The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has removed the condition of Ph.D. qualified faculty members in order to launch the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in colleges or universities.
The concession was made to overcome to shortage of nursing staff in the country’s hospitals.
Earlier, such institutions were required to have at least two Ph.D. qualified faculty members specialized in the relevant field for the launch of MS/MPhil/equivalent degree programs.
However, as per the new policy, the HEC has provisionally abolished this condition to fill the deficiency of professional and qualified nurses in the country.
“Considering the limited number of Ph.D. faculty in the field of Nursing, the National Curriculum Review Committee has recommended the minimum requirement of two MSN qualified faculty members having at least five years of professional experience for the launch of MSN programs,” read the policy guideline document.
The exemption has been granted till 31 December 2026, the document added.
The new policy was formulated in joint collaboration with the Curriculum Review Committee (NCRC) and Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC).
The aforementioned policy also helped resolve the longstanding issues of equivalence. In the past, the Commission has been refusing to issue equivalency certificates to such students of BSN and MSN who were not holding midwifery certificates/diplomas. However, now they are eligible to get equivalency as they would be bound to complete their midwifery course after their BSN and MSN educational degrees.
The HEC had previously refused to issue equivalencies to such students because of the violation of the rules. As per prescribed criteria, it was mandatory to get a midwifery certificate/diploma before admitting to BSN or MSN programs.
Furthermore, the eligibility criteria for admission to a four-year BSN will be HSSC/equivalent (12 years of schooling) in a pre-medical group with a minimum of 50 percent marks.
According to the new policy, students having qualified a three-year nursing diploma and one-year midwifery/specialization diploma are allowed equivalence to 14 years of education subject to the passing of three compulsory subjects at 14 years of education.
“Separate transcripts issued by institutions for passing these subjects will also be accepted by HEC for the purpose,” it added.
