Chemical Engineering PhD Admissions Brochure

The Chemical Engineering Department is pleased to share the PhD Admissions brochure, offering a comprehensive overview of the details available on this page: Ph.D Brochure

The brochure also contains information regarding research projects, facilities, and coursework. Candidates are also encouraged to explore faculty profiles which are updated time-to-time on the ChE Department website

Application Dates (will be updated from time to time)

PhD admissions are conducted twice a year in May-June and November-December. The timelines for each admission cycle are provided below. Additionally, the Department may periodically invite applications for PhD positions funded through faculty research projects with announcements posted on the departmental website.

May-June 2024 Admission Cycle

Candidates admitted in the May-June 2024 cycle will join the Institute from the August 2024 semester.

Application portal opens	20th March 2024
Application portal closes	25th April 2024
Sending out interview call letters for shortlisted candidates (see Admissions and Interview Process).	Tentatively in May 2024
Interviews for shortlisted candidates (see Admissions and Interview Process)	Tentatively in May 2024
Sending out PhD offer letters	Tentatively in June 2024
Admitted candidates to report to the institute	Will be updated shortly

November-December 2024 Admission Cycle

Candidates admitted in the November-December 2024 cycle will join the Institute from the January 2025 semester. Timeline for November cycle will be updated in September - 2024.

Application Details and Documents Required

Application Details :

Candidates are required to submit their applications via an online application portal. The link to the online portal, along with details regarding application fee, will be available on the institute website at: https://iith.ac.in/academics/phd/

At the time of admission, please ensure to provide an email address that you regularly use. All communication related to your application and calls for interviews will be sent to the email address you provide. Incorrect or incomplete email information may result in communications not reaching you. In such events, the Department reserves the right to reject the application as incomplete.

Similarly, provide a phone number where you can be reached.

Documents Required :

Candidates are required to upload all necessary documents via the online portal at the time of admission. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Typically, candidates will be required to upload the following documents at the time of application.

Degree/Diploma certificates for all qualifying degrees from the competent authority of the Institute or University. In cases where results are awaited, candidates can upload semester mark/grade sheets. In such cases, candidates must present their Degree/Diploma certificates during in-person document verification at the time of joining the institute.

Marksheets/Score Cards for national exams, if applicable (e.g., GATE).

Fellowship/Sponsorship certificates, if applicable (e.g., DST-INSPIRE, UGC-NET).

OBC/SC/ST Certificate, if applicable.

For External/Sponsored candidates: No-objection certificate from the present employer.

Eligibility Criteria for PhD Admissions

The ChE Department invites candidates from different academic disciplines and backgrounds/qualifications to apply for its PhD program. To accommodate this, the department evaluates applications under the following categories, which spans different types of academic degrees. Candidates are encouraged to go through the details below and identify which category they fall into and accordingly evaluate their eligibility.

Direct PhD	Candidates with BE / BTech / BSc + MTech / MSc(Tech) / BSc + MSc
Regular PhD	Candidates with BE + ME / BTech + MTech / MTech(Integrated) / BTech + MSc / DST-INSPIRE or other such fellowships / working in IITH sponsored project.
External/Self-Sponsored PhD	Candidates with Industrial/Academic/Research Lab sponsorship.

i) Direct PhD

Direct PhD pertains to candidates seeking to pursue a PhD immediately after completing their BE/BTech degree. Candidates having a BSc + MTech, MSc (Tech) and BSc + MSc are also considered as Direct PhD applications.

Eligibility criteria:

BE/BTech or BSc + MTech or MSc(Tech) degree from a government-recognized institute/university in Chemical Engineering or allied field with a valid GATE Score (in CH, BT, BM, PE, ME and XE with Fluid Mechanics, Polymer Science and Engineering, and Material Science, GATE papers).
BSc + MSc degree with valid CSIR/UGC NET fellowship.
CGPA Requirement: A minimum of 6.0 CPGA (or 60% marks) for the General category and 5.5 CGPA (or 55 % marks) for other categories such as OBC/SC/ST in all qualifying degrees.

ii) Regular PhD Admission

Regular PhD pertains to candidates who are seeking to pursue a PhD after their BE+ME/BTech+MTech/MTech (integrated)/BTech+MSc degree. Candidates with fellowships from other funding sources (e.g., DST-INSPIRE) and candidates who are already working at IITH in a sponsored project will also be considered as Regular PhD applications.

Eligibility Criteria:

BE + ME / BTech + MTech / MTech (integrated) / BTech + MSc degree from a government-recognized institute/university in Chemical Engineering or allied engineering disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Chemical Technology (Polymer, Petroleum, Petrochemical, Food, Rubber etc.), Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Mineral Processing and Engineering. A valid GATE score is not required.
CGPA Requirement: Minimum 6.0 CPGA (or 60% marks) for the General category and 5.5 CGPA (or 55 % marks) for other categories such as OBC/SC/ST in all qualifying degrees.
Candidates with other funding sources (e.g., DST-INSPIRE) will be required to upload a copy of their fellowship certificate.

iii) External/Sponsored PhD Admission

External/Self-Sponsored PhD admission is applicable to candidates from national research laboratories/academic institutions/industrial organizations who are being supported by their organization to pursue a PhD.

