Sunday, January 17, 2010

M.Phil degree- The way of the Universities

M.Phil degree is something between M.Sc and Ph.D. There is compulsory course work followed by dissertation defense. In my University, we admit students under the guise of M.Phil/Ph.D and then based on their performance in the course work promote them to direct Ph.D. In the social sciences, a M.Phil is mandatory before doing Ph.D.
Today I received an email from a student in University of Kerala, Department of Biochemistry. He is doing M.Phil and has completed his course work. Now he is searching for a lab to do dissertation work for 6 months.
I am amused and flabbergasted. What is the Department of Biochemistry up to? They don't have faculty who are doing active research? If not, why offer a M.Phil degree? Is this how they offer Ph.D degrees too? Palm them off to some other University for experimentation work? More to the point, what is the UGC doing? How can they allow this to happen?

Of course, on the other hand, it is amusing to know that one can obtain M.Phil this way too.

Finally, what is the future of such a student?

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