programme 3. Ph.D. Programme shall be for a minimum duration of three (3) years, including course work, and a maximum duration of six (6) years from the date of admission to the Ph.D. programme. A maximum of an additional two (2) years can be given through a process of re- registration as per the Statute/Ordinance of the Higher Educational Institution concerned; provided, however, that the total period for completion of a Ph.D. programme should not exceed eight (8) years from the date of admission in the Ph.D. programme. Provided further that, female Ph.D. scholars and Persons with Disabilities (having more than 40% disability) may be allowed an additional relaxation of two (2) years; however, the total period for completion of a Ph.D. programme in such cases should not exceed ten (10) years from the date of admission in the Ph.D. programme. Female Ph.D. Scholars may be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave for up to 240days in the entire duration of the Ph.D. programme.
Number of Seats 4. The number of candidates to be admitted for the Ph.D. programme shall depend upon the availability of eligible faculty/guides in the Institute. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Ph.D. programme shall be notified on the website of the Institute and through advertisement in at least two national newspapers, of which at least one shall be in the regional language.
Procedure for Admission 5. A candidate seeking admission to the Ph.D. programme after notification shall download the application form from the Institute’s website www.gipe.ac.in and submit the same to the Ph.D. section at the Institute along with the prescribed application fee.
Entrance Examination 6. Admission to the Ph.D. programme of the Institute shall be through an Entrance Examination to be conducted on annual basis as per the schedule recommended by the Research and Recognition Committee (RRC). The Entrance Examination shall comprise Written Test and Interview.
Exemption from the Written Test 7. The following candidates shall be eligible for exemption from the Written Test and shall be eligible to appear for Interview: Candidates who have obtained M.Phil. Degree of a recognized University through regular and not distance mode Candidates who have qualified at the UGC-NET (including JRF)/SLET/teacher fellowship holders
Interview 8. Candidates who pass the Written Test and candidates who are exempted from the Written Test shall be required to appear for an interview to present/discuss their research proposal/area of interest. Students who have secured 50 % marks in the entrance test are eligible to be called for the interview. A relaxation of 5 % marks will be allowed in the entrance examination for the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/differently-abled category, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time. Higher Educational Institutions may decide the number of eligible students to be called for an interview based on the number of Ph.D. seats available. Provided that for the selection of candidates based on the entrance test conducted by the Higher Educational Institution, a weightage of 70 % for the entrance test and 30 % for the performance in the interview/viva- voce shall be given.
Registration 9. Provisional Registration: Candidates admitted to the Ph. D. programme shall be granted Provisional Registration. The date of Provisional Registration of a candidate shall be the date on which the candidate joins the Ph.D. programme in the Institute. The date of the Provisional Registration of a foreign candidate shall be the date of joining after obtaining valid student/study visa. Confirmation of Registration: The Provisional Registration shall be confirmed upon successful completion of the prescribed pre-Ph.D. course work.
          Ph. D. Committee       10 There shall be a Ph.D. Committee constituted for a period of two years, comprising the following: The Dean of Research and Publications (ex-officio Chairperson) Associate Dean Research and Publications (Coordinator of the Ph.D. programme) Two faculty members of the Institute to be nominated by the Vice Chancellor for a period of two years Two subject experts from outside the Institute, to be nominated by the ViceChancellor from the list of experts approved by the Research and Recognition Committee for a period of two years.The powers and duties of the Ph.D. Committee shall be: To recommend admission to the Ph.D. programme of the Institute To recommend the subjects/topics of research for Ph.D. scholars To recommend the award of fellowships, if any.
Research and Recognition Committee (RRC 11. There shall be a Research and Recognition Committee comprising: The Dean of Research and Publications (ex-officio Chairperson) Associate Dean, Research and Publications (Coordinator of the Ph.D. programme) (Convener) One Research Guides of the Institute nominated by the Vice Chancellor for a period of two years. Two External Experts nominated by the Vice Chancellor for a period of two years.The powers and duties of the Research and Recognition Committee shall be: To approve research Supversior at the Institute To recommend the Research Committee for students admitted to the Ph.D. programme To recommend change of Principal Research Guide, if required To recommend change of Research Committee, if required To recommend change of research topic on the advice of the Principal Research Guide/Research Committee. To evaluate the progress of the Ph.D. thesis work based on the half yearly presentation of the students. For this purpose, Research Review Committee may co- opt experts. To recommend extension of the period of Ph.D. registration on the advice of the Principal Research Guide/Research Committee. To recommend submission of the thesis before completion of the stipulated period.