Eligibility Criteria:

A minimum of 2 years research/teaching experience is required
BE/BTech/ME/MTech/MSc degree from a government-recognized institute/university in Chemical Engineering or allied engineering disciplines. A valid GATE score is not required.
CGPA Requirement: Minimum of 6.0 CPGA (or 60% marks) for the General category and 5.5 CGPA (or 55 % marks) for other categories such as OBC/SC/ST in all qualifying degrees.
Candidates applying under this route will be required to upload a no-objection certificate from their present employer.

Note: The eligibility criteria outlined above are the minimum requirements. The Department reserves the right to set alternative criteria which may be equal to or exceed the eligibility criteria for shortlisting candidates for the interview process.

Funding Category

During the application submission, candidates will be asked to indicate their priority for “Funding Category.” The available financial support categories are described below:

Full time scholar with Institute (MoE) funding – This category pertains to candidates without any other source of funding (e.g., fellowships, external sponsor, sponsored projects etc.). Most candidates pertaining to Direct or Regular PhD admissions are eligible for this funding and should select this category as their first priority.
Sponsored by IITH Project – This category is for candidates already working as research scholars at IITH, supported through faculty research grants, and are seeking to enroll in the PhD program. Financial assistance for some candidates will come from a faculty’s sponsored project.
External/Self-sponsored PhD – Candidates in this category are sponsored by Industry, Research laboratories and academic institutions.
Fellowship from external funding agency – This category includes candidates with valid DST-INSPIRE, CSIR/UGC-NET fellowships.

Admission and Interview Process

Shortlisting- Applications will first be shortlisted based on whether they satisfy the eligibility criteria or not. Please note: the Department reserves the right to modify the eligibility criteria to be equal to or greater than those outlined in Eligibility Criteria.
Screening Round Interview- Shortlisted candidates will be called for a Screening Round interview, focusing primarily on fundamental knowledge in Chemical Engineering. For applicants with backgrounds different from Chemical Engineering, questions relevant to their field will be asked. Questions in this round will be concept-based. This format – written or interview-based – will be communicated to the candidates well in advance.
Final Selection Round Interview- This is a more extensive round where candidates will present their MTech/ME/MSc/BTech/BE/BSc/Industry project or equivalent. The presentation template will be shared in advance. Technical questions related to the project presentation, as well as about research interests, aptitude for the PhD program, and reasons for choosing IIT Hyderabad, may be asked. Evaluation criteria include presentation skills, analytical thinking, and conceptual understanding.
Sending out Offer Letters- Following the interviews, selected candidates will receive offer letters via email.
After receiving an Offer Letter- Candidates will be required to accept/reject the offer within a stipulated deadline. As part of the acceptance, candidates will be required to pay a seat acceptance fee (which will be mentioned in the offer letter). Failure to respond within the deadline will be considered a rejection, and the offer will be revoked.
Waiting List- Candidates on the waiting list will be considered if suitable positions become available.

After PhD Admission

Courses

The PhD Students are required to undergo course work during the first two semesters. The typical course requirement in the department is 12 credits, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 7.0. External PhD students also have the possibility of online coursework, subject to obtaining necessary approvals as per Institute policy. The students, in consultation with their supervisor, may also choose to take relevant courses from other departments. Students with BE/BTech and MSc degree will have to do extra credits as per institute policy.

Guide selection

The PhD Students are allocated supervisor either at the beginning of first semester or the end of the first semester based on the student’s choice. PhD students are encouraged to discuss with department faculty members working in research areas of interest. PhD students are required to provide names of faculty members whom they wish to work with, listed in order of preference. The supervisor is allocated based on the preferences received from all PhD candidates and based on openings available in faculty reserch groups..

Comprehensive exam

PhD Students must appear for the comprehensive exam after successful completion of course work and within 12 months from the date of joining the department. Students must pass the comprehensive exam in order to continue in the PhD program. Details of the comprehensive exam will be communicated after joining the department.

PhD research proposal defense seminar

All PhD students are required to defend their research/thesis proposal after successfully completing their comprehensive exam. The proposal defense seminar should be done within 6 months of completing the comprehensive exam or within 18 months from the date of joining (whichever is earlier). Details of the thesis proposal defense will be communicated to the students after joining the department.

Funding Responsibility

Candidates under Institute Funding- Candidates accepted into the PhD program as Full Time Scholar with Institute (or Ministry of Education (MoE)) funding will be required to take up teaching assistantship roles during the semester.

Those with Teaching Assistantships (TA) are required to contribute 8 hours per week towards departmental teaching activities.
TA responsibilities cover academic tasks such as laboratory demonstrations, tutorials, assignment evaluations, quizzes, seminars, and research projects.
Renewal of financial assistance every semester is contingent upon enrolment, satisfactory progress, and performance in the preceding semester.

Candidates Under Other Funding- Candidates admitted under various sponsored categories (External/Self-Sponsored, candidates with DST-INSPIRE fellowship, CSIR/UGC-NET fellowships, funding from IITH sponsored projects) are not eligible for financial assistance from the Institute. However, they are eligible to receive financial assistance from projects or sponsoring academic institutes, research institutes, industrial organizations, etc.

Contact Information

PhD Admission related query: phd.admissions@che.iith.ac.in
Academics related query: dpgc@che.iith.ac.in
HOD Office: office@che.iith.ac.in
ChE Department Website: https://che.iith.ac.in
IIT Hyderabad website: https://www.iith.ac.in
We wish you all the best !

| Chemical Engineering

Ph.D Admissions