Ph.D.

Manual

Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad

2018
 Ph.D. Manual
1. Classification of candidates

1.1. Full-time candidate

a) A candidate who does his/her courses and research at IIT (ISM) (Institute) is a full-
time candidate.

b) A full-time candidate may have financial support in the form of (i) Institute
teaching/research assistantship, (ii) fellowship/scholarships from external agencies,
(iii) R&D projects at Institute, (iv) sponsorship by an organization, and (v) self-
financing.

1.2. External candidate

a) A candidate working in an academic institution or an R & D establishment equipped

with necessary research facilities, and registered for Ph.D. at the Institute, is considered
as an external candidate. Such a candidate is required to stay in the Institute during the
course work and is expected to carry out maximum research work at his/her parent
organization.
b) Normal residency requirement is two semesters. The external candidates who clears a
diagnostic test to be conducted by the respective department, the residency requirement
may be waived-off for one semester.
c) Such a candidate must be sponsored by his/her employer and must have been in
employment with the sponsoring organization for at least 2 years at the time of
admission. In case of mentoring under TEQIP and other such programmes under MoUs
the experience requirement may be relaxed.
d) The employer must undertake to relieve the candidate to stay in the campus for the
specified period to enable the candidate to complete the course work and other
requirements.
e) Certificate from organization that adequate facilities, with details, are available at the
organization for carrying out the research work.
f) The candidate should also provide the biodata of the prospective external supervisor
from his/her organization who would supervise the candidate's work at his/her
organization. The external supervisor will be a co-supervisor. The main supervisor
has to be from the Institute.

1.3. Part-time candidate

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 a) A part-time candidate is a professionally employed personnel who can, while
employed, attend regular classes as per schedule of the Institute. The candidate will
give an undertaking endorsed by his/her employer that he/she will be attending classes
as required by the Institute. The candidate may do his/her research in the Institute or in
the sponsoring organization.

b) Such a candidate must be sponsored by his/her employer and must have been in
employment with the sponsoring organization for at least 2 years at the time of
admission. In case of mentoring under TEQIP and other such programmes under MoUs
the experience requirement may be relaxed.

c) If he/she proposes to do research in his/her parent organization, then relevant rules for
an external candidate will apply.

2. Eligibility for Admission

For admission to Ph.D. programmes of different disciplines, an applicant possessing

qualifications mentioned against the disciplines mentioned below is eligible to apply:

Ph.D. in Engineering
a) An applicant must have a Masters degree in Engineering in the relevant subject with first
class/division or a minimum of 60% marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
b) An applicant must have a Bachelors degree in engineering with a minimum of 70%
marks/CGPA of 7.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
c) An applicant must have a Masters degree in science or an allied area with first
class/division or a minimum of 60% marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale).

Ph.D. in Science
a) An applicant must have a Masters degree in the relevant subject with first class/division
or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
b) An applicant must have a Bachelors degree in engineering with a minimum of 70 %
marks/CGPA of 7.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
c) An applicant must have a Masters degree in science or an allied area with first
class/division or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale).

Ph.D. in Humanities and Social Sciences

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 a) An applicant must have a Masters degree in the relevant subject, arts, commerce,
humanities and social sciences with first class/division or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA
of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
b) An applicant must have a Masters degree in engineering / technology/science/ commerce /
management with first class/division or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10
point scale), OR
c) An applicant must have a Bachelors degree in engineering with a minimum of 70%
marks/CGPA of 7.5 (on a 10 point scale).

Ph.D. in Management
a) An applicant must have a Masters degree or equivalent in management or allied areas or
engineering / technology with first class/division or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of
6.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
b) An applicant with a Bachelors degree in engineering with a minimum of 70 percent
marks/7.5 CGPA,OR
c) An applicant must have a Masters degree in science/arts/commerce with first
class/division or a minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale), OR
d) An applicant who has qualified for CA/ICAI/ICMA/CS, with first class/division or a
minimum of 60 % marks/CGPA of 6.5 (on a 10 point scale) in Bachelors degree.

Note: Bachelors degree in Engineering means regular fulltime Bachelors degree. A candidate
with AMIE or similar degree is not eligible for admission.

