Doctoral Program Handbook

Doctoral Program Handbook (Version 2015.02) February 2015 www.cept.ac.in

Contents 1 OVERVIEW... 2 1.1 PHILOSOPHY... 2 1.2 OBJECTIVES... 2 1.3 PROGRAM STRUCTURE IN BRIEF... 2 1.4 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... 3 1.5 PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION... 3 1.6 ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION... 3 1.7 ADMISSION PROCESS... 4 1.8 CREDIT AND COURSE WAIVERS... 5 2 RESIDENCY AND COURSEWORK... 5 2.1 RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS... 5 2.2 GRADING AND GRADE REQUIREMENTS... 5 3 QUALIFYING EXAMS... 6 3.1 TIMING AND NATURE OF THE QUALIFYING EXAMS... 6 3.2 CLEARING THE QUALIFYING EXAMS... 6 4 RESEARCH WORK PHASE... 6 4.1 CONSTITUTING THE DISSERTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DAC)... 6 4.2 PROPOSAL DEFENCE... 6 5 DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND FINAL DEFENCE... 7 5.1 PUBLIC SEMINAR... 7 5.2 SUBMISSION OF DRAFT DISSERTATION REPORT... 7 6 VARIOUS DOCTORAL COMMITTEES... 8 6.1 FACULTY DOCTORAL COMMITTEE (FDC)... 8 6.2 DISSERTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DAC)... 8 6.3 PANEL OF DISSERTATION EXAMINERS (PDE)... 9 7 GENERAL RULES... 9 7.1 ABSENCES... 9 7.2 CANCELLATION/WITHDRAWAL AND READMISSION... 9 8 OTHER APPLICABLE CEPT POLICIES... 9 8.1 GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL CELL... 9 8.2 ANTI-RAGGING... 10 8.3 PLAGIARISM AND COPYRIGHT... 10 APPENDICES... 11 APPENDIX- A COURSEWORK FOR PHD IN ARCHITECTURE... 11 APPENDIX- B COURSEWORK FOR PHD IN PLANNING... 11 Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 1 of 11

1 Overview 1.1 Philosophy CEPT University focuses on understanding, designing, planning, constructing, and managing human habitats. The new doctoral programs are designed to prepare the student to take up a lifelong pursuit of knowledge through research in diverse areas of habitat development. Students will have opportunities to broaden their horizon in different areas of habitat while pursuing doctoral work in a specialised area. Like with the other programs at the University, the new doctoral program encourages students to take multidisciplinary approach in researching on issues of the contemporary society. 1.2 Objectives 1.2.1 To prepare students for careers in teaching and research. 1.2.2 To enable students to develop breadth of knowledge of the whole field and depth of knowledge in an area of research interest. 1.2.3 To enable student to make original contribution and advance knowledge in their field of research. 1.2.4 To be amongst the best doctoral programs respected for its rigour, excellence, and social and practical relevance. 1.3 Program structure in brief 1.3.1 The normal duration of the doctoral program is four years. The first two years of the program are devoted to coursework, requiring full-time residency. During residency, doctoral students will undertake courses worth 45 credits over two years. Additionally, students will engage in teaching and/or Faculty research for which they will receive stipend. After successful completion of coursework, students will appear for the qualifying exams which will test competency in the field/discipline and in the area of specialisation. Students will then be awarded the status of PhD Candidate. Thereafter, candidates would prepare and defend a dissertation proposal within a recommended period of one semester, but not later than end of third year. During the candidacy period, candidates will work in periodic consultation with their dissertation advisory committee. The four year journey is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 2 of 11

Figure 1. Program Structure 1.4 Financial assistance All students admitted to the doctoral program in any Faculty will be paid a stipend of Rs.28,125 per month during the residency period of two years, against which the student is expected to spend 20 hours a week on teaching and/or research activities at the Faculty, CEPT research centre, or a funded research project. Continuation of stipend is subject to satisfactory performance which will be evaluated periodically. After commencement of the third year, a student may continue to work at CEPT (in teaching or research) if opportunities are available. 1.5 Program administration 1.5.1 The Doctoral Office will oversee the doctoral programs of all Faculties. At the Faculty level, the coordinator of the Doctoral Program, will be responsible for running the program. This includes the admission process, conducting qualifying examinations, annual year-end reviews, public seminars, research colloquiums and final defence. The Faculty Doctoral Committee (FDC) 1 will take all Faculty level decisions. 1.5.2 Every student will be assigned a mentor during the residency period. The mentor (a full-time faculty member) will counsel students on matters pertaining to coursework and pursuit of PhD at CEPT. The mentor is expected to closely guide the student s progress and share progress with the FDC each semester. 1.6 Eligibility for admission 1.6.1 A professional master s (or equivalent) degree in fields related to architecture, designing, planning, constructing, and managing human habitat is highly desirable. OR A master s degree in economics, geography, sociology or other related fields. 1 Please refer Section 6.1 for FDC composition. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 3 of 11

