BTech (Hons) students eligible for PhD programme: JNTU-Hyderabad

The move by the university comes following the UGC tweaking the PhD eligibility norms and allowing candidates with four-year or eight semester bachelor’s degree with research work and a minimum CGPA of 7.5 out of 10 to pursue PhD.

Hyderabad: Undergraduate engineering students of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) – Hyderabad can now leapfrog into a PhD programme by earning a BTech Hons degree. Starting next academic year, the university will be conferring BTech Hons degree on students who secure a total 178 credits i.e., 160 credits for normal BTech and additional 18 credits in the same discipline.

For instance, Computer Science and Engineering students securing additional 18 credits by completing a course in the same discipline along with 160 credits will be awarded BTech Hons degree. This way the students can bypass pursuing the MTech programme, which is presently mandatory for PhD admissions.

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The move by the university comes following the University Grants Commission tweaking the PhD eligibility norms and allowing candidates with four-year or eight semester bachelor’s degree with research work and a minimum CGPA of 7.5 out of 10 to pursue PhD.

“From next academic year, students with BTech Hons degree will be given eligibility for PhD admissions. Such students have to clear the entrance test and enroll for the PhD programme,” JNTU-H Vice Chancellor Prof. Katta Narasimha Reddy told ‘Telangana Today’.

On the other hand, students completing additional 18 credits outside the discipline will be awarded BTech along with a minor degree in the discipline concerned. For example, an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student pursuing a minor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be granted a BTech in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in AI and ML.
PhD programmes in private colleges too:

Another major decision that will aid more candidates pursue doctoral programmes, the university has decided to allow private autonomous and affiliated colleges to enroll PhD students.

However, such colleges must have professors in the discipline concerned and establish a research centre. These colleges will be allowed to conduct their own entrance test but selection of students will be done by a panel comprising subject experts from the university. Each professor can guide a maximum of eight research scholars.

Presently, the university campus and affiliated colleges enroll PhD students. The move to allow private autonomous and affiliated colleges to offer PhD programmes will ease the burden on the university as more PhD admissions can be done.

“Professors in the private engineering colleges will only guide research scholars. The university will not just monitor the selection of students but also conduct examinations, viva voce and award PhDs to eligible candidates,” a senior official said.