. MPhil/ PhD Programme in Law and Governance
The distinctive features of the M.Phil. Programme are its multidisciplinary orientation in both course design and teaching plan; its substantive academic content; its distinctiveness when compared to available courses in other Indian Universities; and its coherence as a programme of study with a policy orientation.
The objectives of the M.Phil./Ph.D. Programme in Law and Governance include the following:
To prepare candidates for doctoral research in public policy and socio-legal research that is not limited by uni-disciplinary training.
To equip students with the skills necessary to undertake research in areas of public policy, including a special focus on the legal implications of these issues, by developing their expertise in these diverse disciplinary areas, and so to enable a more complex and multifaceted approach to issues of governance, public policy and law.
To acquaint the qualified practitioner – policy-maker, civil servant, lawyer or civil society professional – with the major issues in this area.
The M.Phil. programme is a two-year (four-semester) programme of study from which students may move on to the doctoral programme provided they meet the minimum grade requirements laid down by the University. The M.Phil. programme consists of 3 compulsory courses; 3 optional courses; and a dissertation. Each course carries 3 credits, and the course requirements are to be completed in the first two semesters of the programme. The dissertation carries 10 credits and is to be completed by the end of the fourth semester. While the three core compulsory courses provide a general overview of the issues and debates in the area of law and governance, the optional courses provide the students with the opportunity to develop a specialization, and so build up an expertise that can be further channelized in the dissertation work. Admission to the M.Phil./PhD Programme is by an entrance examination conducted by the University, followed by a viva voce for those candidates who qualify in the written examination. The eligibility conditions for taking the examination are a Master’s degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Sociology, History, Philosophy or Law with 55% marks; or 60% in any branch of natural science. The written test has essay type questions from the fields of Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Economics, and Law. The test will evaluate the candidate’s analytical abilities and competence in her/his discipline. The areas covered by the test will relate to issues such as the following: the changing role of the state; the relationship between the state, market and civil society; civil service reform and the new public management; regulatory regimes; local governance, both rural and urban; the rule of law and access to justice; the social and economic bases of law; and global governance.
