The University Grants Commission (UGC) has extended the validity of MPhil programmes in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work till the 2025-2026 academic year, the commission announced on its official website. UGC’s (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree) regulations 2022 prohibit all universities and colleges from offering MPhil programmes. The UGC has relaxed the rules for two programmes.
“Considering the vital role played by the clinical psychologists and psychiatric social workers in delivering mental health services, the UGC has decided to extend the validity of MPhil in Clinical Psychology and MPhil in Psychiatric Social Work till 2025-2026 academic session only,” the UGC notice says. Accordingly, students in these two programmes will be admitted for two more academic sessions. MPhil is a two-year programme that familiarises students with different methods and techniques of research and analysis.
In December 2023, the commission reiterated that the MPhil degree will no longer be recognised. The higher education institutions were instructed not to offer MPhil programmes, as the commission had previously announced that advanced research courses offered at all universities would no longer be legitimate. The universities were directed to stop accepting new students into the MPhil programme for the 2023–2024 academic year.
