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 Tuesday.

UGC’s (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of PhD 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 MPhil degree will no longer be a recognised degree. 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.

The regulations are in line with the National Education Policy 2020 that recommends the discontinuation of MPhil programmes in universities. The NEP recommends a four-year Bachelor’s degree and a research-intensive Master’s degree, eliminating the necessity for an MPhil for a PhD.

“Higher education institutions will have the flexibility to offer different designs of master’s programmes: (a) there may be a two-year programme with the second year devoted entirely to research for those who have completed the two-year Bachelor’s/Master’s programme. Undertaking a PhD shall require either a master’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree with research. The MPhil programme shall be discontinued,” the NEP states.