About PhD 2024

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About Ph.D 2024

Lumbini Buddhist University (LBU) was established in 2004 at the behest of the 1st World Buddhist Summit held in Lumbini, the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha, in 1998. Accepting and following the teachings of Gautam Buddha, LBU is dedicated to core Buddhist values of Maitri, Karūṇā, Muditā and Upkeṡā (Amity, Compassion, Inner Peace, and Forgiveness) in promoting World Peace and Harmony. It is running academic programs and research in the areas of Buddhist Philosophy, Literature, Education and Culture.

Since 2011 LBU has been offering Ph.D. program in  two major streams – core Buddhist studies  and applied Buddhism

The main goal of the program is to inspire and prepare  scholars through research in  generating contextual knowledge and innovations to promote peace, harmony and prosperity for all in the contemporary world.  

  • Enhance knowledge of scientific methods and theories for undertaking research.
  • Develop abilities to carry out one’s own research project with capacity to frame and apply appropriate scientific way of analyzing and processing problems and developing deeper and critical understanding.

Pedagogical approach

 The course of the program is designed with three strategic motives:

i ) Enhancing theoretical understanding and research skill through coursework

ii) Preparing for independent studies

iii) Undertaking thesis work 

i) Enhancing theoretical understanding and research skill through coursework :

All  students registered to LBU PhD program  should compulsorily participate  in a total of 18 credit hours coursework covering areas of research in religious studies, Buddhist history, philosophies, literature, art, architecture,  and   research methodology. The classes on the research methodology shall be conducted according to the syllabus prepared for the Ph.D. degree by LBU. The classes of Ph.D. program at LBU will be  conducted online in modular system in three packages of 6 credit hours each. 

 

ii) preparing for independent studies:

PhD students  should proceed undertaking the defined steps before independent thesis work appear to the defense at  each of the steps before proceeding to the next. The steps include  preparation of research proposal, term paper, annotated bibliography, literature review and seminar paper. International students may be  facilitated for online defense except for the final thesis defense.

Research proposal

Upon completion of the coursework for Research Methodology, PhD student should complete research proposal following the research framework discussed in the coursework and in  prescribed format.   The proposal should be submitted  to  the office of the Dean of Buddhist Studies for defense. The proposal will be reviewed by the Dean’s office and checked by two external examiners and feedback/ suggestions will be provided as necessary by the Dean’s office. Based on the recommendation of the review and the external examination students may be asked to appear for proposal defense, or revise and  re-submit.  

Synthesis Paper:

Each Ph.D. candidate should submit a Synthesis Paper based on at least 5 different Ph.D. theses which should be related to his/her Ph.D. topic.

Term paper

Upon completion of the research methodology course, each PhD student  should submit a  term paper, focused  on theoretical  aspect of a research methodology of his/her choice. The term paper will be evaluated  by LBU’s internal examiner.

Annotated Bibliography

The candidate should briefly review and prepare annotated bibliography of 75 research works related to the proposal and to relevant areas of Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy; literature; culture and history.  The annotated bibliography should be submitted to the office of the Dean of the Faculty of Buddhist Studies.

 

Review of literature

Following successful submission of the annotated bibliography, the student will be registered as confirmed PhD candidate and a supervisor designated formally. The candidate will be asked to undertake in-depth reviews of the published works, journals, periodicals and other documentations related to his/her research area under the supervision of the designated supervisor.   Within two year of the registration, the theoretical and systematic review of preexisting literature related to the subject matter should be completed and the report of about 50 pages along with the approval recommendation of the supervisor should be submitted to the Dean’s Office. The review report will be evaluated by the expert assigned by the research committee. Based on the feedback/suggestions of the evaluator the candidate should revise his/her review of literature and submit it again to the Dean’s office.

 

Seminar Paper

Once the review of literature is concluded, the candidate should submit a research seminar paper written on his/her own research field or subject as per recommendation of the supervisor. On the basis of the review and evaluation of the paper by external examiner the candidate should finalize the paper and submit to  the Dean’s office.

 

 Thesis work:

Thesis should be prepared following the duly approved proposal under the designated supervisor. Upon final approval by the supervisor, a hard bound copy of the thesis along an electronic copy should be submitted to the Dean’s office. After the internal evaluation of the thesis,  the Dean’s office will recommend for final external examination and final vive voce defense for which the candidate should submit three hard bound copies of the  thesis  along with the recommendation of the supervisor  to the Dean’s office. After the final submission of the thesis the candidate should face a viva voce examination in person.

Eligibility for admission

Eligibility:

The candidate requires at least second division or 3.0/4.0 CGPA in the related subject in the Master Level and the fulfillment of the eligibility prescribed by the Higher Education Qualification Framework.