3. Admission Procedure
This section covers the admission procedure for all candidates wishing to be admitted to
the Ph.D. programme in the Institute, irrespective of whether they opt for full-time,
external, or part-time Ph.D. programmes. This section also applies to candidates holding
positions in projects at the Institute.
a) The admission procedure consists of (i) shortlisting through GATE/NET/Appropriate
National Level Examination and/or written examination conducted by the department, and
(ii) interview.
b) A candidate who has qualified CAT/GMAT is eligible for Ph.D. in Management.
c) For Masters and/or Bachelors degree holders from Centrally Funded Technical Institutes
(CFTIs) having a CGPA of 8.0 or above, the requirement of GATE/NET is waived off.
d) A candidate, selected under Prime Ministers Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme, shall
be directly admitted to the PhD programme without any interview.

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 e) In very exceptional cases, for example for faculty rigorously selected under TEQIP for a
mentee institution of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, the Senate may directly admit candidates for the
part-time Ph.D. program, provided the minimum eligibility criteria for admission is
fulfilled.
f) The admission to Ph.D. programme will normally be held during May-June for the
Monsoon Semester. However, if the need arises, admission may also be done during
November-December for the Winter Semester, or on a rolling basis.
g) For admission to Ph.D. programme, the candidate must apply on the prescribed form,
which must be sent directly to the Convener, DPGC of the Department concerned.
h) Before the admission process, the Department must provide a list of the names of faculty
members along with their research areas who will be available for guiding students. All
the faculty members of a Department can be the members of the written test/interview
committee.
i) All admissions to Ph.D. programme will be made on the approval of the Chairman, Senate
on the recommendations of the duly constituted Departmental Selection Committee and
the Admission Committee. The Departmental Selection Committee shall consist of faculty
members from the Department and at least one faculty member from another Department.
The constitution of the Departmental Selection Committee shall be proposed by the
DPGC and approved by the Chairman, Senate.
j) Candidates in the final year of the qualifying degree may be considered for provisional
admission provided that they give an undertaking that the results will be made available
to Institute on or before the specified date in the Academic Calendar of the Institute. The
provisional admission of such candidates will stand cancelled if they fail to produce the
result by the specified date or fail to obtain the required class/division or CGPA/% of
marks.
k) On approval by the Chairman, Senate, the Academic Section will issue the admission
letters to the candidates who will be required to accept the offer of admission by depositing
the prescribed fee before the specified date.
l) In case a candidate does not accept the offer by paying the prescribed fee by the specified
date, the offer of admission may stand withdrawn, and the admission may be offered to
the candidates in the waiting list, if any, in the order of merit.
m) The offer of admission may also stand withdrawn if the candidate, who has accepted the
offer, fails to register by the date for late registration.

4. Reservation of Seats
a) Reservation policy as in-force at the Institute, from time to time shall be applicable to
admissions in all academic programmes of the Institute. The extant policy entails

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 reservation of 15% of seats for Scheduled Caste applicants, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe
applicants and 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) applicants.
b) There shall be horizontal reservation of 5% of the sanctioned strength, across all
categories, for applicants belonging to persons with disabilities (PwD).

5. Admissions under QIP/Sponsored category/ NRIs/ PIO/OCI/Foreign Nationals, etc.

a) An applicant shall be eligible to apply as a full-time candidate for admission under this
category.
b) The procedures and requirements for admission of QIP and defense personnel candidates
will be as per the prescribed procedure. These candidates will have to satisfy the prescribed
minimum marks/CGPA and qualifications as laid down in Section 2.
c) The applications of foreign nationals sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations
(ICCR)/under an MoU between Institute and the sponsor, shall be scrutinized by the
Department concerned to assess their suitability for admission to the programme.
Admission to such applicants shall be offered by the Institute after considering the
recommendation of DPGC and SPGC and the approval of the Chairman, Senate.

d) Admission of Non-Resident Indians (NRI)/Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)/Overseas

Citizens of India (OCI) and Foreign Nationals to Ph.D. Programme is provided under the
following subsections:

i) NRI candidates must have been residing abroad continuously for at least one year at
the time of submission of their application for admission; however, PIO/OCI
candidates shall have no such restriction. The equivalence of their qualifications
(except that of GATE/NET, etc.) with that of the general candidates shall be assessed
by the DPGC of respective Departments and considered and approved by the SPGC.
All such candidates who meet the qualifications may be admitted to the appropriate
programme.

ii) Non-sponsored candidates who belong to NRI/PIO/OCI/foreign national category,

shall also be considered for admission to the Ph.D. programme. Such candidates who
are currently in India but have not taken GATE/NET may also seek admission to Ph.D.
programme, provided that the respective Department recommends their application
for admission based on their qualifications and other credentials and these
recommendations are considered and approved by the SPGC. Admission of such
candidates, however, shall be subject to the clearance of the Central Government.

