Q. What is an academic credit system?

Ans. An academic credit system is a standard used by universities to measure and assess students’ work and effort during their study under various programmes such as Post Graduation (PG), M.Phil. or PhD programme.
For each course you will take during your degree studies, you will earn a number of credits. You will be assessed by your teachers (faculty) in terms of the amount of knowledge and skills you will achieve once you complete that course.
Assessments are done by a combination of internal assessment methods (quiz, exams, record books, assignments, presentations, etc) and Mid semester examination.
Seventy five percentage of attendance is required as the eligibility for appearing for final End Semester Examination.

Q. What is credit, credit point, grade, grade point?

Ans. ‘Credit’ means numbers attached to each course which define their weightage in the whole programme. One credit is defined as: (i) weightage of a taught course with 1 contact hour/week/semester or (ii) weightage of a non-taught course with 2 contact hour/week/semester. In general, every taught course shall have 2, 3 or 4 credits, with the exception of project works/internships. Extra-departmental electives shall have 2 credits.
‘Credit point’ (P) of a course is the value obtained by multiplying the grade point (G) by the Credit (Cr) of the course P = G x Cr.
‘Credit transfer’ means transfer of credits into and out of a programme as per provision of the credit transfer regulations of the University.
‘Grade Point’ means a numeric attached to every grade that serves to combine grades, when semester/programme performance is to be evaluated.
‘Grade Point Average’ means weighted average of grade points corresponding to grades obtained in a set of courses.

Q. What is the difference between a Programme and a Course?

Ans. Programme is an educational programme leading to award of a Degree, diploma or certificate (Eg: MA in English, MSc in Zoology, etc)
Course is usually referred to, as ‘papers’ is a component of a programme.
It is a segment of subject matter to be covered in a Semester. Each course is to be designed variously under lecturers/ tutorials/Laboratory or field work/assignments/Seminar/Project/Practical training/Assignment evaluation, internships/ etc., to meet effective teaching and learning needs.
Core Course means a Course offered by a Department to the students in their PG programme, closely related to the subject of the PG programme.
Elective Course means a course that is offered by a Department to students of PG programmes of any Dept., with choice, in areas that are closely or distantly related to the subject of the PG programme.

Q. What is a curriculum?

Ans. Curriculum refers to the lessons and Academic Content taught in a specific course or programme.

Q. What is the semester structure in CSS?

Ans. In CSS, each academic year shall be organized into two semesters, with a vacation of one month during the whole programme: Each semester shall have a minimum of 100 working days and a minimum of 30 hrs. in a five day week. The semester schedules shall be as follows:
Odd Semester July to December (inclusive of end semester exams)
Even semester January to June (inclusive of end semester exams)

Q. How many credits are required for completion of a PG Programme in UoK?

Ans. It varies based on the programme. This is the pattern for four semester programmes.

Programme	Core Course		Electives		Total
	MIN	MAX	MIN	MAX	MIN	MAX
MA, MSc. MCom, MLISc, MSW, M.Tech	48	60	12	24	72	84
M.Ed. MCJ	64	64	16	16	80	80
MBA	59	59	24	24	83	83

 

This is the pattern for two semester programmes.

Programme	Core Course		Electives		Total
	MIN	MAX	MIN	MAX	MIN	MAX
PG Diploma	24	30	6	12	36	42
LLM	26	30	4	12	30	42

 

Q. Is there separate minimum mark required for continuous assessment in each course?

Ans. No, but the candidate should have a minimum of 40 per percentage marks in the end semester examination and combined marks of continuous assessment and end semester examination for each programmes should be 50 percent to qualify.

Q. What is the minimum grade for successful course completion?

Ans. The minimum required grade for successful completion of any course shall be a ‘D’ grade. There shall be a separate minimum of 40% marks for end semester examinations for each course.

Q. What are the requirements for successful completion of the programme?

Ans. The minimum Cumulative Grade for successful completion of the programme shall be a 'C' grade.
The student also shall be required to pass all courses for which he/she is registered.
The student shall meet the minimum credit requirements for Core and Elective courses as laid out in these regulations.

Q. If anyone fails, is there any Supplementary Exams?

Ans. Students who fail in any course in any semester shall be permitted to appear for a maximum of two supplementary exams (along with the junior batch), within 8 continuous semesters. A student who fails to achieve Cumulative Grade of 'C' for the programme, but has passed all courses, shall be permitted to take supplementary examinations in maximum of 2 courses, after cancelling the results of the end-sem exam concerned (except project).

Q. What is ‘Semester Grade Point Average’ (SGPA)?

Ans. To arrive at the Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) of each student, the sum of the products of the credits assigned to each course and the grade point corresponding to the grade awarded, is divided by the sum of the credits of all courses taken by the student in the semester. Grade awarded based on the SGPA shall be Semester Grade.

