AMRITA VISHWA VIDYAPEETHAM

Ph.D. Programme
(Doctor of Philosophy)

Policies and Procedures

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

August 2014
PREAMBLE

1. The name “Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham” will be abbreviated as “the University” in

this document.

2. For the purpose of this document, Centres shall be considered as equivalent to

Departments, and Centre Heads as equivalent to Department Chairs.

3. The PGP (Post-graduate Programmes) Dean, or Chair of the University-level PGP

Committee, has primary responsibility over all Ph.D. Programmes in the University.
The PGP Dean reports to the Vice Chancellor and shall work closely with the Deans of
Schools/Campuses, Principals of Schools and PGP Chairs to ensure the smooth
functioning of all Ph.D. Programmes.

4. A Campus/School Dean, Principal of a School, or Senior Professor may be appointed

as a PGP Chair. For Health Sciences, the Dean Research shall be appointed as a PGP
Chair. A campus may have more than one PGP Chair. The PGP Chairs for a campus
collectively have the responsibility for the Ph.D Programmes in that campus.

5. A Department/Centre/School/Campus that wishes to offer a Ph.D. Programme should

submit an application to the PGP Dean through a campus PGP Chair, and should list
the potential Ph.D. Thesis Advisors and their areas of specialization. The PGP Dean will
forward the application along with a recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for
approval.

6. The Ph.D. degree will mention only the Thesis Title and the School in which the
student is registered, in recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of doctoral research.

7. The award of the Ph.D. degree shall be in accordance with the Policies and
Procedures as outlined in this document, as well as other Ordinances, Rules, and
Regulations of the University.

8. A Ph.D student may appeal to the PGP Chair through the Thesis Advisor/Department
Chair for a waiver/substitution of any requirement. The appeal should be in writing and
supported by proper justification. If the appeal is denied, it may be escalated to the
School Dean/Associate Dean, PGP Dean and the Vice Chancellor, whose decision is
final and binding.

9. Amendments to the policies and procedures outlined in this document may be made
with the approval of the Vice Chancellor and subsequently ratified by the Academic
Council and Board of Management.

The next two sections cover, respectively, the School-level Policies and Procedures and
the University-wide Policies and Procedures which are applicable to all Schools.

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1. SCHOOL OF BUSINESS—POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1.1 Admission Eligibility

The applicant should possess either (a), (b) or (c):

a. Masters degree in Arts, Science or Management or a Post Graduate

Diploma in Management (recognized by either the Association of Indian
Universities or the All-India Council for Technical Education as equivalent to a
MBA), or equivalent;
b. Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Medicine, Law or any other professional
qualification requiring four or more years of education after plus two.
c. Recognized professional memberships/fellowships such as CA, AICWA, or
ACS or equivalent.

1.2 Categories of Doctoral Students

There are two categories of doctoral students, full-time and part-time. At present,
School of Business offers only a part-time PhD programme.

A full-time doctoral student is primarily focused on carrying out at the University all
course-work, research, and other doctoral requirements. The student may be employed
on a research project that has his or her Thesis Advisor (see section 2.2) as PI/Co-PI,
but the research project and doctoral research should have substantial overlap.

A part-time doctoral student typically has a full-time appointment at the University or at

another institution or is self-employed. They are permitted to proceed at a slower pace
in completing their doctoral requirements (see section 1.4).

1.3 Course-work Credits

The number of course-work credits that a doctoral student undertakes is decided by the
Doctoral Committee (see section 2.2) and depends upon the student’s background and
intended Ph.D. research area.

All students must complete a 3-credit course on Research Methodology (see Annexure
1), apart from 3 credit courses on Philosophy of Management research and up to 9
credits on Statistics, advanced quantitative and advance qualitative methods. In
addition:

- students entering with 4 or more years Undergraduate degree or equivalent

degrees must complete 36 credits of MBA level course-work and 36 credits of
PG level coursework;
- students entering with Masters or equivalent degree other than Business,
Management, Economics, Commerce, Finance and Accounting, Psychology,
and Statistics must complete 21 credits of PG-level course-work; and
additional MBA-level course work as prescribed by the Doctoral Committee.

