• Total Credits for the PhD program will be 300.
• All PhD students will have following mandatory PhD level courses to be completed within the first 2 years of their doctoral study:   

◦ Research Methods and Ethics 3 credits
◦ Technical Writing 1 credits
◦ Pedagogy Design 2 credits
◦ Design Thinking and Translational Research 2 credits

• Remaining credit requirements for coursework shall be decided by the student in consultation with the doctoral committee.
• Part-time PhD students can complete up to 15 credits during their mandatory on-campus visits.

Minimum eligibility requirement

• • For the General category candidates, a 2-year (or more) Master’s degree with 60% marks or an MPhil degree with 60% coursework marks in a discipline relevant to the school in which the candidate is applying is required.
  • SC/ST/OEC/OBC (non-creamy layer)/ Differently-Abled/ Economically weaker section candidates have the same criteria as the General category candidates, except that they need to have only 55% marks.
  • The candidates who have appeared for the final examinations are also eligible to apply if their aggregate marks until then are equal to or above the minimum required marks. If admitted to the PhD program, they have to meet the full eligibility criteria within a date specified by the University.
  • Part-time and Industry Regular PhD applicants are additionally required to have a full-time job with at least 5 years of relevant full-time work experience, after their Bachelor’s degree. To apply to the Industry Regular PhD program, the applicant should be a full time employee of the industry at the time of application.
  • The mentor identified by an Industry Regular PhD applicant needs to provide a letter describing how the chosen industry research lab is sufficiently equipped to conduct the required research.

Additional school-wise eligibility requirements

Interested candidates must apply online through the DUK PhD application portal and upload the required documents. If a candidate wishes to apply to more than one School or to more than one type of PhD program, separate registration and application may be required for each. The application fee and fee exemptions, if any, will be as notified in the application portal/admission notification.

PhD admission is offered through two channels:

1. Recognized national-level qualifications such as UGC-NET/JRF, CSIR-NET, GATE, CEED, or equivalent examinations approved by the University; or
2. Digital University Research Aptitude Test (DRAT).

Candidates applying through either channel are required to appear for an interview/viva-voce conducted by the respective School as part of the final selection process.

DRAT is conducted in two stages:

DRAT-C: Common Test — 35 marks

DRAT-C is conducted online, which assesses research methodology, research aptitude, analytical ability, comprehension, and quantitative reasoning.

DRAT-S: Subject / research-area specific test — 35 marks

DRAT-S is conducted offline on the University campus by the respective School and is based on the chosen research area.

Candidates appearing for DRAT-S may be required to choose a specific research area and appear for the corresponding subject/research area test as notified by the University.

Candidates who secure the required minimum aggregate marks in DRAT-C and DRAT-S will be shortlisted for the interview/viva voce. Relaxation in qualifying marks for eligible reserved categories will be as per applicable University/UGC norms.

Candidates who have qualified through recognized national-level examinations such as UGC-NET/JRF, CSIR-NET, GATE, CEED, or equivalent may be considered for interview/viva voce only, in accordance with applicable regulations and University norms.

The interview/viva-voce will assess whether:

1. The candidate possesses the competence and preparedness to undertake research in the proposed area;
2. The proposed research work can be suitably undertaken at DUK, and
3. The proposed area of research can contribute to new or additional knowledge.

The respective School may ask shortlisted candidates to submit additional materials such as a Statement of Purpose, research proposal, recommendation letter, or presentation, if required. The School or University will notify such requirements at the appropriate stage.

The list of selected candidates will be published on the DUK website, and selected candidates may also be notified by email.

Detailed instructions regarding DRAT date, mode of examination, syllabus, interview schedule, document requirements, and other admission procedures will be published on the University website/admission portal.

*Part Time and Industry regular participants also will have a special fee of Rs 50,000 from year 2 onwards.

• Admission fee, caution deposit, lab fee, student amenities charges etc. will be additional.
• On campus accommodation is charged additionally if availed.
• An admission fee of Rs 10,000/- and a refundable caution deposit of Rs 5,000/- need to be paid initially by all the selected candidates to confirm their seats for the PhD program.
• DUK scholarship is only for those who are not project assistants and do not have external fellowships such as JRF.
• All the students who are receiving the DUK scholarship are expected to contribute to the academic activities of the University for around 10 hours every week.

• RTP Syllabus