after graduation can i do phd

In India's changing education policy (NEP), students will not have to worry about doing master's course. Students dreaming of PhD will be able to take admission in PhD directly after four years of graduation. University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said candidates with a four-year bachelor's degree can directly pursue PhD and will not need a master's degree.

Describing the benefits of the Four Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP), Kumar, the UGC chairman said many important things. He said, "The first advantage is that they do not need to do a master's degree to join the PhD program. They can also take a single or double major for this."

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Announce UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar

UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said that the three-year graduation course will not be discontinued until the four-year graduation program is fully implemented. He also clarified that universities have the option to choose between three or four year programs (FYUP). In an interview to news agency PTI on Wednesday, he was asked whether it was mandatory for universities to migrate to the four-year pattern for honors degrees, saying it was left to the universities.

UGC Curriculum and Credit Framework

The UGC had recently declared the curriculum and credit framework for the Four Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP). This curriculum and credit framework prepared under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2025-26 will provide an innovative and flexible higher education system for the students. UGC has developed this syllabus along with the credit structure for undergraduate programmes. "As the FYUP curriculum includes multiple courses, ability based courses, skill courses, value added courses and internships, it will enhance opportunities for students to take up employment or pursue higher studies," he said.

Degree in 4 Years and Honors Degree in 4 Years

According to the UGC, 'Students who wish to graduate in three years must obtain 120 credits (measured through the number of academic hours) while those seeking a UG Honors degree in four years must obtain 160 credits in four years.

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Research Honors Degree

In the on-going curriculum, if a student wants to do research specialization, then he has to start a research project in his four-year course. This will give them an honors degree with research specialization. At present, students get an honors degree after completing a three-year UG course. According to the UGC, “Students who are already studying and pursuing a three-year UG program as per the existing Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) are eligible to pursue a four-year undergraduate program.

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