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 - students entering with Masters or equivalent degree in the area of Business,
Management, Economics, Commerce, Finance and Accounting, Psychology,
Statistics must complete 21 credits of PG-level course-work.

All students must complete a 3-credit Minor course, i.e., one that falls outside the
student’s research area. This course could be from the same school as that of the
student (but different department) or it could be from a different school. When a
student’s intended research area is interdisciplinary or the student’s entering degree is
from a different discipline, the Doctoral Committee may petition the PGP Chair for
substitution of the Minor course with another course. The credits for the Minor course or
its substitute are included in the above-mentioned course-work credits.

When necessary, the Doctoral Committee may prescribe more course-work credits than
the minimum stated above.

1.4 Normal Duration of Ph.D.

The normal duration for the Ph.D. depends upon the student’s qualifications at the time
of admission and also the category of admission.

- For full-time doctoral students entering with a Masters or equivalent degree,

the normal duration for the Ph.D. is four years, the minimum being three
years and maximum being six years.
- For full-time doctoral students entering with four more years Undergraduate
degree or equivalent degrees, the corresponding periods are five, four, and
seven years, respectively.
- For part-time doctoral students, the normal duration for the Ph.D. is between
five and eight years.

Under special circumstances, the PGP Chair may approve deviations from the normal
period of completion based upon a written justification provided by the Thesis Advisor
and approved by the Doctoral Committee.

A doctoral student who registers and successfully completes all requirements in the
School of Business will receive a Ph.D. degree under the Faculty of Management.

2. UNIVERSITY-WIDE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

2.1 Admission Procedure

Applications for the Ph.D. Programme will be solicited through the university website
(www.amrita.edu) and other means of advertisement, and admissions shall take place
twice a year on dates that are announced well in advance.

The PGP Chair shall authorize a Department/Centre or a group of Departments/Centres

to form a Selection Committee taking into account the number of available openings,
the number of applications received and the research interests of the applicants. The
Selection Committee will conduct a common Entrance Test for all applicants, followed
by an Interview.

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The Entrance Test will examine fundamental concepts and the syllabus of the Test will
be made known to the applicants in advance. The Interview examines the applicant’s
interests, aptitude, and background. The Selection Committee may request additional
evidence, such as copies of claimed publications, at the Interview.

Based upon the Entrance Test and Interview performance, and prior academic record,
the Committee shall give its recommendation to the PGP Chair who will finalize the
admission and notify the selected applicants of the date of joining.

All prospective Thesis Advisors are invited to participate in the selection process and
their consent obtained before being appointed as Thesis Advisor for any applicant.

2.2 Thesis Advisor and Doctoral Committee

Soon upon admission to the Ph.D. Programme, every student shall be assigned a
Thesis Advisor and a Doctoral Committee by the PGP Chair taking into account the
student’s interests and available faculty.

The Thesis Advisor must be a regular or emeritus faculty member of the University with
a Ph.D. degree and an established research record. The Thesis Advisor is primarily
responsible for guiding the doctoral student’s research and ensuring that the student
makes satisfactory and timely progress towards the Ph.D. degree.

A Thesis Advisor may not advise more than five doctoral students at a time, and, in
exceptional cases, not more than eight students at a time. Junior faculty of the
university, especially first-time advisors, may serve as Thesis Advisor provided a senior
faculty member is associated as a Co-Advisor. Adjunct faculty members of the
University may serve only as Co-Advisors.

A faculty member from one campus of the University may serve as Thesis Advisor for a
doctoral student in another campus. In such cases, the faculty member should keep his
or her Department Chair informed of the arrangement. Occasionally, when it is
desirable to have an external expert as Co-Advisor, the PGP Chair shall recommend (to
Vice chancellor) that the expert be appointed as an Adjunct faculty of the University,
and, subsequent to that appointment, shall appoint him or her to the Doctoral
Committee.

