Programme Structure

MBA course credits (for a non-MBA degree holder). Executive/Part time scholar are exempted from this credit.

Course Work

• Core courses
• Area Core courses
• Research seminars and workshops
• Thesis proposal
• Thesis work with focus on theory and methodology

Course Work and Thesis

• Foundation courses – 12 credits
• Core courses – 14 credits
  • Philosophy of Research
  • Research Methods I – Quantitative
  • Research Methods II – Qualitative
  • Research Writing and Publication Ethics
  • Case Writing and Theory Building
• Area courses – 6 credits
• Research Workshop course – 3 credits
• Teaching and Pedagogy Immersion (optional for PhD Executive/Part time)

Comprehensive Research Assessment

The purpose of Comprehensive Research Assessment (CRA) is to ensure a student's multidisciplinary appreciation of management issues and his/her readiness to undertake original research in his/her chosen knowledge domain. The evaluation is conducted by a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) constituted of 2-3 members out of which one will be external expert, specifically for each student. The Committee determines whether a student has developed an in-depth understanding of the inter-disciplinary nature of various knowledge domains, and is able to develop appropriate models / solutions based on the work of other scholars in these knowledge domains. The candidate needs to deliver two seminars. One, to defend the problem selected for research (shorter format of a research proposal). Two, a method of choice.

The Research Office will set up a committee at the beginning of the Sem- III, consisting of two to three faculty members; one of them will act as the Chairperson of the Committee. It would be desirable for the Committee to meet together as a group, discuss the candidate's progress, and decide a topic, which would test the knowledge and integrative capability of the student and his ability to connect issues and problems in the field of management.

Thesis Work

The thesis work includes following sections.

Thesis Proposal

The scholar's research work would start with the identification of a thesis topic (usually based on guidance/advice of faculty members), and getting a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) (2/3 faculty members- one internal faculty and at least one foreign faculty) constituted for supervision of the research to be done. The student is required to work with this committee to develop a research design, leading to the development of a thesis proposal and having a theoretical contribution to the research.

The scholar will be required to deliver at least two open seminars. The first one to justify the topic selected delving into which other options were evaluated and rejected. In the presentation the candidate must connect the topic with the contemporary research conversations going on in top class academic journals or with any social issue with global appeal. The members of TAC should get convinced that the expected theoretical contribution will get accepted in a top ranked research journal. The second seminar will be on the thesis proposal to the IILM SOM academic community. The sole evaluation criteria will be proper identification of knowledge gap and expected theoretical contributions. In case modifications to the proposal are suggested, the scholar has to carry out the modifications and a revised proposal has to be presented within a given time frame. The proposal must clearly lay the path of publishing at least two research papers in the chosen area. Once the proposal is approved, the scholar may proceed with the research work towards his/her thesis. There will be rubrics for assessment.

TAC Review Presentations

The scholar is further required to make presentations (of maximum 45 minutes) on his/her progress every four months - where the faculty community and Fellow scholars give feedback & suggestions for improvement. The feedback has to be incorporated within the given time frame. The scholar has to submit the progress report with necessary documents and proof of evidence of progress achieved to the thesis committee members, with a copy to the PhD office. Each thesis must be presented in the prescribed format.

Thesis Writing and Submission

Work on the thesis represents the final phase of the PhD Programme. The thesis work of the scholar to be presented before Thesis Advisory Committee (Chair- Director Research/nominated professor, one External Expert, Dean – School/Department and/or Chair PhD at School/Department, TAC members) for approval for the submission of the thesis. This should focus on providing the original contribution in the domain / discipline and the robust research design and methodology to contribute to the knowledge body.

The thesis writing can be done in two types of models:

1. Scientific Model- A scholar works in a standard mode of completing research tasks step by step and publish papers and proceed to write thesis.
2. Synthesis Model- A scholar needs to write 3 (three) A category / Q1 research papers. This should be added with a chapter that develops theoretical and methodological foundation and synthesize the papers to form one piece of work.

Publication Requirement

The Research undertaken by a Doctorate scholar is expected to provide sufficient basis for writing papers in refereed academic journals. One of the objectives of the PhD program is to prepare scholars for academic contribution and research. Hence the final requirement for qualifying for the title of Doctorate is to have at least two publications. It could be two peer-reviewed journal publications or a combination of one peer-reviewed journal publications and one case study publication. Peer-reviewed journal publications must be in A, B and C categories in ABDC journal ranking or ABS or journals with a Scopus/Web of Science Cite Score. The journal must not be listed as predatory by any indexing body. These publications / acceptance of publications are must before final submission of the thesis.

