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General Information

The Integrated PhD (Int. PhD)  programme is a 6-year programme offered for students admitted after their Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Engineering or other allied fields. Students who already have a Master’s degree or who will receive a Master’s degree at the time of admission are not eligible for this programme. Such students may opt for the CAM-ICTS joint PhD programme.

The Integrated PhD programme comprises of three stages

Years 1, 2, and 3: During the first two years of the programme, the student undergoes rigorous training in Master’s level mathematics with a strong emphasis on Analysis, Probability, and theoretical and numerical study of PDEs. A total of 16 courses, each of 5 credits is offered in the first two years of the programme. The detailed syllabus can be found here. In year 3, the student works under the supervision of a faculty member (prospective PhD supervisor) preparing for  PhD research work and the candidacy exam which will happen at the end of the 3rd year, in addition, they will be taking advanced topics courses and a course in research methodology.  The student has the option to exit with an MSc degree upon fulfilling the necessary requirements.

Years 4, 5 and 6: PhD work under the supervision of a faculty member.

Fellowship

YearFellowship (monthly)Contingency (yearly)
1

Rs. 21,000

Rs. 25,000

2 onwards

Rs. 37,000

Rs. 40,000

On registration for PhD degree (typically from year 4)

Rs. 42,000

Rs. 40,000


Normal progress in the Integrated PhD programme

Starting with the academic year 2020-2021, TIFR has moved to a CGPA system. Grading Scheme can be found here. We outline below what constitutes normal progress in the Int. PhD programme. 

A student is deemed to be making normal progress if they satisfy all of the following:

1. During the MSc coursework, that is during the first two years of the programme: Maintains a CGPA of at least 8/10 and a GPA of at least B (6/10) in each course. Please note that both the conditions must be met for normal progress in the first two years of the programme. If a student maintains this status throughout the first four semesters, then they are guaranteed continuation in the Int. PhD programme. The minimum grade required to pass a course is P (4/10).

2.  During the third year: 

  1. Takes a minimum of 4 Topics Courses (these are short courses on advanced topics offered from time-to-time) and receives an S (Satisfactory) grade in each of these 4 courses, 

  2. Works under the supervision of an adviser and writes a Research Methodology Report comprising the research-related work accomplished, and

  3. Passes the oral Candidacy Qualifying Examination before a Committee which includes the student’s  adviser and other faculty members by the end of their third year. 

3.  Fourth, fifth and sixth years: 

  1. Officially registers for a PhD with an adviser at the beginning of the fourth year, after passing the candidacy qualifying examination,

  2. Gives at least one oral research presentation every year before the student’s Thesis Monitoring Committee to its satisfaction, and 

  3. Works on research problem(s) and successfully defends the PhD thesis before the end of the 6th year of the programme.


What if normal progress is not maintained at any stage of the Integrated PhD programme?

  1. M. Sc. coursework (First 2 years, 4 semesters)

    1. In the first semester, if a student fails in 3 or more courses, then they are asked to leave the programme.

    2. In each of the subsequent semesters, that is from the second to the fourth semester, if a student fails in 2 or more courses, then the Graduate Studies Committee may recommend expulsion of the student from the programme.

    3. If a student fails in 3 or more courses in the first year, then they are asked to leave the programme.

    4. If a student fails a particular course, the Graduate Studies Committee will decide the future course of action in consultation with the concerned instructor. 

    5. Please note that if a student fails a course in the second year of the Int. PhD programme, and the concerned instructor recommends repeating the course, then the student can take the course again only in the subsequent year. By default, the only option available then is to pass the course in the third year (with no fellowship) and exit with a Master’s degree.

    6. At the end of the third semester, if a student has passed all the Master’s courses, but has failed to maintain a CGPA of 8/10 or a grade point of at least B (6/10) in each of their courses, then the student may be asked to appear for an oral interview after the 4th semester and pass it for continuation in the Int. PhD programme. While maintaining normal progress guarantees continuation in the Int. PhD programme, failure to meet normal progress does not necessarily mean that a student has to go through an interview for continuation. The decision to ask a student to appear for an interview in such cases depends crucially on the overall performance of the student combined with input from all the concerned instructors. A student who maintains normal progress till the 3rd semester, but does not satisfy the normal progress criteria mentioned above in the 4th semester, may be asked to appear for an interview at the end of the 4th semester to be eligible for continuation in the Int. PhD programme. 

  1. Third year performance and candidacy exam

    1. A student who has not obtained an S grade in the 4 Topics Courses will be asked to take further such courses to satisfy this requirement, and this has to be done prior to their candidacy qualifying exam.

    2. If a student fails the candidacy exam, the Graduate Studies Committee in consultation with the adviser and the Candidacy Exam Committee, may ask the student to give another one in a few months time. If a student fails the candidacy exam the second time, they will be asked to leave the programme.

  1. Fourth year and beyond

    1. If the Thesis Monitoring Committee of a student compiles a report of unsatisfactory progress at least once, the Graduate Studies Committee may ask the student to leave the programme.

    2. If a student is not in a position to defend the thesis by the end of the 6th year, an extension of a few months with half the normal salary may be granted subject to some restrictions. Therefore a student is strongly advised to successfully defend the thesis by the end of the 6th year of the programme. 


Year 3 and Candidacy Examination

During the third year of the programme, a student is expected to work under the supervision of an academic adviser mastering the background material required and begin to identify research problems for their PhD work. Additionally, the student should take at least four Topics Courses. It is the student’s responsibility to find a suitable academic adviser. The student signs up for a Research Methodology course (MTH300.4) worth 4 credits with their adviser. By the end of the third year, the student should write a Research Methodology Report based on the work done during the third year. Two  copies of this report, one for the Graduate Studies Office and another for the Library must be submitted. Furthermore, by the end of the third year, the student must pass the Candidacy Examination -- an oral research presentation followed by a question/answer session before the Candidacy Exam Committee. The research presentation typically consists of background research material as well as potential research problems the student plans to pursue as part of their PhD work. Upon submission of the Research Methodology Report and successful passing of the Candidacy Exam, the academic adviser assigns as S (Satisfactory) Grade in the Research Methodology Course. The Candidacy Exam Committee continues as the student’s Thesis Monitoring Committee in the subsequent years to monitor the progress.


Registration for PhD

Students who pass the Candidacy Examination can seek registration for PhD. They shall apply to the Subject Board within 6 months of this exam and seek formal approval of the Board for registration. The application should contain the name of the proposed thesis adviser and a broad description of the topic of research intended to be pursued, endorsed by the proposed thesis adviser. 

It will be the responsibility of the students to identify a research topic and find an adviser, suitable to their aptitude and interests. There is no formal procedure for drawing up research programmes and assignments to advisers. Students are expected to develop serious interest in a broad area of specialization by the end of their second year, and they are welcome to consult any faculty member at the Centre for suggestions. Any regular academic member of the School of Mathematics is eligible to be a student’s thesis adviser. For more information, please visit https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/academic_procedures.php


Submission of PhD Synopsis and PhD Thesis

After a student completes their PhD research project, with the permission of the thesis adviser, the student forwards a synopsis of the thesis to the Subject Board, to obtain approval for submission of the synopsis to the TIFR Mumbai Graduate Studies Office. The same procedure will once again be followed to obtain approval for submission of the corresponding thesis. Once the Subject Board approves the submission of a synopsis/thesis, the rest of the process of submission and evaluation of the synopsis and thesis will be as per the guidelines prescribed by the Academic Council of TIFR. For more information, please visit https://www.tifr.res.in/academics/academic_procedures.php