The Doctoral Committee consists of the Thesis Advisor, the Co-Advisor (where
applicable), a Convener, and one or two experts from within the University in the
candidate’s research area. The doctoral committee shall have a total of four to five
members. (In Schools with a small number of PhD-holding faculty, the Doctoral
Committee may have three members.) Each member of the Doctoral Committee must
have a Ph.D. The Doctoral Committee is responsible for all academic matters
connected with the doctoral student, including prescribing the course-work, monitoring
research progress, and conducting appropriate examinations.

Changes in Thesis Advisor and/or Doctoral Committee are permitted after the doctoral
student passes the Comprehensive Examination (see section 2.3.4). Under special

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circumstances, such changes may be permitted at any stage. If the request is due to a
change in research topic, the (new) Doctoral Committee shall ensure that the student
acquires adequate knowledge to proceed with the research programme. Such changes
are to be approved by the PGP Chair.

2.3 Ph.D. Degree Requirements

2.3.1 Course Work

The course-work for a doctoral student is proposed by the Thesis Advisor taking into
account the student’s background and preparation. The proposed course-work must be
endorsed by the Doctoral Committee and approved by the PGP Chair.

All courses shall be University-approved courses. The student is expected to maintain

an average grade of “B” across all courses. In addition to regular courses offered by the
University, three additional types of courses are permitted: transfer courses, on-line
courses, and independent-study courses.

- A transfer course is one that the student has completed in the recent past at
the University (prior to admission) or at another reputed institution. A course
completed for the award of another degree is not eligible for transfer.

- An on-line course is one that is offered in distance-learning mode by another

educational institution or a reputable education-technology company such as
Coursera, EdX, and Udacity. Such courses require prior approval by the
student’s Doctoral Committee. It requires registration in a ‘Special Studies’
course at the University, completion of 45 hours of on-line lectures, and
obtaining a pass grade on a final examination set by the Doctoral Committee
and administered by the Controller of Examinations. The evaluation of on-line
courses shall be similar to other courses.

- An independent-study course is developed specifically for the Ph.D. student

and may involve a combination of self-study and one-to-one instruction by a
professor. Such a course should not have substantial overlap with a regular
lecture course offered by the University. A student taking an independent-
study course must complete a publishable Scopus-indexed conference or
journal paper for successful completion of the course.

Up to 50% of a student’s course-work may consist of the above three types of courses.

2.3.2 Thesis Work

In addition to course-work, the doctoral student is expected to carry out creative and
scholarly research leading up to the completion of a written Ph.D. Thesis. Doctoral
research must result in original and substantial contributions to the chosen specialized
field of study. This requires mastery of the literature in the specialized field, and critical
thinking and judgment. The student should also relate the field of study to the broader
discipline within which the research falls.

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In recognition of the substantial nature of Ph.D. thesis work, it will carry 60 credits. Full-
time doctoral students shall register for 10-15 credits per semester, while part-time
students may register for 6-10 credits each semester. Satisfactory progress in thesis
work will result in an ‘O’ grade (for ongoing) and unsatisfactory progress will result in an
‘I’ grade (for incomplete), which is to be made up within one semester. Satisfactory
progress will be judged by the Doctoral Committee on the basis of semester wise
progress reports submitted by the doctoral student (see section 2.3.11) and/or the
completion of publishable papers (see section 2.3.5). A student is not permitted to
obtain ‘I’ grades in two consecutive semesters.

2.3.3 Residency Requirement

Every doctoral student must fulfill a minimum residency period of one academic year in
the University including the time spent on course work.

Part-time students who are employed external to the University must also fulfill the one-
year residency requirement. However, this can be met through multiple (up to a
maximum of five) visits, with at least one semester/trimester of continuous stay at the
campus. It is recommended that such students undertake course-work for at least one
semester/trimester at the University.

2.3.4 Comprehensive Examination

All doctoral students must take a Comprehensive Examination after completion of all
course-work. This is normally done by full-time /part-time students within two/ three
years after registration in the Ph.D. Programme. The Comprehensive Examination is
an oral (in some Schools, a written-cum-oral) examination administered by the Doctoral
Committee and examines the course work undergone by the candidate.

