Program overview

Year 0

Application

Application Form

  • All applicants apply to projects that are jointly specified by a supervisor from IITB and Monash (could also involve industry)
  • Intakes take place twice a year commencing March until May; commencing August until December (for more details see Intake flow chart)
  • Completed students are treated as normal IITB completions

System Support:

  • Application process is managed through an online recruitment portal – ‘AFORS’
  • System manages supervisor, and HoD approvals online
  • Manages entire selection process from Expression of Interest to acceptance of student
  • AFORS

Year 1

Coursework/Develop Research Plan

Coursework

  • Students undertake coursework for either 6 months (typically M.Tech, MA/MS, MPhil) or 12 months (typically B.Tech)
  • Literature search commences
  • Funding support provided to students for 3 years after coursework,
  • Application required for extension of scholarship and candidature.

Confirmation

  • Students must obtain a CPI of at least 8.0 to be confirmed in the program

Year 2-3

Research/Progress Assessed

Research

  • One Annual Progress Seminar (APS) and written report and presentation provided each year to assess progress
  • APS is assessed by supervisors and Research Progress Committee (RPC) members
  • RPC is defined at the commencement of the collaboration. The RPC includes IITB supervisor(s), Monash supervisor(s), one member from IITB and one other member from Monash
  • APS and RPC manage poor performance

Supervisor Responsibilities

  • Establish timelines, ongoing communication via Skype
  • Conduct meetings and involvement in departmental activities
  • Encourage publication/patenting and co-authorship/co-inventorship with students
  • Thesis preparation and presentation.

Monash Stay:

  • Occurs when this is suitable for the project as decided by both supervisors
  • The student will be at Monash for minimum 12 months.

Year 4

Examination/Completion

Pre-synopsis

  • Oral presentation to pre-synopsis committee, extended abstract submitted
  • Candidate has four months to submit thesis and the full synopsis.

Nomination and selection of examiners

  • Supervisors nominate 4 confirmed external examiners and the names of two chairs of the Viva Voce committee
  • Management of the examinations process rotates between Monash and IITB each year

Submission of Thesis and Synopsis

  • Thesis submitted with synopsis (1000-4000 words)
  • Requires at least 2 papers published/accepted for publication in recognized refereed journals or in proceedings highly rated conferences

Examination Process

  • 6 weeks from receipt of synopsis and thesis.

Viva Voce examination

  • Candidate is required to defend work via a Viva Voce examination conducted by Examiners
  • For additional details, see the Monash IITB Joint PhD Program Thesis Examination Process