The policies were approved at the commission meeting, and specifics regarding the four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) and two-year Associate degree (AD) programmes were clarified.
The policy for undergraduate and policy for MPhil/PhD programmes in universities and degree colleges across Pakistan have been approved by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). These regulations will go into effect in 2023 and will be applicable to freshmen.
The policies were approved at the commission meeting before Eid, and specifics regarding the four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) and two-year Associate degree (AD) programmes were clarified. The undergraduate admissions procedure, framework, and programme structure, as well as the Master of Philosophy (MPhil)/Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) levels, all underwent significant changes.
Exam results for the AD programmes, which are now offered in public and private colleges connected to universities, will be released based on CGPA rather than grades or division. All associate degree and BS programmes will also require general education courses in entrepreneurship.
The double specialisation (double major) option is now available for the first time in the four-year BS programme by crediting up to 168 hours.
If the entrance exam is administered by the university, passing percentages for the MPhil and PhD levels have been raised to 60% and 70%, respectively. A student needs to receive a 70 percent on the entrance exam in order to pursue a PhD in an inter-disciplinary, intra-qualification discipline.
According to the undergraduate policy, the required General Education courses will each be worth 30 credits and must be finished in the first four semesters of the BS programme using the Associate Degree model. In the MPhil/PhD policy, passing marks for the admission test has been raised to 60 percent at the MPhil level and 70 percent at the PhD level if the university conducts the entrance test.
The practical learning lab (sports, youth club, and entrepreneurship) has been removed from the undergraduate policy, and a mandatory 3-credit hour internship has been added to the AD and BS programs under the category of field experience.