Empty seats force DAVV to drop six PhD subjects

Indore: After struggling with vacant PhD seats and a shortage of research guides for nearly two years, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya has decided to remove six subjects, including political science, from its PhD admission process this year. The university will begin the admission process from May 11, with applications opening for both doctoral entrance test (DET) and non-DET categories.Officials said subjects such as geography, history, Urdu, music and dance have also been excluded this year because several seats remained vacant due to the unavailability of supervisors and a low number of eligible candidates. University authorities believe the move will help streamline admissions and focus resources on subjects witnessing stronger demand.The decision has also affected engineering disciplines. Out of 13 engineering subjects earlier included under the test, three subjects including data science, energy management and statistics have been removed from the admission process because of insufficient seats and low enrolment interest.The university has introduced tribal study as a new subject this year. Students with an MA in tribal study or related backgrounds will be eligible to apply.The DET for 11 subjects is scheduled for June 21. Online applications for these programmes will begin from May 11 and continue till May 31. University officials said mock tests would be conducted for three days before the entrance examination to familiarise candidates with the process.For non-DET admissions, NET-qualified candidates will be able to apply in 27 subjects, including Hindi, English, commerce, management, physics, biotechnology, law and journalism. Candidates shortlisted through the process will later appear before the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) for interviews, after which merit lists and seat allotments will be finalised.The DET in-charge Ashesh Tiwari said some subjects continue to witness intense competition, while others still have a large number of vacant seats. Commerce and management alone reportedly have more than 325 vacant PhD seats this year.