Admission to Ph.D Program

For admission related information, please visit: http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/admissions.html

FAQ for Ph.D. admissions

If you are interested in a Ph.D. with someone in M&AM, don't read the FAQ, send the faculty an email.

Is there a manual that lists all rules and regulations for applicants?
Yep. Here: http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/admission_2012/InformationBroucher-2012.pdf

How do I apply?
The best thing to do is to contact a faculty of M&AM whose research interests you the most. He/she will guide you.

M&AM is not a department, and you typically apply to the department from which you have your last degree. Some departments accept degrees from closely related departments, e.g., ME will accept exceptional applicants from other branches of engineering and sciences. Aerospace accepts applications from ME, EE, ECE and CE etc. 

When do I have to apply?
Regular admissions are made in May and December of every year, with advertisements coming out in March and October.
Please see http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/admissions.html for regular updates.

Additionally, many departments accept rolling applications throughout the year. Again contact a faculty of M&AM for help.

Who can apply for a Ph.D. in an engineering department?
(i) All M. Tech.
(ii) All B. Tech. who have a minimum of 75 percent marks/7.5 CPI and a valid GATE score.
(iii) All MSc. who satisfy the following requirements:
(a) a minimum of 65 percent marks/6.5 CPI in the master’s degree.
(b) first division in bachelor’s degree, and
(c) JRF/95 percentile or higher in GATE.

I have a M. Tech., do I still need to take GATE before applying to an engineering department?
A valid GATE score is required for obtaining stipend. A GATE score will also help in evaluating your application better.

Who can apply for a Ph.D. in a science department?
(i) All MSc. with Master’s degree in the relevant subject
(ii) All B. Tech. with marks/CPI not below the prescribed minimum.

I have a Masters degree do I still need to take GATE before applying to a science department?
Valid GATE/UGC/CSIR score is required for financial assistance, except for graduates from IITs with a minimum CGPA of 8.0

Do I have to apply to the same field as the one from which I had my undergraduate degree?
Not necessarily. There are two options:
(a) You may apply directly to the department of your choice. If you demonstrate enough aptitude/zeal you have a good chance to get hired. Additionally, some departments overlap greatly, e.g., ME, AE, CE and ChE.
(b) You can register in your parent department, and most probably two M&AM faculty (one in your parent department) and another in the department you wish to focus on will be willing to share you as a student. In this case, it is best to contact the faculty you wish to work with well in advance.

I wish to do an inter-disciplinary Ph.D., is that possible?
Then you are at the right place. M&AM is extremely inter-disciplinary, and a Ph.D. student is typically shared between two faculty with different, but symbiotic, interests. Again, please contact the faculty you are interested in working with well in advance.

I am working in a R&D lab/Industry, what options are available for me?
You can register as an external or a sponsored candidate. This option is open to personnel of establishments that are equipped with necessary laboratory, library and computational facilities. In case you are local you can also enroll as a part-time student.

My lab/company wants me to get a Ph.D., what should I do?
Admission for Sponsored Candidates from industries as well as research organizations is also available.

Do I have to choose an adviser before applying?
No. You typically have a semester before you need to choose an adviser. In case of undergraduate students this period may be extended to a year on a case-by-case basis.

What are the course requirements?
This varies from department to department, and even from adviser to adviser. But typically a student entering with a Masters needs to do somewhere between 4 and 8 courses. Entering undergraduate students have to do 10 courses

I am a foreign student...
Please see here http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/DOAA/foreignstudents.htm