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 e) Admission of Students of other institutions (Non-Degree students) under MoU for carrying
out research or for study.

For admission under this category, the details are provided under the following
subsections:

i) A student registered for Ph.D. programme at another Institute/University or under

twinning programme at both the Institutes with guides from both the Institutes may
also be allowed to work at the Institute. For such studies/research, the student has to
pay to the Institute requisite academic fee/hostel fee and other charges as may be
specified at the time of joining the Institute.

ii) Such a student must be sponsored by the parent Institute/University and she/he must
submit an application to the Dean (Academic) for seeking admission to the Institute.
All such applications will be vetted by a committee comprising of Dean (Academic),
Dean (Research & Development), concerned Head of Department and the Convener,
DPGC, as the case may be. The recommendation of the Committee shall be considered
by the SPGC and their recommendation will be considered by the Chairman, Senate
for granting approval.

6. Institute Assistantship
a) The Institute may provide full-time Ph. D. students who have qualified GATE or any other
eligible national level examination, financial assistance in the form of teaching or research
assistantships (referred to as Institute Assistantship). Assistantships are awarded for a
period, up to five years students on a yearly basis. The stipend for the assistantship is paid
at the approved rates as specified by the MHRD, Govt. of India.
b) Full time Ph.D. students financially supported by research projects may avail institute
fellowship after completion of the project, provided that she/he has qualified GATE or
any other eligible national level examination and have been admitted through Institute
selection process (Section 3). The maximum duration of fellowship in all such cases will
be up to five years (inclusive of Project and Institute funding) from the date of admission
in the Ph.D. programme.
c) A student is expected to devote up to eight hours per week towards teaching/laboratory
assistantship assigned to him/her. A report on the student’s performance in the
assistantship task will be provided by the concerned faculty to the student’s supervisor.
d) The renewal of assistantship is contingent on the recommendation of the Doctoral Scrutiny
Committee (DSC) on the good performance of the candidate in the academic programme
and in the discharge of assistantship duties.

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7. Leave Rules
Ph.D. students may be granted leave under Sections (7i) and (7ii) on an application to the
Head of the Department concerned through the Supervisor. Leave under Sections (7iii) will
be sanctioned by Dean (Academic) on the recommendation of DPGC. Applications must be
submitted well in advance of the date of commencement of the leave requested. Leave for a
period longer than that specified in Sections (7i) and (7ii) may be sanctioned by Dean
(Academic) on the recommendation of DPGC and it will entail loss of financial assistantship
for the extended period.
(a) A Ph. D student may take a maximum of 30 days of personal leave (inclusive of medical)
in an academic year (including winter break, mid- semester breaks and summer vacation)
such that no more than 10 days of leave are taken during a semester. However, this 10-day
cap will not be enforced when semesters are not in progress and during the summer
term. Leave not availed in one academic year will not be carried over to the next academic
year. If leave is taken along with one weekend (Saturday and Sunday), addition of weekend
shall be allowed only as a prefix or suffix. If both prefix and suffix of weekends are taken
along with leave, total period of absence will be counted towards leave period.
(b) A student may be granted maternity/paternity leave for a period as per government policy.
Leave up to 6 weeks can also be granted for miscarriage including medical termination of
pregnancy, if supported by a proper medical certificate. Such leave can be combined with
any other leave due and will not entail any loss of financial assistantship.
(c) If a registered student is absent on sanctioned leave for a period of 4 weeks or more during
a semester, SPGC may decide to convert the leave to a semester/term leave, or reduce the
thesis credits (in blocks of 9 credits) appropriately, in case the student is registered only
for thesis credits.
(d) Absence without sanctioned leave will entail loss of financial assistantship for the period
of absence, and may result in the termination of the student’s programme on the
recommendation of the DPGC and approval of SPGC.
(e) If a student falls ill while on the campus, the medical certificate must be obtained from the
Institute's medical officer. If he/she falls ill outside the campus while on sanctioned leave,
the medical certificate must be obtained from a registered medical practitioner.