Research Advisory Committee 12. A candidate shall be required to complete his/her doctoral research under the supervision of a Research Advisory Committee appointed by the Research and Recognition Committee. The Research Advisory Committee shall comprise the following: Principal Research Guide who shall be a faculty member of the Institute Two members, of which one shall be a faculty member of the Institute, and the other from academia/research or industry. Though all members of the Research Committee are expected to give their comments and suggestions to the Ph.D. student at the time of submission of the Ph.D. thesis, approval shall be required only from the Principal Research Guide.Each semester, a Ph.D. scholar shall appear before the Research Advisory Committee to make a presentation and submit a brief report on the progress of his/her work for evaluation and further guidance. The Research Advisory Committee shall submit its recommendations along with a copy of Ph.D. scholar’s progress report to the Higher Educational Institution concerned. A copy of such recommendations shall also be provided to the Ph.D. scholar. In case the progress of the Ph.D. scholar is unsatisfactory, the Research Advisory Committee shall record the reasons for the same and suggest corrective measures. If the Ph.D. scholar fails to implement these corrective measures, the Research Advisory Committee may recommend, with specific reasons, the cancellation of the registration of the Ph.D. scholar from the Ph.D. programme.
Allocation of Research Supervisor, Co- Supervisor. 13. Permanent faculty members working as Professor/Associate Professor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics with a Ph.D., and at least five research publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals and permanent faculty members working as Assistant Professors in Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics with a Ph.D., and at least three research publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals may be recognized as a Research Supervisor by the Research and Recognition Committee. Such recognized research supervisors cannot supervise research scholars in other institutions, where they can only act as co-supervisors.
The allocation of research guides will be made by the Research and Recognition Committee after taking into account (i) number of students per faculty member, (ii) available specialization among the faculty members, (iii) research interest indicated by the student during the interview, and (iv) inclination of both, the student and the research guide. Co-Supervisors from within the same department or other departments of the same institution or other institutions may be permitted with the approval of the competent authority. In case of interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary research work, if required, a Co- Supervisor from outside the Department/School/Centre/College/University may be appointed. Adjunct Faculty members shall not act as Research Supervisors and can only act as co-supervisors. As Principal Research Guide a Professor shall not have at any given point of time more than eight Ph.D. scholars; Associate Professor not more than six Ph. D. scholars, and Assistant Professor not more than four Ph. D. scholars. Each supervisor can guide up to two international research scholars on a supernumerary basis over and above the permitted number of Ph.D. scholars as specified above. Faculty members with less than three years of service before superannuation shall not be allowed to take new research scholars under their supervision. However, such faculty members can continue to supervise Ph.D. scholars who are already registered until superannuation and as a co-supervisor after superannuation, but not after attaining the age of 70 years.
Duration 14. The Ph.D. programme shall be for a minimum duration of three years including course work and a maximum of six years.
If a candidate’s thesis is not ready after the lapse of six year she/she may be allowed to submit his/her thesis within a grace period of up to two years by re-registration and payment of the prescribed fees for re-registration.
Coursework 15. The Credit requirement for the Ph.D. coursework is a minimum of 16 credits, including a “Research and Publication Ethics” course as notified by UGC vide D.O. No. F.1- 1/2018(Journal/CARE) in 2019 and a research methodology course. The Research Advisory Committee can also recommend UGC recognized online courses as part of the credit requirements for the Ph.D. programme All Ph.D. scholars, irrespective of discipline, shall be required to train in teaching /education /pedagogy/writing related to their chosen Ph.D. subject during their doctoral period. Ph.D. scholars may also be assigned 4-6 hours per week of teaching/research assistantship for conducting tutorial or laboratory work and evaluations.All students admitted to the Ph.D. programme are required to undertake coursework for one Semester which will be treated as pre-Ph.D. preparation. Candidates have to successfully complete the Ph.D. coursework with 55% marks or its equivalent grade in the UGC 10- point scale in the course work to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit his or her thesis.
Progress Report 16. Each candidate shall be required to submit to the Vice Chancellor, through the Principal Research Guide, his/her half-yearly progress report, in the prescribed format, which will be evaluated by the Research Advisory Committee of the Institute.