OR A bachelor s degree in Architecture (for PhD in Architecture) or Planning (for PhD in Planning) with teaching and/or research experience. 1.7 Admission process 1.7.1 Applications to the New Doctoral Program are open all year round. There are two entry points: Monsoon semester (July) and Spring semester (Jan). The application will be considered for the next entry point nearest to the date of submission. Tentative closing dates would be about a month before start of semester - mid-jun and Nov end for Monsoon and Spring semesters, respectively. 1.7.2 Candidates must apply on-line through the CEPT website. 1.7.3 Documents to be submitted in support of your application are listed in the online form. These usually include the following (but may vary depending on the Faculty): Current CV (maximum 2 pages) All transcripts of university education Statement of Purpose [max 1000 words summarizing personal history, reasons for pursuing doctoral studies, and preliminary outline of area(s) of research) Three letters of recommendation letters are required. The first referee must be an academic who is your current or ex-teacher. The second referee must also be an academic, although not necessarily your teacher/ex-teacher. If you are in current employment, then the third referee must be your current employer. If you are currently not in employment, then the third referee must be a previous employer. If you have never been employed, then the third referee must be an academic Portfolio (for PhD in architecture) 1.7.4 The students are also encouraged to submit additional supporting documents like GATE/GRE scores (last 3 years, if available) Written work sample (published/unpublished papers, manuscripts, etc.) Professional work samples Any other relevant supporting material 1.7.5 Shortlisted applicants will take an entrance exam (which may entail a written test and/or personal interview). 1.7.6 The University expects the applicants to have a good academic background and potential for conducting high-quality research. Professional experience in their field of study is desirable. The final selection will be based on application form, supporting material, and performance in the entrance exam. 1.7.7 Foreign nationals can apply to the doctoral program. They will follow the admission process as outlined above. If selected then they will have to obtain the necessary visa and related permissions from the Indian High Commission in their country of residence. These will have to be submitted at the time of registration. In case of students, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the application MUST be forwarded through their respective Embassy. For any related queries please contact the Registrar at registrar@cept.ac.in. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 4 of 11

1.8 Credit and course waivers The NDP offers two types of waivers. 1.8.1 Credit waiver is reduction of the mandatory 45 credits commensurate with demonstrated past research/teaching experience of the student. CEPT students enrolled in the Old Doctoral Program, CEPT full-time academic staff, or students from other institutions/universities (which have a credit formal transfer agreement with CEPT) are eligible to apply. You will have to mention this in your application. The assessment will be done by the selection committee (interview panel) on the day of the interview. 1.8.2 Course waiver is waiving of mandatory courses based on demonstrated past experience and competency in research/teaching. However, the student will still have to complete the total of 45 credits required for successful completion of coursework. Any enrolled student with relevant research/teaching experience is eligible to apply. The assessment will be done by the Faculty Doctoral Committee after enrolment of the student. 2 Residency and coursework 2.1 Residency requirements 2.1.1 All students admitted to the doctoral program will have compulsory residency requirement for the first two years, which includes devoting a minimum of 20 hours per week to coursework in consultation with the mentor and the Faculty Doctoral Committee (See appendix for coursework diagram). 2.1.2 Engaging for 20 hours per week as Teaching or Research Fellow as directed by the Faculty Doctoral Committee. For this engagement, students will receive stipend during the residency period Coursework 2.1.3 The doctoral program is designed with significant emphasis on coursework. The rationale is to provide grounding to students in the primary field of study (breadth) and their area of specialisation (depth). In addition, some courses are designed to build competence in research and communication. Students will be devoting half of their time on teaching/research related activities in addition to the course work. The broad structure of coursework for Architecture and Planning is shown in Appendix-1 and Appendix-2 respectively. 2.2 Grading and grade requirements 2.2.1 Minimum requirement for advancement to the second year is 55 per cent aggregate marks in all the subjects and no fail in any subject. In exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical emergencies, etc.), the minimum requirement may be reconsidered on a case-by-case basis by the Faculty Doctoral Committee. 2.2.2 Other grading norms shall be as per the postgraduate norms of the University. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 5 of 11

