PhD (Executive) Admission Policy 2025
1. Last day of application: 31 st January 2025
2. Interview dates: 2ndweek of February 2025
3. Results: March 2025
4. Classes begin: July 2025 Onward
1. Objective
PhD (Executive) programme at IIM Sirmaur (IIMS) is a doctoral programme in management for working executives interested in pursuing research in one of the fields of management and want to contribute to the body of management literature. The programme will provide participants with training in various areas of management research and help them undertake high quality interdisciplinary research
The PhD (Executive) programme at IIM Sirmaur seeks high-quality candidates with a strong academic background with professional experience, and intellectual curiosity needed for scholarship in management education and research. Those who successfully complete the PhD (Executive) Programme at IIM Sirmaur will be able to undertake research in their areas of specialization independently and use the knowledge gained in their areas of teaching.
Interested candidates may apply in the areas of Finance, Strategy, Human Resource & Organizational Behavior, Economics, Marketing, Operations & Supply Chain Management, Management Information Systems (MIS), Decision Science, Tourism Management and Public Policy.
2. Eligibility
2.1. Candidate requires a valid test score of CAT/ GRE/ GMAT/ GATE/ JRF/ SRF. A candidate having MBA (regular) from an IIM with a CGPA of 8.00 (10 Point Scale) and above (or equivalent) would be exempted from these scores. In case, a candidate does not fulfill one of these, he/she may choose to appear in Doctoral Aptitude Test (DAT) to be conducted by IIM Sirmaur for this purpose.
2.2. Candidates must have obtained one of the following qualifications after higher secondary school (10+2) or equivalent:
- A regular Master's Degree in any discipline with 60 percent marks or a two-year post-graduate diploma with at least 60 percent marks along with a regular Bachelor’s degree with at least 60 per cent marks.
- A regular 5-year Integrated Master’s Degree with at least 60 percent marks (obtained after completing higher secondary schooling in 10+2 pattern) in any discipline.
- A professional qualification like CA, ICWA, CS (with at least 50 per cent marks) along with a regular Bachelor's degree (with at least 60 per cent marks).
- A regular 4 year/ 8 semester’s Bachelor's degree (10+2+4 pattern) with at least 70 per cent marks.
2.3. Applicants must have full time work experience of at least five (5) years after graduation, in either industry/ or academics/ or research establishment.
3. Application Procedure
The admission documentation for the PhD (Executive) Programme shall include the following:
1) PhD (Executive) Application Form
The PhD (Executive) application form can be accessed from IIM Sirmaur’s website . A candidate is eligible to submit applications for a maximum of two areas. Incomplete admission forms will not be accepted.
2) Statement of Purpose
PhD (Executive) applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose (SOP). The SOP should clearly mention the background of the student, the motivation of the candidate to pursue research, the area of research that the candidate is interested in and any details the candidate could not mention in the application form.
3) Research Proposal/Research Journey
An applicant is required to share a proposal on any research area that the applicant is interested in. The proposal may contain a review of the literature, proposed research questions and a proposed methodology. Please note, the course does not bound the applicant to work on this proposal for their dissertation. This submission is to help the selection panel understand the research aptitude of the applicant.
4) Supporting Documents
- Certified copies of mark sheets or transcripts of grades obtained during the course of study for the above degrees. Transcripts in languages other than Hindi and English must be submitted along with certified translations.
- Two references with their contact details and their respective email IDs from academics who have taught the candidate or with whom the candidate has worked closely on scholarly work.
- Copies of Work Experience Certificates (if any).
- Caste Certificate (if applicable)
- Caste Certificate (if applicable)
- No Objection Certificate from Employer
4. Application Fee
| Application fee* | Fee for one area | Fee for two areas |
|---|---|---|
| Amount (Indian Rupees) | Rs. 3000 | Rs. 4000 |
| Fee for Entrance Exam** | Fee |
|---|---|
| Doctoral Aptitude Test (DAT) | Rs. 5000 |
*Only eligible applicants are required to apply. If at any stage, an applicant is found ineligible in accordance with the stipulated eligibility criteria or not shortlisted based on the profile, then the application fee would not be refunded.
** In case, a candidate choose to appear in the Doctoral Aptitude Test (DAT) to be conducted by IIM Sirmaur for this purpose, shall need to pay Rs. 5000 as an entrance exam fee. The fee shall be in addition to the application fee
Fee Scenarios:
- Scenario One: Applicant applying in one area, and not choosing to appear in DAT would be required to pay Rs. 3,000.