The Doctoral Committee frames the syllabus for the examination and may invite an
additional expert from within the University who, together with the Doctoral Committee,
form the Comprehensive Examination Committee. The Convener of the Doctoral
Committee will be the Convener of the Comprehensive Examination Committee. No
external examiner is required for the Comprehensive Examination.

If a doctoral student fails in the first attempt, he or she will be given a second chance to
take the examination after a period of three months, but within six months. Extra time
may be recommended by the Doctoral Committee and granted by the PGP Chair when
the student needs to complete additional course-work before re-taking the examination.
In special cases, the Doctoral Committee and PGP Chair may grant a third and final
examination, failing which the student is required to leave the Ph.D. Programme.

2.3.5 Publications

After completion of the Comprehensive Examination, every doctoral student is expected

to publish one refereed paper a year. These papers should be in a Scopus-indexed
journal or conference proceedings. Prior to the submission of a paper to any conference
or journal, a written consent should be obtained from the Chair of the Department in
which the student is registered.

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All publications based upon the thesis research should list the name of the Thesis
Advisor and Co-Advisor, with their consent, in addition to the doctoral student’s name.
The format for writing one’s affiliation in conference/journal papers is as follows:

Names of Authors
Name of Department/Centre/School
Name of Campus
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (University)

Conference publications should appear in the proceedings produced by reputed

international professional bodies. The PGP Chair, in consultation with the experts in the
area, will decide whether the publications are of the required quality.

Before submission of the Thesis Synopsis (see section 2.3.8), every doctoral student is
also expected to have at least one paper accepted for publication in a Scopus-indexed
journal on the topic of the thesis research.

2.3.6 Qualifying Examination and Thesis Proposal

All doctoral students must take a Qualifying Examination. This is normally done by full-
time /part-time students within one year/ two years after passing the Comprehensive
Examination and after the completion of one conference/journal paper. In preparation
for the Qualifying Examination, a doctoral student must submit a written Thesis
Proposal to the Doctoral Committee. After approval by the committee, the student may
take the Qualifying Examination, wherein he or she presents and defends the proposal.

The Qualifying Examination is an oral examination administered by a Qualifying

Examination Committee consisting of the Doctoral Committee together with an external
expert from a reputed academic or R&D institution in India. The Convener of the
Doctoral Committee will be the Convener of the Qualifying Examination Committee.

The Thesis Proposal is a 12-15 page document outlining the doctoral student’s plan of
research. It should include:

(a) the research problem and its significance;

(b) background and related literature;
(c) objectives, approach, and results obtained to date;
(d) remaining research and timeline for completion;
(e) expected contributions to the field;
(f) references cited

If a doctoral student fails the Qualifying Examination in the first attempt, he or she will
be given a second and final chance to take the examination after a period of time as
stipulated by the Doctoral Committee and approved by the PGP Chair. A student who
passes the Qualifying Examination “advances to candidacy,” i.e., becomes a Candidate
for the Ph.D. degree; otherwise, the student is required to leave the Programme.

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2.3.7 Open Seminars

After advancement to candidacy, all doctoral candidates are required to present two
research seminars. The two seminars should be at least six months apart, with the
second seminar being held immediately before the submission of the Synopsis (see
section 2.3.8). These seminars should be attended by the Thesis Advisor and Doctoral
committee. The open seminars should be advertized in all departments at least a week
in advance (electronically and by hardcopy) and a copy sent to the PGP Chair.
Feedback and comments on the research obtained from these seminars may be
suitably incorporated in the thesis.

2.3.8 Thesis Synopsis

Once the Thesis Advisor and Doctoral Committee are satisfied that the doctoral
candidate has completed the required research for the award of the Ph.D. degree and
the candidate has published (or has an acceptance of) a refereed Scopus-indexed
journal paper and has also given the second Open Seminar (see section 2.3.7), the
candidate is required to submit a written Synopsis to the Doctoral Committee for
approval. The Synopsis should include the motivation, significance and main objectives
of the research, along with a brief literature survey and a detailed report on the thesis
research. The main conclusions and results should be highlighted, and important figures
and references should be provided. The Synopsis should be about 12 pages; the exact
format of the Synopsis may be obtained from the Office of the PGP Chair.