8. Permission to Proceed for Academic Work outside Institute

In order to help-students broaden their horizons and enrich their cultural and academic
experience, provision to proceed to other academic and research institutions in India or abroad
as non-degree students is available. Rules and procedures to be followed for availing this
provision are as follows:

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 a) A Ph.D. student who clears Research Proposal Seminar may proceed to another academic
institution in India or abroad with prior permission of the SPGC on the recommendation
of the DPGC. However, he/she needs to get registered each semester as per Institute
norms.
b) The DPGC will consider the student's application and will determine if the proposed
programme of work is of such a nature that waiver for at least 18 credits per regular
semester or 9 credits per summer term is possible. The SPGC may approve the application
on the recommendation of the DPGC. In all such cases, the student will be informed about
the requirements he/she must fulfill to apply for academic credit on his/her return. All
application must be forwarded by the supervisor.

9. Semester Load Distribution

a) Credits are based on assumption that the courses normally offered for Ph.D. students are
3-0-0 (i.e., 9 credits). In certain cases if tutorials and/or practicals are included then there
may be slight variation in the number of credits.
b) The total credits can consist of (i) only research credits, (ii) only subject credits, and (iii)
combination of research and subject credits.
c) The normal semester load for a full-time student is equivalent to 36 credits.
d) The normal semester load for a part-time student is equivalent to 27 credits. For deserving
cases, the DPGC may permit a part-time student to register for a maximum of 36 credits.
The minimum duration for completing the course requirement in such cases may exceed 2
semesters.
e) The maximum semester load for an external student for carrying out thesis research at
his/her organization is 27 credits.
f) Full-time and external students (during their residency) can register for a maximum of 45
credits to complete their course requirements.
g) Students are required to register for minimum of 18 research credits out of a maximum 36
research credits per semester preferably from third semester onwards.
10. Academic Requirements
Ph.D. Registration will have three components, namely, Course Work, Comprehensive
Examination and Research Proposal Seminar. Details are given below.

A. Minimum Duration, Maximum Duration and Academic Requirements

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 Table 1 lists the minimum duration and maximum duration allowed in the programme,
and credit requirements for graduation in various programmes."Course Work" includes
only postgraduate course credits unless otherwise stated. To satisfy the "Minimum
Duration" requirements, registration must be over consecutive semesters; exception will
be made only if the student is on authorized leave. "Maximum Duration" is counted
from the student's first registration date, i.e., admission date. CGPA will be calculated
on the basis of all permitted courses taken by the student.

Table 1. Minimum Duration, Maximum Duration and Academic Requirements

Sl. Programme Minimum Minimum Minimum Minimum Maximum

No. [Qualifying Total Credit Credit Duration Duration
Degree] Credits through through (Semester) (Semester)**
Course Research @
Work Work*

1 Ph.D. [after 288 72# 108 8 Semester 12 Semester

Masters in
relevant field]
2 Ph.D. [after 306 90 108 9 Semester 14 Semester
BE/B. Tech or
Masters not in
relevant field]

Note:
Course work credits are calculated as follows: C = 3L+2T+1P; where C = credits, and L,
T and P refer to lecture, tutorial and practical hours/week in a course. In our definition,
course is same as subject.
@ Excluding Summer Semester.
* Detailed in Section 10(E).
** An additional two semesters may be given for Part-time/External Students.
# For External and Part Time Students a diagnostic test will be conducted by the
respective Department based on which the extent of course waiver may be considered.
B. Course work

a) Students joining for the programme after Masters in relevant field

During the first two semesters, students are preferably required to register only for
the course work. Minimum eight courses have to be taken from the following:

i. Two Compulsory Departmental Papers

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 ii. One Compulsory Paper on numerical methods/modeling/simulation use of
Python/MATLAB/Mathematica etc. related to the Department offered by
respective Department.
iii. Four Elective Papers to be decided in consultation with the supervisor/DSC
iv. Research Methodology offered by the respective Department
v. Research and technical communication
vi. If guide desires, he/she can ask the scholar to get registered for more courses.

