AICTE Proposes New PhD Rules in Technical Education: Complete in 2.5 Years, Mandatory Publication & AI Disclaimers

AICTE has recommended to allow research scholars to migrate between universities during the course of their PhD, and permitting retired faculty members to act as co-supervisors after retirement.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has proposed changes in the PhD in engineering and related fields. A task force constituted by the council has recommended that candidates may be allowed to complete their PhD in as little as two and a half years, provided their research is published in reputed journals.

According to the draft regulations, PhD scholars in technical education will have to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals or conferences, with the scholar named as the first and corresponding author. If the work appears in high-impact publications such as Scopus-indexed Q1 journals, the candidate could become eligible to submit the thesis after 2.5 years instead of the usual three to six years.

The panel has also suggested that the role of artificial intelligence in research must be clearly declared. Any material generated with the help of such tools will need proper attribution, and its contribution should remain limited within a fixed percentage of the overall work. This change in PhD norms is intended to ensure academic integrity and transparency.

As per reports, other recommendations by AICTE include allowing research scholars to migrate between universities during the course of their PhD, and permitting retired faculty members to act as co-supervisors after retirement.

The AICTE task force has also outlined guidelines for the Doctor of Science (DSc) degree in engineering, applied sciences and allied areas, which may be completed within one to three years.

These proposals will require approval from the Ministry of Education and a formal notification before they come into effect.

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