The HEC Policy on PhD Degree Programs: Need for Reconsideration

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has launched its new Policy on PhD Degree Programs effective from January 01, 2021. The policy has brought forth a number of structural changes in the existing policies regarding admission criteria, evaluation, course work and research requirements of the PhD scholars in various fields. The new policy gives way to several questions regarding the need for a new policy, process adopted to formulate the policy, legal aspect of coordination between HEC and provincial higher education bodies, as well as the universities and possible impacts of the new policy. The following brief is an attempt to explore the above mentioned dimensions of the issue.