3 Qualifying exams 3.1 Timing and nature of the qualifying exams 3.1.1 Upon completion of required coursework and stipulated teaching / research commitments, the student will undertake qualifying exams (QEs) (which would usually happen in the 5 th semester). 3.1.2 The QEs would consist of written and oral exams covering topics in the broad of the field of study and the chosen area of specialisation. 3.2 Clearing the qualifying exams 3.2.1 Students will be awarded a status of PhD Candidate upon successful completion of the qualifying exams. 3.2.2 In case students are unable to pass the qualifying exams, they will be permitted another attempt, after a minimum of two months and within a maximum of six months of the first attempt. However, students have to clear the QEs latest by end of 3 rd year. 3.2.3 If students are not able to clear the qualifying exam even after the second attempt, then they will not be allowed to continue the doctoral program. In such cases, the student may be given a doctoral course work completion certificate on recommendation from the FDC. This certificate may be useful if a student desires to continue doctoral studies at other universities. 3.2.4 If students wish to leave the program after clearing the qualifying exams, they will be allowed to return to CEPT to continue doctoral studies within a maximum of three years after approval of the Faculty Doctoral Committee. 4 Research work phase 4.1 Constituting the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) 4.1.1 FDC in consultation with each PhD candidate and their mentor will constitute the DAC 2. 4.2 Proposal defence 4.2.1 PhD candidates will defend their research proposal in front of the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) and external jurors. If there is a decision to resubmit then the proposal must be submitted in one in a month s time. 4.2.2 After clearing the proposal defence, PhD candidates can work from anywhere but are expected to be in regular contact with their DAC (requiring signed logbook of meetings). They will have to maintain their student status at CEPT by continuing their registrations in each semester. 2 Please refer Section 6.2 for DAC composition. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 6 of 11

5 Dissertation submission and final defence 5.1 Public seminar 5.1.1 At the beginning of the 8 th semester, PhD candidates must present their research at a well- publicised annual doctoral research colloquium. This presentation will help provide varied feedback that will be useful in preparing for the final stages of the research. The FDC will decide the date of the public seminar in collaboration with the DAC. 5.2 Submission of draft dissertation report 5.2.1 Around the end of the 8 th semester, students will submit a formal request (in a prescribed format) to the Doctoral Office when they are ready to submit their draft major dissertation report. This requisition must be signed by the all DAC members indicating the readiness of the student for final dissertation examination. 5.2.2 After receipt of this request from the student, the Doctoral Office will send the dissertation report to the Panel of Dissertation Examiners 3 (PDE). The comments of the PDE will be recorded in a prescribed format called the Pre-Viva Evaluation (PVE) Report, which will have the following two outcomes: Ready to proceed for final dissertation examination (with suggested corrections) Not ready to proceed for final dissertation examination suitable at this. Dissertation report needs to be resubmitted within a period to be specified by the FDC based on the estimated time indicated by the PDE in PVE report. 5.2.3 Ideally, a unanimous agreement is expected in the PVE report. However, the FDC may decide go ahead with the majority decision. 5.2.4 On the day of the final dissertation examination, the PDE will examine (defence viva) the student until all PDE members are satisfied. The DAC and FDC members (and or its nominees) can attend the defence viva as observers. 5.2.5 The broad categories of the possible outcomes on the day of the dissertation examination are as follows. These will be recorded in a prescribed format called the Dissertation Evaluation (DE) Report. Pass Revise and resubmit Fail 5.2.6 Ideally, a unanimous agreement is expected in the DE report. However, the FDC may decide go ahead with the majority decision, or in exceptional circumstances, decide to appoint new dissertation examiners(s). 5.2.7 In case of fail, student would be allowed a second attempt. The minimum period after which the student can re-submit a formal request to submit their draft major dissertation report shall be 6 months. Based on the DE report, the FDC will decide this minimum required time. 3 Please refer Section 6.3 for PDE composition. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 7 of 11

