PhD coursework and the RPE course

What do the UGC 2022 regulations require for PhD coursework?

At national level the rules for coursework are only a few lines. Clause 9 of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 gives the minimum. Everything else is filled in by your university in its ordinance.

Many scholars are getting confused on two points. First, 12 credits is only the lowest limit, and many universities ask for 14, 16 or even more, spread over two or three papers. Second, the 2022 rules do not give any general exemption from coursework, for M.Phil. holders or anybody else. Some universities are giving partial exemption anyway, as per their own rules, and mostly that is for scholars whose M.Phil. had similar papers. If you feel you are eligible, apply for it in writing before the semester begins.

Normally coursework is done in the first one or two semesters after you join. Only after you clear it does the Research Advisory Committee usually approve your research proposal. Our PhD timeline guide has the full list of milestones if you want to see where coursework falls in it. The stage before this one is in the PhD admission guide.

What papers are in PhD coursework?

In a typical state or central university you will write three papers. Paper names change from one university to other, still you will find them in the syllabus easily.

Paper I: Research methodology

This one is usually 4 credits. It starts with research design, types of research and how to frame a problem and hypotheses. After that comes sampling, tools for data collection, measurement and scaling, and reliability and validity. The last part is basic statistics like descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression. Many times this is taught with SPSS, R or Excel. In science and engineering departments they add experimental design, error analysis and scientific writing. Literature search, reference management and report writing are also there in many syllabi.

If you study it seriously, this is the paper that helps you most. Keep your own study in front of you while reading. The design and sampling chapter you write later will come almost directly from it. Our guide on writing research methodology continues from there.

Paper II: Research and Publication Ethics

This is the 2-credit RPE course, and the next section explains it in detail. In some universities it is a separate paper with a separate exam. Other universities merge it into Paper I and ask questions from it there.

Paper III: Subject or specialisation paper

Usually this carries 4 to 6 credits. The department sets it, and many times you pick it together with your supervisor. It can be a survey of advanced topics in your field, or built around your own research area. Some departments ask for review paper or a seminar talk as part of the marks. For reviewing an article, see how to critique a research article. Sometimes a SWAYAM or NPTEL course in your area can replace this paper or add to it, if the RAC agrees.

What is the Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) course?

UGC approved the RPE course in its 543rd meeting, held on 9 August 2019. Then in December 2019 the UGC Secretary wrote to all universities about it (D.O. No. F.1-1/2018 (Journal/CARE)). That letter asked universities to make the course compulsory in PhD coursework. Later the 2022 regulations put it into clause 9(1). The course came from the same UGC exercise which made the CARE journal list. UGC was worried about papers going to wrong journals and misconduct done unknowingly.

These hours are from the course-structure table in the UGC annexure. The detailed syllabus in that same annexure divides the first two modules a little differently, as 3 and 5 hours. Total comes to 30 hours in both cases. As per the annexure, assessment is continuous through tutorials, assignments, quizzes and group discussions, and there is a written exam at the end. How the marks are divided is left to each university.

You will need the practice modules later in your PhD anyway. RPE 04 teaches the same skill our predatory journal guide is about. RPE 06 throws lot of numbers at you, and our metrics guide goes through them one by one. The plagiarism software session in RPE 05 is the first place you learn to read a Turnitin report.

How does the PhD coursework exam work?

In most universities there is a written exam when the coursework semester ends. Either the department conducts it or the exam wing does. A common pattern is one three-hour paper per course. The paper has essay questions, short-answer questions and short notes. Over and above this, internal marks are given for assignments, seminars or attendance. Some universities call the full process the “pre-PhD examination”, and some say “PhD qualifying examination”.

To pass you need the UGC minimum of 55% or the equal grade, unless your university has kept it higher. Rules for second attempt are very different from place to place. Some universities hold a supplementary exam within a few months. In others you have to wait for the next regular exam, and your proposal approval can get pushed back by one semester because of that. Ask the research section for these informations when you join itself, not after a fail result.

How to prepare without losing your first year

• Get your university’s syllabus and past question papers in the first week itself. The department or the research section will have them. UGC gives only the RPE outline, and the question paper is set by your own university.
• For RPE, do the practical parts yourself. Take one journal and search it on Scopus Sources and on Web of Science. Check one publisher on SHERPA/RoMEO, which is now called Jisc’s Open Policy Finder. After that, look up your guide’s h-index in Scopus and in Google Scholar. Exam questions on these are easy once you have done them one time.
• Learn the definitions exactly. FFP, salami slicing, gift authorship, predatory journal, h-index and impact factor come again and again in short-note questions.
• Tie research methodology to your own study. While the syllabus is going on, keep one page where you note your design, sampling and analysis plan. Later this page becomes the rough draft for your proposal and for the methodology chapter also.
• Attend the classes. Many universities ask for minimum attendance before you can sit the exam, mostly 75% or 80%. See the exact figure in your ordinance.
• Know the pass mark before the exam. As per UGC rules it is 55% or the equivalent grade, and your university is free to keep it higher.

Try to finish coursework in one semester and keep reading for your literature review side by side, otherwise it slowly takes the full year. Scholars who give the whole first semester to coursework only many times reach the RAC proposal meeting with nothing to propose.

How do part-time scholars and online courses fit into coursework?

For part-time scholars the coursework is the same as for full-time scholars. Under the 2022 regulations you need a no-objection certificate from your employer (clause 13). Among other things, it must say you will be relieved from duty for coursework when required. To make it workable, many universities hold coursework in contact blocks, on weekends or during vacations. You may still have to take leave, so talk to your employer about it early.

Online courses can be counted in the credits when they are UGC-recognised and your RAC recommends them. Usually that means SWAYAM courses, and NPTEL courses offered through SWAYAM also, which come with a proctored exam and a certificate. Before you enrol, get your RAC to approve that exact course in writing. See the credits are same as your university is asking. If the exam date comes after your coursework deadline, it is no use.