Note:

(1) The students, except those registered in the Department of Humanities and Social
Sciences, are required to clear the course on Research and technical
communication before the Research Proposal Seminar. However, this course shall
not be counted towards CGPA calculation. Above (i)-(iv) will comprise of
minimum eight courses.
(2) The students registered in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences are
exempted from taking the course on Numerical Methods/Modelling/simulation, as
given in (b) above. However, they have to clear the course on Research and
technical communication as the normal course within the first two Semesters. This
course shall also be counted towards CGPA calculation. Above (i) and (iii)-(v)
will comprise of minimum eight courses.
(3) Part Time and External students who have cleared diagnostic test need to opt for
minimum of five courses comprising of (iii) and (iv). However, for students
registered in Department of Humanities and Social Science the student needs to
opt for six courses comprising of (iii), (iv) and (v).

The minimum credits through course work needs to be completed within the first two
semesters for Full-Time and External Student, failing which the candidature is deemed
to be terminated.

b) Students joining the programme either after Masters degree not in relevant field
or after Bachelors degree in engineering

During the first two semesters, students are preferably required to register only for
the course work. Minimum ten courses have to be taken from the following:

i. Four Compulsory Departmental Papers

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 ii. One Compulsory Paper on numerical methods/modelling simulation use of
Python/MATLAB/Mathmetica etc. related to the Department offered by the
respective Department.

iii. Four Elective Papers to be decided by the supervisor/DSC

iv. Research Methodology from Department offered by the respective Department.

v. Research and technical communication

If guide desires, he/she can ask the scholar to get registered for more courses.

Note:

(1) The students, except those registered in the Department of Humanities and Social
Sciences, are required to clear the course on Research and technical
communication before the Research Proposal Seminar. However, this course shall
not be counted towards CGPA calculation. Above (i)-(iv) will comprise for
minimum of ten courses.

(2) The students registered in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences are
exempted from taking the course on Numerical Methods/Modelling/simulation, as
given in (ii) above. However, they have to clear the course on Research and
technical communication as the normal course within the first two Semesters. This
course shall also be counted towards CGPA calculation. Above (i) and (iii)-(v)
will comprise for minimum of ten courses.

(3) A Ph.D. student who has completed Masters degree from any IIT can be waive off
a maximum of three courses (Two Compulsory Departmental Papers and One
Compulsory Paper on numerical methods/modelling simulation use of
Python/MATLAB/Mathmetica etc.). However, the students registered for
Department of Humanities and Social Science can have a waiver of maximum of
two papers i.e., Two Compulsory Departmental Papers. Waiver of course must be
recommended by the Supervisor/Doctoral Scrutiny Committee (DSC).

The minimum course work needs to be completed within first four semesters, failing
which the candidature is deemed to be terminated.

C. Comprehensive examination
Students registered in the Ph.D. programme must clear a Comprehensive examination
(written and oral) with Satisfactory (S) grade. The comprehensive examination is

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 designed to test the overall comprehension of the student in the programme registered
for Ph.D. A student can appear in the comprehensive examination only after he/she has
completed the course work requirements and has secured a minimum CGPA of 7.0 (out
of 10.0). Maximum of two attempts is allowed to clear the comprehensive examination,
failing which the candidature is deemed to be terminated. Maximum duration for
completion of comprehensive examination is within six months after completing the
course work. Doctoral Scrutiny Committee of the scholar will be the comprehensive
examination board of the student.

A student enrolled in the Ph.D. programme is formally admitted to the candidacy for the
Ph.D. degree after the scholar completes the course requirements for the degree with a
CGPA of at least 7.0 and has passed the comprehensive examination.

D. Research Proposal Seminar

 Every Ph.D. student admitted to the candidacy for the Ph.D. degree is required to
deliver a research proposal seminar on the area of research before DSC. This seminar
must be delivered within six months of clearing the comprehensive examination.
DSC report of satisfactory completion of this requirement is to be communicated to
Dean (Academic) by the thesis supervisor. If a student fails to successfully deliver
the seminar / unable to deliver the seminar due to some unavoidable circumstances
within the stipulated 6 months, then on the request of the student and
recommendation from DSC, Dean (Academic) may grant an extension up to three
months. If a student fails to deliver the Research Proposal Seminar even after this
extension, his/her academic program would be deemed to be terminated.