The case study publication must be in one of the following four case clearing houses such as Harvard Business School Publishing / Richard Ivey/ Emerald Emerging Market Case Study/Case Research Journal of NACRA or any other prestigious case bank as approved by the School or Department after due diligence on rigour and relevance. However, Final publication requirement for qualifying as PhD for a Scholar (Executive/Part time) is to have two publications including maximum one case study publication or one action-oriented report or technical research paper. One publication is must in a journal listed as ABS Level I or ABDC C category. The journals must be indexed in Scopus or Web of Science.

Final round of thesis defense may be scheduled only after the acceptances of two publications. In the case of a joint publication, the scholar has to be the first author to be counted as a publication. IILM University Gurugram Affiliation is must mention in each publication. The publications must happen before the summary of the thesis is uploaded on the Shodhganga. The scholar has to be aware of the antiplagiarism clause (Less than 10% similarity index and Zero percent AI score).

Thesis Examination

Once the Doctoral Committee has approved the thesis for submission, thesis will be sent to two (2) external experts for examination as per the rules of the university to identify and chose the experts. The Director will appoint the Thesis Examination Committee (TEC) as per the rules. On submission of the final report by the TEC members, final defense will be organised with one external expert, TAC, Dean and or Chair PhD of the school/department, and Research Director as Chair. This Committee would examine the thesis and conduct the viva voce examination based on the thesis. Based on the examination results, the thesis will be either accepted as it is or accepted after modifications, or rejected.

Financial Support (For Scholars under Residential Fellowship)

• Fellowship: Scholars will be awarded a scholarship stipend of INR 40,000 per month for I year, INR 50,000 per month for II year and INR 60000 Per month for III year. This scholarship stipend would be valid for III year as per term and rules of the university. Fellowship post year III will depend on the funding or additional engagement with the school on case-to-case basis.
• Recipients of the UGC-JRF: will continue to avail the fellowship under the prevailing terms and conditions of UGC.
• Fellowship requires: scholars to commit time for academic and select administrative responsibilities which will start in the first year of the program. From Year II onwards the responsibility will include course assistance in 2 courses and in year III scholar is required to teach two full courses along with other responsibilities.
• Accommodation: Fellowship based admission will be conditionally residential. Scholars can request hostel accommodation (subject to availability). Hostel and mess expenses are chargeable as per the prevailing rates (on actuals).
• Contingency Grant: The scholars would be eligible for a handsome total contingency grant of INR 90,000 (@ 30000/- per annum). The grant would be available after course work completion and thesis proposal acceptance, to support field work or any other academic activity. With prior approval, this grant may be used to cover incidental expenses like data collection, stationery, hardware/software and others.
• Conference support: The institute also provides a support of maximum amount of INR 30000/- per year from II year onwards for presenting research papers at prestigious conferences. The conference needs to fulfil the conference norms as laid down by the university and is provided after the successful completion of the comprehensive examination. To attend the conference, approval of TAC Chair and Dean of the School is mandatory. Grants for international conference will be recommended by TAC to Dean of the School and Director- Research office, which will be evaluated under the rules and the impact of the research.

Contact Details– of the PhD Coordinator or point of contact for student queries

For admissions related queries, you may contact at: phd.som@iilm.edu

Admission Process

Applicants have to apply online by visiting the IILM University website www.iilm.edu. The fee for application form is INR 1000 + GST

Admission Test

• UGC-NET/JRF qualification. (score valid for one year)
• UGC approved national level tests (CAT/XAT/GMAT/MAT) (score valid for one year)
• IILM Doctoral Aptitude Test

Research Proposal and Interview

• Evaluation of research proposal and academic profile: The applicant needs to complete the PhD application form. The form must be accompanied by a research proposal of 1000-1500 words expressing a problem statement and method to address it.
• Personal Interview focusing on research inclination, domain knowledge, and alignment with faculty expertise.

Additional Criteria

• For PhD Executive/Part time programme, it is required to have 10 years of full-time relevant work experience in corporate, government, academics or any other domain.

The eligible candidates are invited for the final Admission Interview round and the final selection/merit list will be prepared based on the above process. Any exemption will be under the rules or as decided by the competent authority.

IILM University encourages application from SC/ST and women candidates to ensure diversity and inclusivity to the program.

Programme Fee

Note: An incidental charge for quality enhancement as desired by the candidate or to improve the programme rigour and relevance may be added after appropriate process and announcement.

along with specialisation areas

TBD