17. Each candidate shall be also required to present every six months his/her research work to the Research Advisory Committee of the Institute, including the Principal Research Guide. It is compulsory for all Ph.D. scholars registered for the Ph.D.programme to attend these presentations.The Research Advisory Committee shall recommend continuation of the candidate in the programme on the basis of (i) Report of the Principal Research Guide and (ii) progress shown in the half yearly presentation of the thesis work. In this regard, the decision of the Research Review Committee will be final. The date and time of the half yearly presentation will be communicated to the candidates in advance. A candidate for the Ph.D. degree must have worked for his/her thesis for a minimum of three years, including course work and, in the normal course, he/she shall not be allowed to submit his/her thesis before completion of three years from the date of his/her registration for the Ph.D. programme. Upon satisfactory completion of coursework, the Ph.D. scholar shall undertake research work and produce a draft thesis within the stipulated time.Ph.D. candidate shall publish one research paper in a refereed journal / Institute Working Paper and present his/her research work in two national/international conference/seminar before the submission of draft thesis for adjudication, and produce evidence of acceptance letter or the reprint.In case of relocation of a woman Ph. D. scholar due to marriage or otherwise, the research data shall be allowed to be transferred to the University to which the scholar intends to relocate, provided that all other conditions stipulated in these Rules and Regulations are followed in letter and spirit and the research work does not pertain to a project secured by the Institute or the Principal Research Guide from any funding agency. The scholar shall, however, give due credit to the Principal Guide and the Institute for the part of research already conducted.
Evaluation and Assessment Methods, minimum standards/credit s for award of the degree, etc 18. Before submitting the dissertation/thesis, the Ph.D. scholar shall make a presentation before the Research Advisory Committee of the Institute, which shall also be open to all faculty members and other research scholars/students.
The Academic Council of the Institute shall evolve a mechanism using well developed software and gadgets to detect plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. While submitting for evaluation, the dissertation/thesis shall have an undertaking from the research scholar and a certificate from the Principal Research Guide attesting to the originality of the work, vouching that there is no plagiarism and that the work has not been submitted for the award of any other degree/diploma of the same Institution where the work was carried out, or to any other Institution.
The Ph.D. thesis submitted by a Ph.D. scholar shall be evaluated by his/her Research Supervisor and at least two external examiners who are experts in the field and not in employment of the Higher Educational Institution concerned. Such examiner(s) should be academics with a good record of scholarly publications in the field. Wherever possible, one of the external examiners should be chosen from outside India.
The viva-voce board shall consist of the Research Supervisor and at least one of the two external examiners and may be conducted online. The viva-voce shall be open to the members of the Research Advisory Committee/faculty member’s/research scholars, and students. Higher Educational Institutions may formulate appropriate rules/ordinances to effect the provisions of this Regulations.
The viva-voce of the Ph.D. scholar to defend the thesis shall be conducted if both the external examiners recommend acceptance of the thesis after incorporating any corrections suggested by them. If one of the external examiners recommends rejection, the Higher Educational Institution concerned shall send the thesis to an alternate external examiner from the approved panel of examiners, and the viva- voce examination shall be held only if the alternate examiner recommends acceptance of the thesis. If the alternate examiner does not recommend acceptance of the thesis, the thesis shall be rejected, and the Ph.D. scholar shall be declared ineligible for the award of a Ph.D. The Institute shall complete the entire process of evaluating a Ph. D. thesis, including the declaration of the viva-voce result, within a period of six (6) months from the date of submission of the thesis.
Presentation of Thesis 19. The Ph. D. Defense Committee shall comprise the following members: Director of the Institute or his nominee (Chairperson) Before submitting the draft thesis, the candidate shall forward to the Office of the Dean, Research and Publication of the Institute, through his/her Principal Research Guide, five copies of a statement giving the title and the synopsis of the thesis. The draft Ph.D. thesis shall be submitted within six months of the date of submission of the synopsis of the thesis, failing which the candidate shall submit a revised synopsis and shall again pay his/her examination fees.
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree shall submit to the Office of Dean, Research of the Institute four copies of his/her draft thesis in spiral bound form. All copies of the draft thesis shall be presented in a permanent and legible form in print or photocopy.
A significant extension of research work done by the student for a previous degree can be submitted as a Ph.D. thesis; however such thesis shall not be a reproductionof the earlier work. Along with four copies of the draft thesis to be submitted by the candidate in the manner prescribed above, the candidate shall also submit two copies (or more if required) of a summary of the thesis highlighting the findings and original contributions of the research.
Appointment of Examiners 20. The Principal supervisor shall forward the synopsis of the thesis submitted by the candidate along with a confidential panel of six external examiners to Office of the Dean Research and Publications. The Research and Recognition Committee, which shall recommend the panel of external examiners to the Vice Chancellor with its recommendations. The Vice Chancellor shall select two external examiners from the panel approved by the Research and Recognition Committee. Out of the two external examiners, at least one should be outside the state/country. The Principal Research Guide of the candidate shall be the internal examiner.
