MPhil leading to PhD programme allowed with conditions

The University of Karachi and the Higher Education Commission have agreed that students who enrolled in MPhil programmes leading to PhD programmes till the year 2015 and have not yet had their programmes converted into the PhD phase will be able to do so after meeting certain requirements.

The students will need to meet the requirements of securing the minimum CGPA of 3.0/4.0, complete 30 credit hours of course work or 24 credits hours of course work along with six credit hours’ thesis work or equivalent, pass the subject admission test and complete 18 credit hours of 800 level courses and submit the thesis so as to be eligible to be awarded a PhD degree, a KU official said on Thursday.  

He mentioned that Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan and an HEC delegation comprising Dr Muhammad Ismaeel, Dr Rafique Baloch, Shoaib Irshad discussed the ongoing issue of the conversion of MPhil into the PhD programme during a recently held meeting of the Board of Advanced Studies and Research, KU. A senio faculty member, Professor Dr Jamil Kazmi, briefed the HEC delegation on the recommendations of BASR through a presentation. The VC requested the HEC delegates to communicate the agreed points to the appropriate forums of the HEC for a final decision.

It was agreed that students who were enrolled in MPhil leading to the PhD programme till the year 2015 and have already been converted into the PhD phase will continue their studies and their degrees will be verified by the HEC subject to their submission within the period legally provided and the completion of other admission/award of degree requirements.

Moreover, the meeting agreed that those students who were enrolled in the year 2016 and onwards would also be allowed to select an option to convert their degrees from MPhil to PhD after the receipt of MPhil/MS/ equivalent degree after meeting the abovementioned requirements.