In relation with interdisciplinary, candidate must complete 30 CH (CreditHour) conversion course, designed by the LBU.

The following additional experiences should have by the candidate in research, higher education instruction/ teaching, or related profession/subject:

  •  The Candidate passed with second division or 3/4.0 CGPA in MA, must have 2 years of work experience.
  • The Candidate passed with 1st division or 3.3/4.0 CGPA in MA, must have 1 year work experience.
  • The Candidate passed with distinction or 3.7/4.0 CGPA in MA or in M. Phil., need not require to work experience.

published research articles

The candidate should submit three research articles. Out of them one article should have been published in Peer Reviewed Journal and one should have been published in Standard Journal. Out of three one should be written on Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, literature, arts, culture, applied Buddhism, Among them at least two must be published.

The candidate must pass the entrance exam conducted by LBU.

Documents to be submitted

  1. Completed Application Form
  2. Bank voucher / transaction code as evidence of application fee payment
  3. Passport-size Photo (3 copies)
  4. Attested copy of Mark Sheet/Transcript of Masters level
  5. Attested copy of Citizenship (Passport copy for foreign students)
  6. A copy of the research proposal in which, a short introduction of the research intending to do by the candidate, objectives and research method are included. The subject matter should directly or indirectly be related to Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy, education or culture
  7. All the relevant documents obtained by the applicant and the photocopies of certified certificates
  8. The candidate should submit three research articles. Out of them one article should have been published in Peer Reviewed Journal and one should have been published in Standard Journal. Out of three one should be written on Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy, literature, arts, culture, applied Buddhism, Among them at least two must be published.​
  9. Brief Bio-data

Seat Limits

The maximum seat available is  15 students per academic year.  There will be an allocation of 15 seats for foreign students and national students.

15 Students Per Academic Year

Faculty strength

LBU has established a pool of well qualified, experienced and competent experts and resource persons who helped the university to design the current program. They are drawn from  full time, part-time and/or visiting faculty members. The instructing and guiding for the online based Ph.D. degree course at LBU would be done by renowned faculty members from national  as well as international universities.

Expected Outcome

In accordance to the objectives of the program, the main outcome will be the enhanced the prorogation in the contextualized value and teachings of Buddha through research and academic of the core and applied Buddhist studies and through spiritual inspiration of the individuals by scaling up. LBU intends to produce well qualified, skilled and competent scholars in Buddhist studies who can compete in the national and international level of the field of study.

Admission Form

The application form should be downloaded online and after duly filled, it should be submitted online directly.

(Please follow the regulations of  Ph.D. program of LBU)

Fee structure

Following fees are payable by Ph.D. researchers.

S.N

Types of fees

Native/ permanent residents(Rs)

SAARC        countries          (US $)

Non Resident/
Non SAARC (US $)

Foreign Buddhist monks/nuns

(US $)

1

Entrance fee

  2,500

32

64

21

2

LBU Registration

  5,000

63

126

42

3

ID card

    500

7

14

5

4

Tution fee per month

2,000

26

52

17

5

Application Fee/ Article Evaluation Fee

5,000

63

126

42

6

Research methodology

18 credit hours

70,000

883

1766

589

7

Proposal Defense

10,000

126

252

84

8

Term paper Defense

5,000

63

126

42

9

Annotated Bibliography Defense

5,000

63

126

42

10

Literature review Defense

5,000

63

126

42

11

Seminar Paper Defense

6,000

76

152

50

12

Thesis Internal evaluation

10,000

126

252

84

13

External evaluation

20,000

253

506

168

14

Final review of thesis

5,000

63

126

42

15

Pre Viva Online

6,000

76

152

50

16

Final Viva voce fee

20,000

253

506

168

17

Provisional Certificate

1,500

19

38

13

 

Grand Total

178500

2255

4510

1501

 

After 5years –First Renew         

10,000

126

252

84

Second Renew

20,000

253

506

168

Scholarship

The scholarship may be available to those who wish to do Ph.D. research work in the area as prescribed by LBU

Hostel facility

Hostel facility for both male and female studentswho wish to be at university, is available respectively with minimum charges.

Bank information for payments

Please use following swift code(only for those applying from outside the country)and bank account detail

Bank Name: Siddhartha Bank

Account Name: Faculty of Buddhist Studies-fobs

Account Number: 01218471050

*For International StudentsBank Name: Siddhartha Bank Swift Code: SIDDNPKAAccount

Other expenses (monthly)

The following information applies to the normal living conditions in and around Lumbini, and may vary according to the specific needs of the learners.

  • Living expenses (per month)
    • Accommodation Rs5,000/-
    • Food Rs10,000/-

LBU suggests buying an Insurance policy for those following the course by residing in Nepal that may be around Rs3,000/- in general.