Q. What is Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)?

Ans. ‘Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)’ is the value obtained by dividing the sum of credit points in all the courses taken by the student for the entire programme by the total number of credits and shall be rounded off to two decimal places. To obtain Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), the same procedure as in SGPA is repeated except that the sum is taken over all the courses the student has taken in all the semesters till then. Grade awarded based on CGPA covering all semesters shall be the Programme Grade.

Q. IWhat is the current grading system in CSS?

Ans. The range of CGPA and Grade is as follorvs:
9 to10 (O/Outstanding); 8 to less than 9 (A+/Excellent); 7 to less than 8 (A/ Veriy Good); 6 to less than 7 (B+/ Good); 5.5 to less than 6 (B/Above Average); 5 to less than 5.5 (C/Pass), less than 5 (F/Fail) and Absent (F/Absent).

Q. Is there any ranking system in CSS?

Ans. There shall be no classification such as Rank, Distinction, First Class etc. for PG programme.

Q. What does learning outcome mean?

Ans. Learning outcome refers to the level of knowledge students are expected to gain and be able to apply after completing a process of learning. This may also include skills acquired they can apply in future professions.

Q. Is there any provisions for Credit transfer?

Ans. Credit transfer into PG programmes shall be permitted within the provisions of the Credit Transfer Regulations of the University (2014). Credits earned from SWAYAM platform of UGC shall be transferred into the PG programmes within the provisions of the “Credit Framework for Online Learning Courses through SWAYAM” Regulations of the University (2016).

Q. What is the eligibility criteria for admission to M.Phil. programme?

Ans. Candidates for admission to the M.Phil. programme shall have a Masters degree or a professional degree declared equivalent to the Masters degree by the corresponding statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade 'B' in the UGC 7point scale(or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) or an equivalent degree from a foreign educational institution accredited by authorised agencies in India.

Q. What is the admission procedure for M.Phil programme?

Ans. Candidates for M.Phil. programme shall be granted admission through an entrance test conducted by the University. However, for those students who qualify UGCNET/JRF, UGCCSIRNET/JRF, SLET, GATE and research fellowships of central and state Government departments/agencies as approved by the University, as the case may be, shall be eligible for exemption from the entrance test. Teacher fellowship holders shall also be granted exemption from the entrance test for admission to M.Phil.

Q. What is the student strength for M.Phil programmes in various departments?

Ans. It is not fixed, the number of M.Phil. scholars, to be admitted to each subject of study at the University Departments/Centers and duly approved research centers, shall be decided based on number of available research supervisors and other academic as well as physical facilities accessible, in accordance with the norms regarding the scholar/teacher ratio (as specified in UGC regulations).

Q. Is entrance examination the lone criteria for admission to M.Phil programme?

Ans. Candidates eligible for registration to M.Phil shall be decided by based on the weightage of qualifying marks, entrance exam marks and interview in the ratio 30: 60:10 from 2020 admission onwards. Interview shall be conducted by the Department Doctoral Committee(DDC) in such a way that the candidates would be required to discuss their research interest/area.

Q. What is the duration of the M.Phil Programme?

Ans. M.Phil. programme shall be for a minimum duration of two consecutive semesters/one year and the candidates admitted to the programme shall have to complete the programme within a maximum of four consecutive semesters/two years.

Q. What is the course structure for M.Phil programme?

Ans. The programme consists of two semesters and the course work with three papers (Including one compulsory paper on Research Methodology) are in first semester and the second semester include dissertation work. The course work for M.Phil. shall be of a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 16 credits. The M.Phil. dissertation work shall be of 20 credits.

Q. What is the minimum marks required for qualifying the course work examination?

Ans. M.Phil Scholar has to obtain a minimum of ‘B’ Grade in the UGC 7 point scale in the course work with a minimum of 55% marks in order to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit the dissertation.

Q. What is the assessment components of Course work examination?

Ans. Out of the total weightage of 100, the distribution of weightage will be as follows: Seminar presentation 10, Term paper/assignment 15, and End semester examination 75.

Q. What are the eligibility conditions to submit an M.Phil. dissertation?

Ans. M. Phil scholars shall present at least one research paper in a conference/seminar, recognized by the Department Council concerned, before the submission of the dissertation for adjudication and produce evidence for the same in the form of presentation certificates.

