Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (By Research)

https://ou.ac.lk/guidelines-for-phd-and-mphil-thesis-submission/

• The candidate should have one of the following qualifications:

1. • A Master of Philosophy Degree in the relevant field, or
   • A Master’s Degree at Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF) Level 9 or above preferably in the related field with a significant research component, or
   • A Bachelor’s Honours Degree of Level 6 in the relevant field with a minimum GPA of 3.00 on the scale 0-4 or Second Class (Lower Division)

• Applicants who do not possess any of the above qualifications in Section but possess the following qualifications may be accepted for provisional registration subject to the approval of the Senate in accordance of the By- Law No. 26.
  • A Bachelor’s Honours Degree of Level 6 with a minimum of 30 course credits in a related field, or,
  • A Bachelor’s Honours Degree of Level 6 with registration for an MPhil Degree.
  • An equivalent or higher qualification acceptable to the Senate.
• And Any other specific requirements stipulated by the relevant faculty.

2. Registration

2. Registration An applicant with the stipulated admission requirements shall be given direct/provisional registration to the PhD programme of study.

2.1 Registration shall be valid for twelve (12) months from the date of registration and shall be renewable, subject to a maximum period prescribed in the relevant Regulation for the award of the PhD Degree.

2.2 The effective date of registration shall be recommended by the Dean of the relevant Faculty, and shall be either the date on which the candidate is registered to the degree or the date on which the application is submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty after the approval of the reviewers.

2.3 A candidate with the stipulated entry requirements as per the By-Law No. 26 for the award of research degrees of Section 2.1 of the Regulation for the PhD Degree shall be registered directly to the Programme of Study. 3 2.4 An applicant who does not have the stipulated entry requirements for direct registration as specified in the Section 2.2 of the Regulation for the PhD Degree, but possesses alternate qualifications specified in Section 2.2 of the relevant Regulation, may be considered for provisional registration. S

Such provisional registration shall be valid for a maximum period of twelve (12) months.

2.4.1 A candidate so registered shall be required to successfully complete a qualifying examination equivalent to SLQF Level 6 and/or 7 in the same or related field to demonstrate his/her capability to undertake the proposed research.

2.4.2 Qualifying examination can be either a presentation or a written examination. Panel of examiners for qualifying examinations shall be appointed by the relevant Faculty Board as specified in the relevant Regulation.

2.4.3 Acceptance of the candidate by the relevant Faculty shall be communicated by the Dean of the Faculty to the Higher Degrees & Research Committee, which shall forward its recommendation to the Senate.

2.4.4 If accepted by the Senate, the registration shall be effective from the date of first registration as a provisional candidate.

2.4.5 If the candidate is not successful in the qualifying examination, the period of provisional registration may be extended by a further period of six (06) months, subject to the maximum period stipulated in Section 3.4 above, during which time the candidate shall be required to complete a second qualifying examination.

2.4.6 If the candidate is successful in the second qualifying examination, the registration shall be effective from the date of first registration as a provisional candidate.

2.5 A candidate who does not satisfy the requirements specified under Section 2.4 above shall have his/her provisional registration canceled.

2.6 Candidates registered for a Research Degree shall submit progress reports in every six (06) months, to the Chairperson of the Higher Degrees and Research Committee through the supervisor, Head of the Department and the Dean of the Faculty.

2.7 The Senate may decide on the recommendations of the Higher Degrees & Research Committee to discontinue the registration of a student who does not show satisfactory progress for a continuous period of twelve (12) months. 3 Procedure for Registration Applicants who are eligible to register should first contact the relevant Head of the Department who in turn will refer the applicant to prospective supervisor/s. The applicant should prepare a research proposal of between 1,500 and 2,500 words in consultation with the supervisor. The proposal should contain sufficient information on the background, justification, objectives, research plans and research methodology, as well as a brief literature review, to enable a determination of whether the proposal is suitable for an advanced 4 research degree. The proposal should also conform to any specific guidelines set out by the relevant Faculty. The supervisor shall recommend the proposal and forward the completed application form to the Dean of the relevant Faculty through the Head of the Department. The Dean shall forward the proposal and application to the relevant Faculty Research Committee to review the proposal by two reviewers. The application and research proposal will be scrutinized by the Faculty Research Committee and Higher degrees and Research Committee and submitted to the Senate with its recommendation. The decision of the Senate will be conveyed to the applicant within three months of submission of the application. If the application is accepted, the student will be requested to register by submitting proof of educational qualifications and payment of fees. Such registration will be effective from the date of the Senate decision.

Registration fees    LKR 5,000/= (per annum)

Tuition Fees            LKR 50,000/= (Per annum)

Library fees             LKR 5,000/= (refundable)

Examination Fee    LKR 40,000/=

Bench fees                LKR 10,000/= (per annum)

Administrative Fees   LKR 5,000/= (per annum)

Supplementary        LKR 500/=

*Tuition fee shall be paid annually until the submission of the thesis. The registration fee shall be paid until the award of the degree.
**To be determined by the respective Head of the Department on the basis of the statement of sources of funding sent by the candidate and subject to minimum Rs. 10,000/= per annum)
# For foreign candidates – Three times increase of charges for all fee categories.