A PhD from distance mode is not valid in India as per the University Grant Commission (UGC). A PhD is valid if it is pursued only in a regular mode that includes whether Full time or part-time. Although IGNOU is an open and distance education provider. But IGNOU offers a full-time or part-time PhD and hence the PhD from IGNOU is valid.
Before moving further, let me familiarize you with some basic info you must know before applying for any course in India. For any course to be valid in India, it must be UGC recognized. If it is a college, then it must have an affiliation to the UGC-recognized university. For technical courses, the universities must be approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) is a UGC-recognized open university, so pursuing a PhD in this university is valid. Thus you are eligible to apply for all sorts of Government jobs. Ph.D. can never undergo distance education. So it is the only course that IGNOU offers on its main campus only. It is worth mentioning that IGNOU is one of India's biggest government distance learning universities, known for its quality education.
The Research Unit of IGNOU, established in 2008, conducts research programs at the University. It works under the overall guidance of the Research Council. The Research Degree Programmes of IGNOU today have an enrolment figure of 973 scholars who are registered in 43 different disciplines under various Schools of Studies. IGNOU has awarded PhD to five hundred seventy-four (574) scholars and M.Phil to eighty (80) scholars till now.
IGNOU Study Material is available online so that all can access quality material anywhere and anytime.
Now let's see the eligibility criteria for the Ph.d. course and its details and also understand the admission process for Ph.D. in IGNOU. The minimum duration for this course is 3 years, and the maximum duration is six years. IGNOU offers numerous Ph.D. courses.
The eligibility criteria to pursue a Ph.D. in IGNOU are:
If you successfully clear all the two rounds, then you can pursue the full-time or part-time Ph.d. from IGNOU, which is valid for all sorts of jobs.
Check out the old IGNOU Solved Assignment
I hope that this article has cleared all your doubts regarding pursuing a Ph.D. from IGNOU. So if someone asks you, "Is a Ph.D. from IGNOU valid, then share this article with them.