NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified new norms for degrees regulated by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), including a requirement for universities to award Master of Physiotherapy (MPT) and Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degrees with specialisations from the academic year 2026-27.
The UGC’s fifth amendment to its notification on specification of degrees was published in the Gazette of India on August 27, 2026, with the approval of the central government. The notification brings degrees under NCAHP’s regulatory purview within the UGC’s specified degree framework.
As per a communication from NCAHP to the UGC, there will be no generalised MPT or MOT degree for admissions from the 2026-27 academic year. Universities will instead have to award these degrees in the respective specialisations. Students admitted before 2026-27 may continue to receive the degrees under the earlier UGC notification.
The notification specifies a range of specialisations for the two programmes. These include areas such as musculoskeletal sciences, paediatrics and neonatology, neurosciences, mental health, cardiovascular and pulmonary sciences, rehabilitation, geriatrics and oncological sciences.
For MOT programmes, universities offering the programme have been directed to restructure the programme in accordance with the specified degree nomenclature.
The notification also adds several new specified degrees in allied and healthcare education. These include Bachelor and Master of Medical Laboratory Science programmes, with specialisation in areas such as histology and cytopathology, as well as programmes in emergency medical technology, advanced care paramedics, anaesthesia and operation theatre technology, nutrition and dietetics, psychology, medical and psychiatric social work, medical radiology and imaging technology, radiation therapy technology, nuclear medicine technology, medical physics, physician associates, dialysis therapy, respiratory technology and health information management.
The amendment also changes the duration of some programmes. The notification records an increase in the duration of the Bachelor of Optometry programme from four years to five years. It also records changes to the duration and nomenclature of certain master’s programmes.
The UGC said the amendment has been made under Section 22(3) of the UGC Act, 1956, and comes into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