Q. What is the plagiarism policy for submission of M.Phil dissertation?

Ans. Dissertation submitted for adjudication shall contain an undertaking from the research scholar and a certificate from the Research Supervisor attesting to the originality of the work, vouching that there is no plagiarism using the software approved by the UGC/University and that the work has not been submitted for the ]award of any other degree/diploma of the University or to any other Institution.
Is the viva for M.Phil programme public?
Yes. Public viva voce shall be be conducted by a Board consisting of the external examiner, in the duly approved panel nominated by the Vice Chancellor, as Chairperson and the research supervisor concerned as member. Public viva voce shall be open to all faculty members of the Department, research scholars and interested experts/researchers/ students. The weightage of assessment will be as follows: Dissertation 80; Public viva voce 20.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q. Where is University of Kerala located?

Ans. University of Kerala (UoK) is located in two campuses, the administrative campus in Palayam (Thiruvananthapuram district; about 3 km away from the railway/bus station) and Kariavattom, the academic campus (located about 12 km away from the administrative campus) . All the teaching departments are located in the Kariavattom campus, except Institute of English and departments of German, Russian, Music and Education).

Q. What is the ranking of University of Kerala?

Ans. The oldest University in the state of Kerala, this University is currently re-accredited with ‘A’ grade by the National Assessment & Accreditation Agency (NAAC).
Ranked 22nd among Universities in India and 35th in overall category as per National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF, MHRD, Government of India), 2019.

Q. What are the hostel facilities in University of Kerala?

Ans. Separate hostels (boys and girls) are available for post graduate and research students.

Q. When will the notification for PG entrance examination notified by University of Kerala?

Ans. During March every year.

Q. When will the PG classes start?

Ans. During June every year

Q. What is the Syllabus for PG entrance examinations?

Ans. Syllabus of the respective Degree programme

Q. Which are the Centres for PG entrance examinations?

Ans. Currently in Trivandrum, Ernakulam & Chennai

Q. What are the eligibilities for admission to Post Graduate (PG) programmes?

Ans. Students who have pursued 10+2+3 scheme and obtained a Bachelor Degree from the University of Kerala or a degree recognized as equivalent thereto, and who have secured the following, shall be eligible for admission to PG programmes:
CGPA of 2 or above in a 4-point scale or
3.5 or above in a 7-point scale or
5 or above in a 10-point scale or
50% or above in case of Bachelor Degrees which award marks
Relaxation for candidates from SC/ST category shall be as follows:
CGPA of 1.8 or above in a 4-point scale
3.15 or above in a 7-point scale
4. 5 or above in a 10-point scale
45% or above in case of Bachelor Degrees which award marks.
Candidate shall secure at least 25% (20% for SC/ST category) of the average marks of the stream in the entrance examination conducted as per Section 3.4.
Candidate shall hold Bachelor degree in subjects specified in Schedule I of Prospectus issued (see the downloads for prospectus).

Q. Is Entrance examination mandatory for PG admission?

Ans. Yes.
There shall be an entrance examination for admission to each PG programme and no candidate shall be admitted to a PG programme without taking the entrance examination; provided that the restrictions do not apply to SC/ST candidates admitted to vacant seats, foreign candidates and sponsored candidates; provided further that (a) for M.Tech programmes, candidates with GATE/UGC-CSIR-NET shall be ranked first and admitted based on the respective test scores and the candidates ranked based on entrance examination of the University shall be admitted to the remaining seats only. (b) For MBA programme, scores of C-MAT(AICTE), K-MAT(Kerala) and CAT(IIM) shall be considered in lieu of the entrance examination of the University.

Q. Can as single student can apply for multiple courses?

Ans. Yes, it is possible. But, a candidate may apply ONLY for a maximum of three PG programmes at a time.

Q. What is the pattern of questions for the PG entrance examination?

Ans. Both multiple choice (60 marks) and descriptive type (40 marks) will be there and the questions will be set based on the degree level syllabus of related course. There shall be 0.25 negative mark for each wrong answer in entrance examination. There shall be no revaluation of entrance examination answer scripts

Q. What is the reservation policy adopted?

Ans. Reservation policy of Government of Kerala (Please see the prospectus for admission in the downloads section)

Q. What is the fees structure?

Ans. Pl see the fees details link. There is NO self-financing course in University of Kerala.

Q. When will the notification for M.Phil entrance examination come?

Ans. During May every year

Q. When will the M.Phil classes start?

Ans. November every year

Q. What is the Syllabus for M.Phil entrance examinations?

Ans. Syllabus of the respective PG programme.

Q. Where is the office of the Credit and Semester System (CSS) Office Located in Kariavattom Campus?

Ans. Golden Jubilee Building.

Q. Which is the Committee monitoring the Programmes under CSS?

Ans. CSS Academic Committee.

Q. Who is the Chairman of the CSS Academic Committee?

Ans. Hon'ble Vice Chancellor

Q. Who is the Vice-Chairman of the CSS Academic Committee?

Ans. A senior Professor nominated by the University of Kerala.

Q. When notifications for PhD Coursework Examinations come?

Ans. June and December