- Scenario Two: Applicant applying in two areas, and not choosing to appear in DAT would be required to pay Rs. 4,000.
- Scenario Three: Applicant applying in one area, and choosing to appear in DAT would be required to pay Rs. 8,000 (Rs. 3,000 + Rs. 5,000).
- Scenario Four: Applicant applying in two areas, and choosing to appear in DAT would be required to pay Rs. 9,000 (Rs. 4,000 + Rs. 5,000).
5. Selection Process for PhD (Executive) 2025
- Stage 1: Doctoral Aptitude Test (DAT) would be conducted for the applicants who chose to appear for the same. Results of DAT would be declared as cleared / not cleared.
- Stage 2: Area wise applications would be pooled. Based on the information provided by the applicants, candidates will be shortlisted on the recommendation of the respective areas.
- Stage 3: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for the first round of personal interview conducted by the members of the candidate’s chosen area of specialization/s.
- Stage 4: Candidates shortlisted after Stage 3 will be required to appear for second round of personal interview with the Doctoral Programme and Research Committee.
- Stage 5: Candidates who are recommended admission after Stage 4 interviews, will be given offer letters of admission to the PhD (Executive) at IIM Sirmaur.
Important Points
- A. IIM Sirmaur follows reservation guidelines stipulated by the Government of India.
- B. Online GMAT/GRE (take home) exam scores are not valid. Only test center based GMAT/GRE scores are valid. Respective tests and their score’s validity as on deadline of submitting application form is: CAT (5 Years), GRE (5 Years), GMAT (5 Years), GATE (3 Years), JRF (3 Years), SRF (1 Year).
- C. Candidates accepting the offer will be charged Rs. 2,000 (Registration Fee), Rs. 50,000 (Refundable Caution Money), and first-year tuition fee (Rs 2,00,000/-) to be paid before registration. Fee for the second year and third year would be Rs 1,50,000 for each year. From the fourth year onwards, the fee would be Rs 1,00,000/- for each of the subsequent years till the doctoral degree is awarded.
- D. The percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice followed by their respective University/Institution. In case of grades/CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure as certified by the respective University/Institution.
- E. Candidates who are in the final year of their qualifying Programmes that would make them eligible can also apply. Such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally only if they submit a course completion certificate latest by 30th June 2025 from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar or Director of the University/Institute stating that they have appeared for the examinations (including practical examinations) in all the subjects required for obtaining the Master's/Bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification.
- F. Students will provisionally be admitted into the course, and their admission will be confirmed only when they submit the experience certificate, qualifying test scores, marks sheet, and the certificate of having passed the Master's/Bachelor's degree/equivalent qualification referred to in the certificate issued by the Principal/Registrar of their college/Institute. The deadline for submission of any pending marks sheet and the provisional degree certificate is October 30, 2025. All the marksheets and related documents, experience certificates shall be verified in original, while original copies of the Medical fitness certificate, Transfer/Migration Certificate would be required to submit at the time of registration.
- G. Admission of the provisionally admitted student will only be confirmed after receiving/verifying all the documents to the satisfaction of the admission office. The onus of submitting pending documents will completely lie on the student, and non-submission of such documents on or before the deadline may lead to cancellation of provisional admission. In addition, non-fulfillment of the conditions of eligibility for the minimum percentage of marks obtained in the final result as applicable will automatically cancel the provisional admission.
- H. Canvassing on the part of the applicants or misbehaving with the staff or faculty of the institute in any manner shall lead to his/her disqualification. In case it is detected at any point of time in future, even after appointment, that the candidate was not eligible, the appointment of the candidate shall be liable to termination.
- I. During the period of study, students will abide by the PhD (Executive) manual and circulars notified by the DPR office. The participants are expected to complete their thesis in four to six years. In the initial phase, there will be coursework as per the policy of the institute. This will be followed by a Comprehensive Qualifying Examination (CQE). After successfully clearing the CQE, participants will graduate to the research phase of the programme under the supervision of the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). Doctoral scholars are expected to submit their thesis by the end of the fifth year.
- J. During the coursework phase, online classes will be conducted over the weekends or in evening hours of weekdays. There would be a campus visit scheduled each semester for one week for offline classes and interaction.