E. Credit through Research Work

A student earns 9 credits for each Ph.D. project/thesis unit he/she is registered in a
semester. The grade S or X will be awarded for project/thesis credits as follows:
At the end of the semester, the project/thesis supervisors(s) and DSC will assess the
student’s progress towards the project/thesis work during the semester and will award
the grade S for each unit if the work is satisfactory and X for every unsatisfactory unit.
Thus, a student registered for 36 credits can get one of the following five combinations
SSSS, SSSX, SSXX, SXXX, XXXX. Format for the Ph.D. thesis grades in student’s
transcripts is given in Table 2.

Table 2. Grading options for Thesis

Thesis Unit* Thesis Credit Grading Options
4 36 4S,3S1X,2S2X,1S3X,4X
3 27 3S, 2S1X, 1S2X,3X

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 2 18 2S, 1S1X, 2X

The four thesis unit* could be assigned by supervisor to the Ph.D. students subject to
full filling the following criteria:

 Student's literature survey and basic understanding of adopted problem. [continuous

evaluation in regular intervals throughout the semester]
 Progress in Research work. [continuous evaluation throughout the semester by
Supervisor]
 Usefulness and impact of research work done to cater the gaps in existing
knowledge. [continuous evaluation throughout the semester]
 Credit on the basis of Lab Assignment/Field work, etc.
 Semester evaluation through a progress and oral presentation at the end of semester
[by DSC].

Grades
 Course work will have Letter Credits Such as A+: 10, A: 9, B+: 8, B: 7, C+: 6,
C: 5, D: 4, F: Fail
 Research Proposal Seminar, Thesis Units, Six monthly Report and Research and
technical communication for those who have registered for Ph.D. in Departments
other than Humanities and Social will be graded as satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory
(X) and will carry zero credits.

11. Change of Registration from Full-Time to Part-Time/External Ph.D. Programme

A student admitted as a full-time Ph.D. student may be permitted to convert to a part-
Time/External Ph.D. student. A student requesting such a conversion must: (i) have
completed the minimum course work, passed the comprehensive examination, delivered the
research proposal seminar which is adjudged as satisfactory, and (ii) get the request endorsed
by the supervisor(s) and the DSC. However, External students need to have a 'No Objection
Certificate' from the employer. Such conversion, if approved by the Dean (Academic), will
be subject to the following conditions: (i) The student must complete his/her thesis within the
time limit stipulated in the Table 1. (ii) Provision of conversion from full-time to part-time
status can be availed only once by the student during his/her programme, and (iii) the progress
of the student will be reviewed by the DSC at least once in every semester after the conversion,
and his/her continuation on part-time status will be subject to his/her making satisfactory
progress towards completing the Ph.D. thesis.

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12. General Guidelines
(i) The monitoring body for Ph.D. programme will be Senate Postgraduate Committee
(SPGC). All academic matters concerning Ph.D. programme shall be under the
domain of the SPGC. The recommendations of the Department Postgraduate
Committee (DPGC) shall be considered by the SPGC and the decisions of the SPGC
shall be implemented.
(ii) The minimum eligibility conditions for admission to Ph.D. programmes of the
Institute have already been stated above. However, the conditions may be made more
stringent by DPGC, provided that these are approved by the Senate. The number of
seats to which admissions can be made in a given programme shall be approved by
the Senate from time to time.
(iii) The attendance requirement in course work shall be applicable to all Ph.D. students.
(iv) The DSC will have at least six members as mentioned below. Constitution of DSC
will be approved by Dean (Academic) and the panel should be sent to the Dean
(Academic) through the HOD:
Chairperson : A Faculty member out of a panel of three
Faculty members suggested by the
Supervisor (s). The Chairperson of DSC
shall be either from the same department or
from other Department of the Institute.
Provided that the Chairperson so proposed
has expertise in the same discipline as that
of research proposal.

