Ph.D. not mandatory to hire associate professors until 2023, says UGC

The UGC has postponed the mandatory doctoral requirements for candidates to apply for Assistant Professor positions until July 2023.

New Delhi – To the relief of many, candidates will not be required to hold a Ph.D. as a mandatory qualification for employment in Assistant Professor positions at this time. The University Grants Committee (UGC) on Tuesday, 12 October postponed the mandatory doctoral requirements for candidates to apply for assistant professorships until July 2023, ANI reported.

In order to extend in light of the COVID-19 situation, the UGC said in a statement: “The University Grants Commission, the leading body for higher education, has made an amendment to the UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Faculty Members of Universities and Colleges”) and Measures to Maintain Standards in Higher Education), Regulation 2018 on Clause 3.10 which states that the title of Doctor will be a mandatory qualification for direct employment for the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Universities from July 1, 2023. “

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The commission said this amendment will be known as UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academics in Universities and Colleges and Procedures for Maintaining Standards in Higher Education), Regulations Amendment, 2021.

“This amendment has been published in Part III, Section 4 of the Indian Gazette (Exceptional), in both Hindi and English, and can be downloaded from the official websites,” the statement read.

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In early October, the Federal Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, revealed that the center had decided not to go ahead with a plan to make Ph.D. the minimum qualification for the recruitment of assistant professors this year because of COVID.19 pandemic.

He said, “The ministry has temporarily suspended the doctorate to appoint an assistant professor, and the doctorate will not be mandatory for this position from now on, but it has not been cancelled.”

Candidates with Postgraduate degrees, who have passed the National Eligibility Examination, will continue to be eligible for appointment to the positions of Assistant Professor.

In 2018, UGC amended the recruitment criteria for entry-level positions at universities and colleges. It has given candidates a 3 year window to complete their Ph.D. and has asked all universities and colleges to start applying the recruitment criteria from the 2021-22 academic session.