The Thesis Advisor should forward to the PGP Chair an electronic and hardcopy of the
Synopsis along with the name, designation, area of interest, email ids and
communication address of at least eight experts who are qualified to evaluate the
Thesis. Four of these experts should be from leading academic/R&D institutions in
India and four from leading academic/R&D institutions from outside the country. From
this list as well as other experts qualified to evaluate the thesis, the PGP Chair should
obtain the consent of one expert from India and one expert from outside the country
who will evaluate the thesis.

2.3.9 Thesis Submission and Evaluation

The doctoral candidate should submit the Ph.D. Thesis to the Doctoral Committee
normally within six weeks from the date of submission of the Synopsis. The exact
format of the submission may be obtained from the Office of the PGP Chair. After
approval by the Doctoral Committee, the Thesis Advisor forwards an electronic and
hardcopy of the Ph.D. Thesis to the PGP Chair who will send it to the external
examiners. The Thesis Advisor and Co-Advisor are also invited to provide a formal
evaluation of the thesis. All examiners will be given eight weeks to provide their
evaluation.

Each examiner can give one of three recommendations: (i) Accept, (ii) Accept with
Modifications, or (iii) Reject. If neither of the external examiners recommends a Reject,
the candidate is permitted to proceed to the Thesis Defense. If both external examiners
recommend a Reject, the thesis is rejected and the candidate is required to leave the

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Ph.D Programme. If only one of the external examiners recommends a Reject, the
thesis is sent to a third external examiner whose evaluation decides whether or not the
candidate is permitted to proceed with the Thesis Defense. Prior to the Defense, the
candidate must submit a revised Thesis taking into account the comments and
suggestions made by all examiners.

2.3.10 Thesis Defense and Final Recommendation

The Thesis Defense is a public presentation made by the doctoral candidate on the
research reported in the thesis. The date, time, venue and title of the defense should be
announced widely and well in advance to enable all interested parties to attend. The
Thesis Defense Committee, which includes at least one external examiner and the
doctoral committee members, must be present at the defense.

The Thesis Defense Committee consists of the Doctoral Committee and at least one of
the external experts who evaluated the thesis. The Convener of the Doctoral Committee
serves as the Convener of this Committee. If none of the external examiners can be
present, the PGP Chair may nominate a substitute examiner.

The public defense will be followed by an in-camera (closed-door) oral examination

during which the candidate is required to answer queries raised by the thesis
examiners. For this purpose, all examiners’ reports will be made available to all
members of the Thesis Defense Committee, who may cover the general background of
the subject in the light of the requirements for the thesis. Where part of the work has
been undertaken jointly with others, the examiners should satisfy themselves as to the
adequacy of the candidate’s own contribution.

A pass in the in-camera oral examination is compulsory. If a candidate fails this

examination in the first instance, he/she may be allowed a second and final chance after
a lapse of three months, but not later than six months from the date of first appearance.
If the candidate passes the oral examination, the Thesis Defense Committee shall
consolidate the recommendation for the award of the PhD Degree based on the report
of the examiners who evaluated the thesis as well as an evaluation of the candidate’s
performance in the oral examination. The Convener forwards the consolidated
recommendation to the PGP Chair who forwards the same to the PGP Dean with the
required enclosures (see Annexure 2). The PGP Dean forwards the final
recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for his approval. After the Vice Chancellor’s
approval, the PGP Dean issues the Provisional Certificate.

2.3.11 Progress Reports

The doctoral student shall submit half-yearly reports to the Doctoral Committee who in
turn will forward these reports along with their evaluation to the PGP Chair. The Office
of the PGP Chair will maintain the format of the progress report.

The PGP Chair may conduct periodic reviews of all doctoral students, especially those
who are not making satisfactory progress, in a meeting with their Thesis Advisors and
selected additional members present. Continued unsatisfactory progress, as determined
by the PGP Chair, may be sufficient grounds for discontinuation of any fellowship or

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assistantship that has been previously awarded to the student and also dismissal from
the Ph.D. Programme.