Two Members from the Department : To be suggested by the Ph.D. Supervisor

Two Members from a Sister Department: From a panel of four members suggested
by the Supervisor (s)

Supervisor and Co-Supervisor (if any) :

(v) The quorum for any meeting of the DSC shall be the following:
 Chairperson
 One Member from the Sister Department
 One Member from the Department
 Supervisor (s)
The Supervisor shall be the Convener of the DSC.

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 (vi) The DSC shall assess the student and send its recommendation every semester to Dean
(Academic). DSC shall recommend the extension of registration, continuation of
fellowship and or enhancement of fellowship to Dean (Academic) within two months
after clearing research proposal seminar with a minimum of 36 credits.
(vii) The change of topic of research shall be considered by the DSC on an application by
the student recommended by the Supervisor. The final approval of the title of the
dissertation shall be considered by the DSC after reviewing the Pre-Submission
Seminar.
(viii) The notice for Pre-submission seminar shall be uploaded on the Institute website at
least one week before the date of seminar. It is expected that all the Departmental
Faculty members and research scholars would be attending the seminar.
(ix) The clearance for Pre-submission seminar will be given by the DSC based on a
detailed written assessment of the thesis, provided that a minimum of one research
paper has been accepted for publication/published in
SCI/SCIE/SSCI*/AHCI*/ABDC/MCI Journals. The Supervisor(s) must certify that
these research papers form a substantive part of the Ph.D. dissertation.
*waiver on this condition may be considered on case to case basis.
(x) The Panel of Examiners for Pre-Submission Seminar will consist of the members of
Doctoral Scrutiny Committee of the student.
(xi) The panel of examiner for thesis evaluation will be provided by the supervisor(s) as
per Institute norms notified from time to time.
(xii) The Panel of Examiners for Final Thesis Defense Seminar will comprise of the
members of the Doctoral Scrutiny Committee of the student along with one External
Examiner [External Examiner to be decided by the Dean (Academic)]. The defense
Seminar shall be open to all in the Institute.
(xiii) Change/Addition of Supervisor(s): If a student has only one Supervisor and the
Supervisor goes on leave for more than 12 (twelve) months, another Supervisor may
be appointed by the Dean (Academic) on the recommendation of DSC. Such requests
has to be routed through Convener, DPGC. Mutual consent of both the students and
Supervisor(s) (being proposed) is to be taken in such cases.
(xiv) The Chairman, Senate may permit a student to change his/her Supervisor(s) for valid
reasons. The request of a Supervisor to be relieved from the Supervisory role of a
research student may also be considered and decided by the Chairman Senate. Mutual
consent of the student and supervisor(s) and recommendations of the DSC and HOD
are required. Such cases are to be reported in the Senate.

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 (xv) The change of Supervisor is normally not permissible after three years of date of
admission and a student needs to complete a minimum of one year with the new
Supervisor before submitting the thesis.
(xvi) Submission of six monthly report based on Table 2 is mandatory. The report has to be
submitted before the next semester registration. The six monthly report is to be graded
as Satisfactory (S) /Unsatisfactory (X). Two consecutive X grade and/or the
accumulation of 4X grades as per Table 2 shall lead to termination of the Ph.D.
programme for which a student is registered and will be reported to the Senate
(xvii) A letter of warning will be issued to a Ph.D. student by the Head of the Department
when he/she accumulates two or more Xs which is to be reported to the Senate
(xviii) Students registered in the Ph.D. programmes may count for residence and credit
requirements, research or field work undertaken outside the Institute under the
supervision of the Institute supervisor(s), if facilities for such work are not available
at this institute. Such cases must be recommended by the DSC and approved by Dean
(Academic).

(xix) Students need to register each semester as per the Institute norm.

(xx) The student has to submit a report from any specified anti-plagiarism software, with
the total common portion not exceeding 20% (excluding his own papers) for
submission of Ph.D. thesis.

(xxi) The procedures and requirements stated in this manual, other than those in Section
1and 2 (Classification of candidates and Eligibility for Admissions), CGPA of 7.0 in
the credit through course work and Section 12 (xv) may be waived in special
circumstances by the Chairman Senate on the recommendation of DPGC and SPGC.
All such exceptions shall be reported to the Senate.

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