Introduction to University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission 2025-26 for Home Science
The Department of Home Science, University of Calcutta, has announced the admission notice for its Ph.D. Programme for the 2025-26 academic session. Applications are invited for a Ph.D. Course and subsequent research work leading to a Ph.D. degree in Home Science. The admission process will follow the rules and regulations of Calcutta University (2016) and other relevant orders. This is a crucial opportunity for candidates aspiring to pursue advanced research in this field. The entire admission will be based on a written test (RET) followed by a personal interview, whichever is applicable, as detailed in the subsequent sections.
See Ongoing PhD 2026-27 Admission
Disciplines and Vacancies for University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission
| Discipline | Total Vacancies | Category-wise Breakup |
|---|
| Home Science (Food and Nutrition) | 08 | Unreserved: 04, SC: 02, OBC (A): 01, ST: 01 |
| Home Science (Human Development) | 07 | Unreserved: 04, SC: 02, OBC A: 01 |
Eligibility Criteria
The minimum eligibility criteria for the University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission in Home Science are as follows:
- Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition: M.Sc. in Food and Nutrition or an equivalent degree from a recognized university.
- General candidates must have a minimum of 55% marks in M.Sc..
- SC/ST/OBC/Physically Handicapped candidates must have a minimum of 50% marks in M.Sc..
- Ph.D. in Human Development: M.A./M.Sc. in Human Development or an equivalent degree from a recognized university.
- General candidates must have a minimum of 55% marks in M.A./M.Sc..
- SC/ST/OBC/Physically Handicapped candidates must have a minimum of 50% marks in M.A./M.Sc..
- Reservation in admission will strictly adhere to the West Bengal State Higher Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Rules, 2013.
- Candidates who have qualified UGC-NET with Ph.D. only will be exempted from the RET written examination and will be eligible to appear for the interview directly.
Application Process and Fee
- Candidates are requested to download the application form from the University website (http://www.caluniv.ac.in/).
- The application fee is Rs.100/- (online) and must be paid through SBI collect (https://onlinesbi.sbi.bank.in/sbicollect/)
- The duly filled-in application form, along with all relevant documents and photocopies of all relevant testimonials, must be submitted during working hours.
- Submission Address: Department of Home Science, University of Calcutta, Viharilal College Campus, 20 B Judges’ Court Road, Alipore, Kolkata 700027.
- The submission must be completed within 28th November, 2025 (Friday).
Admission Test (RET) Details
The Research Eligibility Test (RET) for the University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission in Home Science will be of 50 marks. The medium for writing answers is English.
RET Exam Pattern: Food and Nutrition
| Type of questions | Marks per question | No. of questions | Total marks |
|---|
| MCQ | 1 | 50 | 50 |
RET Exam Pattern: Human Development
| Type of questions | Marks per question | No. of questions | Total marks for each type of question |
|---|
| MCQ | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| Essay type | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Total | 50 |
Important Dates – University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission
| Event | Date |
|---|
| Last date of application and submission of application forms with testimonials | 28th November, 2025 |
| Date of publication of list of eligible candidates for admission test (Departmental Notice Board) | 4th December, 2025 |
| Date of RET examination | 16th December, 2025 |
| Date of publication of list of eligible candidates for Interview (Departmental Notice Board) | 23rd December, 2025 |
| Date of Interview | 6th January, 2026 |
| Publication of result | Will be notified on the University of Calcutta website as well as Departmental Notice Board. |
Syllabus for RET 2025: Home Science (Human Development)
- Conception to Middle Childhood: Issues and Challenges (Prenatal development, Infancy, Toddlerhood, Early childhood, Middle childhood)
- Adolescence and Youth: Challenges and Guidance (Definition, Theoretical perspectives, Identity formation, Relationships, Health)
- Theories of Human Development (Bowlby’s theory of attachment, Psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson, Cognitive developmental theories (Piaget’s, Vygotsky’s), Theories of learning (Pavlov’s, Skinner’s, Bandura’s), Kohlberg’s theory of moral development)
- Adulthood and Aging: Challenges and Care (Development Stages, Early Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, Late adulthood and Old age, Death, dying and bereavement)
- Research Methodology (Definition, Selection of a research problem, Research design, Sampling, Data collection/Analysis, Report writing)
- Application of Statistics in Human Development (Levels of measurement, Testing of statistical hypothesis, Correlation, Regression, Analysis of Variance)
- Children with Special Needs (Need for recognizing individual difference, Approaches to defining and understanding disability, The philosophy of inclusion, Children with Communication Disorders, Persons with multiple disabilities, Children with Emotional and Behavioural disorders)
- Early Childhood Care & Education (Definition, Need and importance, aims and objectives, ECCE curriculum and Intervention models, Role of teacher, Role of learner and parents, Role of Parents and community in ECD Programme, Importance and value of play, Issues and concerns related to ECCE/ECD programme)
- Extension Education: Techniques and Programmes (Meaning, scope, principles, objectives, Understanding adult learners, Classification of extension teaching methods, Techniques of programme planning, Home science extension)
- Family Welfare & Women’s Studies (Objectives and needs of welfare services, Status of women and children in India, Women’s Studies, Theoretical approaches to feminism, Problems and issues related to women in India, Important legislation for women’s welfare)
Syllabus for RET 2025: Home Science (Food and Nutrition)
- Topic-I: Nutrition (Bio-Chemical and Physiological Role of nutrients, Food commodities, Probiotics/Prebiotics/Neutriceuticals/Organic food/GM food, Diet during pregnancy and lactation, Energy computation, Meal pattern and nutritional requirements, Therapeutic diet, Dietary management of various diseases, Nutrition, immunity and infection, Community Nutrition, Bioenergetics, energy sources, and dietary recommendations for athletes)
- Topic-II: Biochemistry (Enzymes, coenzyme and their function, Aerobic and anaerobic degradation of carbohydrates, Protein metabolism, Lipid metabolism, Nucleic acids, Biological membranes/molecular transport, Biochemical role of vitamins and inorganic elements)
- Topic-III: Microbiology (Microorganisms important in food microbiology, Physical and chemical means used in destruction of microbes, Importance of microbes in food, Microbiology of water, Microorganisms involved in spoilages of various foods, Fundamentals of control of microorganism in foods, Public health hazards, Assessing the microbiological quality of food)
- Topic-IV: Physiology (Alimentation, Immunology, Endocrinology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Inborn Error of Metabolism)
Important Notes on University of Calcutta (CU) PhD Admission
- All candidates must report to the Secretary’s Office, Department of Home Science, 20B, Judges Court Road, Kolkata 700027, by 11:30 AM on the day of the RET examination.
- The Examination is scheduled to start from 12 Noon.
- It is mandatory to carry Photo ID cards (Aadhar card or Passport or Pan Card, any one document) as their identity proof.
- Candidates must also carry a copy of the challan/receipt of the fees deposited.
- The allotted room numbers will be displayed on the Departmental Notice Board.
