By Musarrat Arif
KARACHI: The Advanced Studies and Research Board of the University of Karachi has awarded degrees to students across a wide range of disciplines following its recent meeting. In total, 44 PhD, 106 MPhil, three MS, two MD, and nine MS Course Work (30 credit hours) degrees were approved. The meeting was chaired by the vice chancellor, Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi.
PhD degrees were awarded to scholars from fields including agriculture, biotechnology, botany, business administration, chemistry, clinical psychology, computer science, criminology, economics, health and physical education, history, international relations, Islamic history and studies, marine biology, microbiology, molecular medicine, Pakistan studies, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, public administration, sociology and Urdu.
Among the recipients were Muhammad Mujeeb in agriculture, Muhammad Saleem in biotechnology, and Irshad Ahmed and Saima Riaz in botany. Degrees in business administration were awarded to M Faisal Sultan, Umme Kulsoom Rizvi and Mahira Mirza. In chemistry, the awardees included Muhammad Ghazali Hussain, Sumera Shezadi, Khadija Rehman, and Marium Ishtiaq, while Warisha Qahhar received her PhD in clinical psychology.
Saad Akbar completed his doctorate in computer science, while Mustansar Rizwan did so in criminology. Abdul Shakoor and Nusrat Yaqoob were awarded PhDs in economics. In health, physical education and sports sciences, degrees went to Mahnoor and Shaikh Nabi Bukhsh Nazir. Other recipients included Wajid Ali in history, Amjad Ali in international relations, Bacha Rehman in Islamic history, and Basharat Rafique in Islamic studies.
Further PhD degrees were awarded to Amna Sulaman in marine biology, Samiya Kainat in microbiology, and Nazish Mustafa and Fatima Jameel in molecular medicine. Sumera Younus received her degree in Pakistan studies, while Tahmina Maqbool completed hers in pharmaceutical sciences. Muhammad Talha Saleem and Raufur Rehman graduated in pharmaceutics, and several candidates, including Dr Muhammad Abid and Dr Muhammad Anwar Bangulzai, completed doctorates in pharmacology. Maria Arshad earned her PhD in physics, Marvi in psychology, and Moneera Khanum in Urdu.
The board also approved 106 MPhil degrees across a broad academic spectrum. These included applied economics, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, chemistry, clinical psychology, criminology, education, English, European studies, food science, geography, geology, health sciences, history, Islamic learning, marine biology, mass communication, molecular medicine, Pakistan studies, Persian, pharmaceutical sciences, philosophy, physical therapy, physics, physiology, psychology, public administration, Quran and Sunnah, Sindhi, space and planetary astrophysics, special education, statistics, teacher education, Urdu and zoology.
Recipients came from both science and humanities departments, reflecting the university’s wide academic reach. Degrees were awarded to dozens of scholars, including Afsana Jabeen, Imran Gul Sheikh, Muhammad Kashif, Hira Baqi, Bushra Qureshi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Hamza Farid, Yusra Anees, Mashal Madani, Sumaira Yaseen, Maham Anees, Aisha Ehtasham, Shoaib Ahmed Memon, Naseem Akram, Rubi Alam, Samina, Sajjad Ahmed, Munira Ehsan and Abbas Khan, among many others.
During the same meeting, Master of Surgery degrees were awarded to Dr Naseer Ahmed in ENT, Fazal Rabi in neurosurgery, and Dr Mehmood Akhtar in ophthalmology. Doctor of Medicine degrees were conferred on Dr Mateen Ahmed in chest medicine and Dr Meeran in dermatology.
The board also approved MS Course Work (30 credit hours) degrees. These were awarded to students in computer science, education, environmental studies, food science and technology, genetics, microbiology, psychology and women’s studies. The approvals reflect the university’s continued emphasis on postgraduate and doctoral research across diverse academic fields.
