DAVV rolls out fixed PhD academic calendar, aims to complete research in three years

Indore: Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) has implemented a comprehensive academic calendar for PhD admissions under both the DET and non-DET categories, introducing fixed timelines from admission interviews to course work and examinations.

The move is aimed at streamlining the research process and reducing the time taken to complete doctoral programmes from the current four to six years to a targeted three years.Research Advisory Committee (RAC) interviews for candidates across all subjects will be conducted between July 1 and July 31, according to the schedule. Departments have been directed to publish the final list of selected candidates by the evening of July 31.The PhD course work for all 40 subjects will be conducted from August 3 to Oct 31, while semester examinations are scheduled from Nov 16 to 21. Results will be declared on Nov 30, after which scholars can begin research and thesis-related work.The university has introduced the calendar at a time when the number of PhD aspirants has fallen sharply. Over the past three years, admissions have declined by nearly 55 percent.

Academic experts attribute the drop mainly to the growing preference for private universities and the mandatory requirement of qualifying the National Eligibility Test (NET) for admission to PhD programmes in 27 subjects. Only 13 engineering-related disciplines are exempt from this condition.The admission data also reveals a significant mismatch between available seats and applications in several disciplines.

Commerce, which has the highest intake of 156 seats, has received only 39 applications, while management has attracted 53 applications for 99 seats.In the non-DET category, 507 seats are available across 25 subjects under the supervision of 176 research guides, with 509 eligible NET-qualified applicants registering.Interest varies widely across disciplines. Physics has received only two applications for 28 seats, while computer science has 16 applicants for 34 seats. In contrast, law has recorded intense competition with 74 applicants for 11 seats, sociology has drawn 51 candidates for five seats, and economics has received 94 registrations for 22 seats, making them among the most sought-after research programmes this year.