The University Grants Commission issued a notice on Wednesday (December 27) that M.Phil. is no longer a recognized degree. UGC warned that students should not enroll in this course in any way.

Official Notification from UGC

In an official notification on Wednesday, the UGC noted, “It has come to the attention of the UGC that some universities are inviting fresh applications for the M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) program. In this regard, it should be brought to notice that the M.Phil. degree is not a recognized degree.”

‘The warning’ Not for the first time

UGC declared the cancellation of the M.Phil. course long ago. Earlier, the UGC had asked all the universities and institutes of higher education to stop offering this course.

The National Educational Policy, formulated in 2020, made it clear that M.Phil.degrees are ‘not valid’. Then, UGC had announced the closure of the MPhil in June as per the University Grants Commission’s Regulations, 2022 (Regulation no. 14).

In June, the UGC constituted a committee to review the nomenclature of degrees, which recommended that the designation “M.Phil.” be dropped from the list of certain degrees. Delhi University has discontinued the M.Phil. degree from the academic year 2022-23.

committee had suggested that students should be awarded qualifications, whether it is a certificate, diploma or degree, as soon as they earned the required number of credits, irrespective of the minimum duration of the programme.

The 2022 notification was published in the Gazette on November 7, 2022. “Higher Educational Institutions shall not offer the M.Phil. programme,” the 2022 notification had said.

UGC directive to Universities

Referring to fresh applications from some universities inviting students for the M.Phil. course, UGC Secretary Manish R. Joshi said, “The university authorities are requested to take immediate steps to stop admission to the M.Phil. program for the academic year 2023–24. Further, students are advised not to take admission in the M.Phil. program,” Prof. Joshi said in the notice.

The University Grants Commission asked higher education institutions (HEI) not to invite fresh applications for the M.Phil.(Master of Philosophy) program.

The UGC mandated that no foreign higher educational institution (HEI) will offer any program in India without the prior approval of the commission.

The regulations also stated that the HEls shall not offer programs under any franchise arrangement and that the UGC shall not recognize such programs. This includes twinning programs, joint degree programs, and dual degree programs.

What is M.Phil degree

M.Phil orThe Master of Philosophy program enables one to conduct research in areas of specialization. M.Phil. can be done in any department like Humanities, Commerce, Science, Law, Teaching.

Students could pursue one year of additional subject-oriented studies in any subject after passing their post-graduation. But since last year, UGC has withdrawn the recognition of this degree.

M.phil before PhD is not mandatory

NEP favors four-year bachelor’s degrees and research-intensive master’s degrees. The UGC, through the Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree Regulations, 2022, introduced several reforms for enrollment in PhD programs in September 2022. Eligibility to appear for PhD enrollment includes 75% marks in aggregate in a four-year/eight-semester bachelor’s degree program or its equivalent grade, while scholars with a one-year/two-semester master’s degree program followed by a four-year bachelor’s program are also eligible.

Retired Professor of Banaras Hindu University, Vaidyanath Tripathi, said in a media byte that it started in 1993 when MPhil became a mandatory qualification for lectureships in colleges and universities.

What will happen to those who got admission before 2022 notification?

The regulatory body has made it clear that M.Phil. courses that started prior to the 2022 notification will not be affected and the students who have joined M.Phil before the notification will be allowed to complete the courses.

Critisism

Some universities run by state governments have not accepted the National Education Policy’s suggestion of discontinuing the M.Phil. degree.

Tamil Nadu’s Madras University and Karnataka’s Gulbarga University are among the institutions that have admitted students to the unrecognized MPhil course this year.

Experts have criticized the central government for implementing the NEP without any discussion in Parliament.

Former UGC Secretary R.K. Chauhan said, ‘The National Educational Policy (2020) has not been adequately discussed with the states.

Many critics have interpreted that the central government as seeking to push through its policies rather than heeding the wishes of the states.