PhD Rules and Guidelines at LPU

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Rules

Procedure for Admission

Duration:

The minimum duration of the Ph.D. programme is three years from the date of registration. This period allows scholars to complete coursework, comprehensive examinations, and their research work at a steady pace. The maximum duration permitted is six years, providing sufficient time to carry out in-depth research and develop a high-quality thesis.

This duration framework applies to both full-time and part-time Ph.D. candidates, in accordance with the university’s academic regulations.

Eligibility Criteria:

For admission to Ph.D. programmes (except Agriculture), applicants must have passed a Master’s Degree (2-year/4-semester programme after a 3-year Bachelor’s Degree) in the relevant discipline with at least 55% aggregate marks or equivalent grade as prescribed by the UGC, and must qualify LPUNEST followed by an Interview.

Candidates who have completed a 1-year/2-semester Master’s Degree after a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks, or those holding a 4-year/8-semester Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field with 75% aggregate marks, are also eligible.

A relaxation of 5% marks or equivalent grade is applicable for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled/EWS categories, as per UGC norms.

Applicants with relevant postgraduate degrees in Engineering (e.g., M.Tech./M.E.) are eligible for Ph.D. in Engineering disciplines. However, degrees obtained through distance or online mode are not accepted for Ph.D. Engineering programmes.

Candidates who have completed Company Secretary (CS) from ICSI, Chartered Accountancy (CA) from ICAI, or PGDBM (2 years) recognised as equivalent to a Master’s Degree by AIU, with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks, are eligible to apply for Ph.D. (Commerce) and Ph.D. (Management).

For Agriculture programmes, applicants must have a Master’s Degree in a relevant agricultural discipline with a minimum of 65% aggregate marks or equivalent grade, and must qualify LPUNEST followed by an Interview.

Please note that direct admission after a 4-year undergraduate degree is not permitted for certain Ph.D. programmes such as those in Pharmacy, Agriculture, Law, Education, and Clinical Embryology (indicative list; refer to specific programme-wise eligibility for details).

Selection Criteria:

Admission to the Ph.D. programmes at Lovely Professional University is based on performance in the LPUNEST (Ph.D.) Entrance Test, followed by an Interview.

Applicants are shortlisted for the interview on the basis of their LPUNEST (Ph.D.) score. The final selection is determined by combining the performance in both the Entrance Test and the Interview, subject to securing minimum qualifying marks in the Interview.

  • For all Ph.D. programmes (except Agriculture):
    The Entrance Test carries a 70% weightage, and the Interview carries a 30% weightage.
  • For Ph.D. programmes in Agriculture disciplines:
    The Entrance Test carries an 80% weightage, and the Interview carries a 20% weightage.

Applicants exempted from LPUNEST (i.e., those possessing a valid award letter from UGC/UGC-CSIR (JRF) under Category 1, 2, or 3, or having valid GATE, GPAT, NFSC, NFST, NFOBC, or NFPWD qualifications) will be evaluated solely on the basis of the Interview (100% weightage).

    Note:
  • Candidates seeking LPUNEST exemption must still fill the LPUNEST application form and appear for the interview.
  • LPUNEST (Ph.D.) exam exemption is subject to verification of the scorecard or award letter issued by the regulatory agency with valid dates. For instance, if a GATE score is valid only till 2024, it cannot be used for admission in the 2025 session.
  • To be considered for an LPUNEST Scholarship, it is mandatory to appear in LPUNEST and secure a qualifying score.
  • Admission to certain Ph.D. programmes (e.g., Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Agronomy, Fruit Science, Vegetable Science, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Soil Science, Law, Clinical Embryology, Education, and Library Science) is not allowed directly after a 4-year undergraduate programme.
    This is an indicative list; candidates are advised to refer to programme-wise eligibility details for confirmation.

Ph.D. Candidacy and Monitoring Process

A Scholar will be given the Ph.D. Candidacy on completion of the following requirements:

  • Passing the Course Work.
  • Successfully defense of State-of-the-Art (SAS)* seminar.
  • *State-Of-the-Art (SAS) seminar delineates the current state of knowledge about the specific problem along with proposed research methodology on which the research scholars intends to pursue the research work.

After the research scholar is granted the Ph.D. Candidacy, he/ she will appear before the Research Advisory Committee once in six months to make a presentation of the progress of his/ her work for evaluation and further guidance.

Medium of Instruction

Unless otherwise specified by the University, the medium of instruction, course work, examination, question paper, State-Of-the-Art (SAS) and thesis will be English in all cases.

Thesis Evaluation

The Ph.D. thesis submitted by a research scholar will be evaluated by at least two external experts.

Defense of Thesis and Announcement of Award of Ph.D. Degree

The public viva-voce of the research scholar to defend the thesis will be conducted only if the evaluation report(s) of the external examiner(s) on the thesis are satisfactory and include a specific recommendation for conducting the viva-voce examination. The research scholar will finally present the research work duly approved by the Oral Defense Board as per the schedule. The Oral Defense Board will examine the research scholar through a Seminar. The viva-voce examination of the research scholar for the Ph.D. will be openly defended where all the faculty members and Research Scholars will be invited. Based on the performance of the research scholar in the seminar and viva-voce, the Oral Defence Board will send its recommendations for the award of Ph.D. degree for approval by the Vice Chancellor.