Defense of Thesis   21 After the candidate submits the draft thesis and the Vice Chancellor appoints two external examiners, the Registrar shall invite the examiners to evaluate the draft thesis. A copy of the summary of the thesis shall be sent to the examiners along with the letter of invitation. When an examiner accepts the invitation to evaluate the thesis, the Registrar shall forward the thesis to him/her within two weeks of the receipt of the letter of acceptance.
The draft thesis produced by the Ph.D. scholar and submitted to the Institute shall be evaluated by at least two experts, out of which one shall be from outside the state/country. Upon receipt of satisfactory evaluation reports, the Ph.D. student shall undergo a viva voce examination which shall also be openly defended. The examiners shall report on the acceptability of the draft thesis or otherwise within a period of 90 days from the date of receipt of the thesis. If both the external examiners report that the draft thesis is acceptable, the candidate will be invited for the open defence of his/her thesis. If both the external examiners report that the thesis is not acceptable, there will be no defence of the thesis and the candidate will be declared to have failed. In case of difference of opinion between the two external examiners about the acceptability of the thesis, the Vice Chancellor shall appoint a third external examiner out of the Panel approved by the Academic Council. The decision about the acceptability of the thesis shall be based on the majority opinion of the three external examiners’ opinion. If the majority finds the thesis to be acceptable then the candidate will be asked to undertake the defence of his/her thesis. The date and the time when the candidate will defend his/her thesis shall be duly notified by the Vice Chancellor. The candidate shall be provided with the copies of the reports of the external examiners at least seven days prior to defence of the thesis.
Ph. D. Defense Committee 22. The Ph. D. Defense Committee shall comprise the following members: Dean of Research and Publications (Chairperson) Associate Dean, Research and Publications (Ph.D. Coordinator) (Convener) Principal Research Guide One external examiner The presence of one internal examiner and one external examiner shall be mandatory at the viva voce.
The defense of the thesis shall be open to faculty/students of the Institute. The Chairperson shall exercise his/her discretion to allow or not to allow a question. However, the members of the audience at the defense shall have no say in the final decision regarding the award of the Ph.D. degree.
The examiners present for the defence shall submit to the Vice Chancellor/Registrar their final consolidated report about the award of the Ph.D. degree immediately after the defence is over. Their recommendations shall be specific and they shall recommend either that the Ph.D. degree be awarded to the candidate OR that candidate re- submit his/her thesis after due revision as suggested and undertake a fresh defence OR that the candidate be not awarded the Ph.D. degree. A work that has been rejected may be re-submitted after due revision subject to the payment of the prescribed fees.
Depository of the Thesis with the Institute and the UGC 23. Upon successful completion of the evaluation process and announcements of the award of Ph.D., the candidate shall submit six copies of the final hardbound thesis to the Institute within a period of 30 days. The first copy of the thesis will be deposited in the library of the Institute, the second copy will be returned to the candidate, the third copy will be retained by the Principal Research Guide, fourth copy will be retained by the examination section of the Institute and fifth and sixth copies will be sent to the external examiners.
Along with a final hardbound copy of the thesis, the candidate shall also submit a soft copy of the thesis to be forwarded to the UGC, for hosting the same in INFLIBNET, which is accessible to all Institutions/Universities. Along with the Degree, the Institute shall issue a Certificate certifying that the Degree has been awarded in accordance with the provisions of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of M.Phil. /Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2016.
  Part-time Ph. D. programme   24. The part-time Ph. D. programme shall be open to candidates working in academia / industry / research organizations, who are unable to pursue the doctoral programme in full-time mode.For candidates admitted to the Ph. D. programme under part-time mode, the pre- Ph. D. coursework shall be prescribed by the Research Review Committee. Candidates admitted to the Ph. D. programme under part-time mode shall be governed by all other rules and regulations governing the Ph. D. programme. Ph.D. programmes through part-time mode will be permitted, provided all the conditions stipulated in these Regulations are fulfilled.
      The Higher Educational Institution concerned shall obtain a “No Objection Certificate” through the candidate for a part-time Ph.D. programme from the appropriate authority in the organization where the candidate is employed, clearly stating that: The candidate is permitted to pursue studies on a part-time basis. His/her official duties permit him/her to devote sufficient time for research. If required, he/she will be relieved from the duty to complete the course work.
  Award of Ph.D. degrees prior to Notification of these Regulations   25. Award of degrees to candidates registered for the Ph.D. programme on or after July 11, 2009, till the date of Notification of these Regulations shall be governed by the provisions of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2009 or the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degrees) Regulations, 2016 as the case may be. Further, the award of degrees to candidates already registered and pursuing Ph.D. shall be governed by these Regulations or UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2016. Nothing in these Regulations shall impact the M.Phil. degree programmes commencing prior to the enactment of these Regulations.