Details of the Ph.D. Program
Stipend/Fellowships
• Students who join the PhD program may have their UGC/CSIR NET fellowship or INSPIRE fellowship/TCS fellowship/other available national fellowships.
• The institute offers a fellowship of Rs.10000/pm for students joining with a first degree (M. Sc) and Rs.14000/pm to higher degree (M. Tech/M. Pharm/M. Phil) holders.
• Students may also draw their stipend from position available on ongoing sponsored projects.
Incentives to PhD students
• Based on the performance selected students may be offered a partial (upto 80%) Tution Fee waiver. All students participate in teaching activities in their respective departments.
Registration
• All candidates have to register in every semester till the submission of his/her thesis. In the beginning of each semester, all candidates will sign the registration card confirming their registration for the semester. This card indicates the courses in which he/she is being registered in that particular semester. A candidate can seek permission for not registering in a particular semester by making an application through the Supervisor to the Dean, R & C Division well before the beginning of semester giving valid reasons for the same.
• The candidate once admitted to the Ph. D program has to complete certain pre-requisites depending on whether his highest degree earned is a M.Sc (First Degree) or M. Tech/M. Pharm (Higher Degree).
Course work
• A student with M.Sc has to approach the Head of the Department and find out about the course package. Most often the candidate has already identified the Thesis supervisor or the Head of the Department may guide you in doing so. The Department Research Committee (DRC) constitutes a Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) consisting of two faculty members, who are familiar with your research area and they will be associated with your supervisor to guide you about suitable courses as well as other milestones.
• Typically an M.Sc. student has to register for six courses over a period of two semesters. The course work should cover two sub-disciplines as listed in the Department sub-discipline list and must complete 24 credit units.
• After the completion of at least 24 units of course work you become eligible for taking the qualifying examination in consultation with your Supervisor and the DRC. Until the candidate clears the Qualifying examination he/she is given a Provisional Admission in the Ph.D. program. The admission is confirmed after clearing the Ph.D. qualifying examination.
• Students with Higher Degree may also be required to do course work if you are working in a different area than the specialization of the Higher Degree or having done less than 6 courses in the Higher Degree earned. Number of course (from 0-6) to be done are decided by the DAC members in order to prepare you to undertake research in the chosen area. M. Tech/M. Pharm students, in consultation with the DRC, starts his/her preparation for the PhD qualifying examination in the first semester of joining the program. The admission is confirmed once you pass the Ph.D. qualifying examination.
PhD Qualifying Examination
• At the beginning of each semester, the DRC, announces the dates for conducting Qualifying examination.
• Each Ph. D student must, in consultation with your supervisor, plan for and prepare to clear qualifying examination in 2 areas from the sub-discipline list of the department.
• Qualifying examination consists of written tests of 3 hour duration on two chosen, sub-disciplines and 3 to 6 subjects for those areas. It is followed by an oral test.
Topic of Research & Supervisor
• Once the student clears the Qualifying examination you can decide upon the topic of research in consultation with you Supervisor (and Co-supervisor, if applicable) and prepare a research proposal as per published guidelines.
• There is an oral presentation of the Research Proposal in the presence of the DAC members and other departmental faculty and colleagues.
• The proposal is accepted only after the approval from the Research Board. At this stage, you formally become eligible to register for the PhD thesis (BITS C799T).
Each candidate should carry out a comprehensive literature search, understand the background and scope of research in the particular area of interest and consult his proposed supervisor. Application enclosing the outline of proposed topic of research has to be submitted through the proposed supervisor in the prescribed format for approval of the Research Board of the Institute latest by 30th October for I semester and by 30th March for II semester processing. Normally the approval has to be obtained within one or two semesters of the first registration in the Ph.D. program after passing the Ph.D. qualifying examination. Registration in BITS C799T Ph.D. Thesis (10 units) is permitted only after the Research Board has approved the Topic of Research and Supervisor. If the date of this approval is much beyond the beginning of the semester, the registration in Ph.D. thesis is postponed to the next semester.