2.3.12 Award of the Ph.D. Degree

Upon approval by the Vice Chancellor and subsequent ratification by the Academic
Council and the Board of Management of the University, the doctoral student will be
presented to the Chancellor (or Chancellor’s nominee) for award of the Ph.D. Degree at
the next Convocation of the University.

ANNEXURE 1

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3-0-0-3

(3-credit course)
See the course outline here:
http://web.amrita.edu/asb/images/phd/research-methodology-course-outline.pdf

ANNEXURE 2

For Vice Chancellor’s Approval

When the entire process for the award of Ph.D is complete, the PGP Chair of the
Campus/School should submit to the PGP Dean (at the University Headquarters) the
following:

THESIS DEFENSE REPORT

Name of the Candidate :

Degree Registered : Ph.D
Registration Number :
Date and Place of Oral Examination :

We Certify that the Thesis Defense Report Contains the Following:

1. Main Contributions made by the Candidate (~ one page)

2. Reviewers’ Reports (original), categorized by each reviewer
3. Account of Open Oral Examination (~ one page)
4. Account of in-Camera Oral Examination (~ one page)
5. Statement regarding the acceptability of:
(a) the candidate’s written replies, if any, to the examiners’ comments and queries;
(b) the list of changes, if any, incorporated in the Thesis
6. Final Recommendation regarding the acceptability of the Thesis for the
award of the Ph D Degree of the University, to read as shown below:

“Based on:
i. The contributions made in the thesis entitled ________,
ii. Reports of the examiners who evaluated the thesis,

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 iii. Satisfactory performance in the Open Oral Examination, and
iv. Satisfactory performance in the In-camera Oral Examination,

we recommend the acceptance of the thesis for the award of the PhD Degree of Amrita
Vishwa Vidyapeetham to Mr/ Ms ______________________.”

Name of the External Examiner Signature

Name of the Member, Doctoral Committee Signature
Name of the Thesis Advisor Signature
Name of the Convener, Doctoral Committee Signature

Note: All the documents are to be signed by the Thesis Advisor and, the same to be
submitted to PGP Chair after completion of the defense.

Enclosures to Thesis Defense Report

1. The Ph.D. Candidate should submit:

(i) one corrected hardcopy of the Ph.D. Thesis (for the University Library);
(ii) one soft copy of the Thesis in a CD (for UGC); and
(iii) one soft copy of the Synopsis in another CD (for UGC).

The CD’s should mention the Title of the Thesis, Name of the Student, Year of
Registration, Name of the Department where Registered, Name of the Thesis Advisor
as well as the Co Advisor, if applicable, Name of the School and Name and Address of
the University.

The month and year in the thesis (to be lodged with the University) should be the month
and year of the Thesis Defense. The date of Declaration should be the date of the
Thesis Defense.

The final hardbound Ph.D. Thesis may be produced after the Thesis Defense,
incorporating any modifications that are necessitated in the light of the discussions and
queries raised at the Defense. Prior to binding, a softcopy of the Thesis should be
submitted to the PGP Dean’s Office for approval of the format of the front pages.

The Hardbound Thesis should be submitted within one week after the Thesis Defense.

2. The PGP Chair should submit:

1. Date of receipt of Application and also a copy of the completed Application Form
2. Date of constituting the Selection Committee including the list of Members.
3. Date of Entrance Examination and Interview
4. Date of Admission offer letter
5. Date of Joining (i.e. the date on which the required fees was paid)
6. Register Number
7. Doctoral Committee Members list
8. Date of completion of course work and list of courses completed

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9. Date of successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination including the
list of Committee Members
10. Date of successful completion of the Qualifying Examination including the list of
Committee Members
11. Dates of Two Seminars
12. Dates of Residency in University Campus (for part-time candidates who are not
employed at Amrita)
13. Details of Publications for Independent Study Courses
14. Details of Yearly Publications past Comprehensive Examination. For each journal
paper, provide the name of the journal and publisher, volume and page numbers,
and year of publication; and, for each conference paper, provide the name, date,
and location of the conference, publisher of the proceedings, page numbers, and
the professional society sponsoring the conference.
15. Date of Synopsis Submission
16. Date of Thesis Submission
17. Date of Thesis Defense

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