5.2.8 A fail in the second attempt implies no right to resubmission for PhD degree or MPhil degree. 5.2.9 In case of pass, the student will submit the final dissertation report (within the relevant timeframe) to the Doctoral Office. The final dissertation report must be duly signed by the DAC members, indicating that the changes specified by the PDE have been complied and that the dissertation is recommended for the award of PhD degree. The Faculty Doctoral Program Coordinator will check and file a memo of compliance to the FDC, who in in turn will send a recommendation to the University for award of the PhD degree. Thereafter, a provisional PhD certificate would be issued. The final degree certificate will be conferred in the next convocation. 6 Various doctoral committees 6.1 Faculty Doctoral Committee (FDC) 6.1.1 The FDC will comprise: 1. Faculty Doctoral Program Coordinator 2. Faculty Dean (or their representative) 3. Head, Doctoral Office 6.1.2 The FDC will be invited to all DAC meetings, reviews, examinations, and final defence via as observers. 6.2 Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) 6.2.1 The Faculty Doctoral Committee will appoint the student s DAC after a student has cleared the qualifying exams. Up to two proposals for each of the DAC member positions will be sought from the doctoral candidate, for consideration by the FDC. The DAC will consist a chair and two members, one of which must be an external person. The DAC chair, will be the dissertation advisor, and the remaining two members could be academics or professionals. Ideally, one of them should be a subject expert and the other should be a methods expert. 6.2.2 Role of the DAC: 1. Dissertation advisor s role will be to guide the PhD candidate from the stage of writing the proposal to obtaining the pass certificate. 2. DAC members role is to provide inputs from time to time as sought by the PhD candidate and/or the dissertation advisor. 3. DAC will undertake regular reviews of the student. At least one graded review per semester will be held to monitor the candidate s progress, and the DAC will certify the progress and performance. This is essential for continuing registration of the student in successive semesters. 4. DAC will certify that the PhD candidate has incorporated the comments of the PDE in the final dissertation before passing the candidate. Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 8 of 11

6.3 Panel of Dissertation Examiners (PDE) The Faculty Doctoral Committee, in consultation with the DAC, will decide a panel of dissertation examiners, which will consist of at least three members who could be academics or professionals. At least two members of the PDE must be external persons. DAC members cannot be part of the PDE. 7 General rules 7.1 Absences 7.1.1 Leaves of absence and withdrawal should be very carefully considered and discussed with your faculty mentor/dissertation advisor, and must be approved by the FDC. Two critical points should be noted: 1. Withdrawal is considered a privilege and requires the approval of the FDC and the Faculty mentor (if student is in the first two years of program) or the DAC (if the student is a PhD Candidate). The normal duration of the program allows a maximum of two semesters of approved withdrawal for non-academic reasons like health or parental leave. 2. Even though you are on approved withdrawal status you are still required to submit a year-end review. 7.2 Cancellation/withdrawal and readmission 7.2.1 If you plan to not register for a given period, you may cancel your registration before the first day of class. You will not be charged any part of the semester fees. If you want until after the first day of class to leave, you withdraw from the program and must go to the Student Office to have it processed. 7.2.2 During your absence, you are exempt from all fees, and are expected in turn to make no use of the university s facilities and resources (except those uses accorded to the general public). 7.2.3 If you leave during the semester without taking formal withdrawal you will be assigned failing grades for courses in which you were enrolled. 7.2.4 In order to be considered for readmission to the program you must submit an Application for Readmission Form. 7.2.5 The FDC will consider your request for readmission, and after its review and approval, you will receive notification of your readmission. 8 Other applicable CEPT policies 8.1 Grievance Redressal Cell Details on the Grievance Redressal are available at: http://cept.ac.in/390/259/statutory-compliance/grievance-redressal-cell Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 9 of 11

8.2 Anti-Ragging UGC Regulations require all students to submit an online Anti-Ragging Affidavit every year. All new students should read the instructions given on CEPT website at: http://cept.ac.in/390/257/statutory-compliance/anti-ragging 8.3 Plagiarism and Copyright All PhD candidates must comply with CEPT plagiarism and copyright policy (under preparation). Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 10 of 11

Appendices Appendix- A Coursework for PhD in Architecture Appendix- B Coursework for PhD in Planning Doctoral Program Handbook_v2015-02 Page 11 of 11