FAQs

A. Doctoral Program is a full-time PhD Program at IIMB. The Program is committed to train individuals who will excel in their area of research through high quality work, that could potentially lead to publications of international standard. It should not be confused with master level Programs such as MBA.

A. No, it is a full-time Program.

A. Students/professionals who want to pursue a career in advanced research and academics (including teaching) are the ideal candidates for this Program. The applicant should have high scholastic ability, aptitude for research and excellent analytical skills. He/She should have enough motivation to withstand the rigour of the Program.

A. They are expected to complete course work, pass a comprehensive exam, and then do publication quality research of an international standard.

A. Not necessary. The course work provides understanding of relevant fields of management. Different areas prefer students from diverse backgrounds to match the area requirement.

A. The doctoral program is very rigorous. It needs a very high quality of academic commitment and integrity. It has stringent requirements at every stage of the Program. Candidates who fail to match the requirements may be asked to leave the Program.

A. Doctoral Program is oriented towards training students for careers in research. Such training is most highly valued by academic institutions. But leading Indian companies, MNCs, investment banks and consulting firms also value this program for certain positions requiring specialized research skills.

A. Students are allowed to seek employment after making their proposal presentations successfully and when they are likely to defend their final theses in next six months. Students seeking employment prior to their final theses defense are required to take a no objection certificate from their DAC (Dissertation Advisory Committee) Chairperson.

A. Institutes and firms looking for researchers generally contact Doctoral Program students and Doctoral Program office. The students can also avail the services of IIMB's Placement office.

A. You do not want to spend four to seven years doing doctoral work while you can accomplish your career goals by doing a one to two years MBA Program.

A. Based on the information provided by the applicants, candidates will be shortlisted (on the recommendation of the respective areas) and called to Bangalore for an area specific written test (a written test as per the requirement of the specific areas) and / or interview. Candidates will be admitted to the Program based on a combination of multiple parameters, as specified by the respective areas. Parameters may include applicant's performance in either of CAT, GMAT, GRE, GATE , JRF (NET) score or IIMB Test (as applicable), past academic performance, work experience, area specific written test and/ or interview performance etc.

Candidates require a valid test score, from any one of the acceptable tests to the area(s) of specialization they are applying to, as shown in the following table. 

Area of Specialization	Acceptable Test Scores
Decision Sciences	GMAT/GRE/CAT 2022/GATE /JRF (NET)/ IIMB Test
Information Systems	GMAT / GRE / CAT 2022/ GATE / IIMB Test / JRF(NET)
Economics	NOT APPLICABLE
Entrepreneurship	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE/ IIMB Test
Finance & Accounting	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE
Marketing	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE/ IIMB Test
Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE/ JRF (NET)/ IIMB Test
Production & Operations Management	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE/ IIMB Test
Public Policy	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ GATE/ JRF (NET)/ IIMB Test
Strategy	GMAT/ GRE/ CAT 2022/ IIMB Test

Except for those opting for IIMB Test, all other candidates should mandatorily provide the test score, which should be valid as on December 12, 2022, while submitting the application.  

A. We attach high importance to an applicant's motivation and research capability. Interviews of selected applicants allows us to ascertain their motivation for research, and whether their aspirations are compatible with objectives of the Doctoral Program. The interview and test also gauge the academic preparation of the candidate for the specific area he/she has applied.

A. The selection is area specific and entirely depends on the candidate's performance.

A. You can apply to two areas but must mention your first preference in your application. Once a student is admitted to an area, only rarely do we allow the student to change the area.

A. Yes, the eligibility criteria are same.

A. Students are expected to complete the Program within 5 years.

A. Students are awarded the degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ (PhD) in the student's area of specialization

A. IIMB provides one of the best financial packages for doctoral students. Currently the students are provided Rs 35,000/ pm as stipend for five years and are exempt from tuition fees. Post - Comprehensive stipend increase to Rs. 37,000/- and post-proposal stipend increase to Rs. 40,000/- per month. For details refer 'Financial Aid' section of IIMB website.

A. For details please refer "Financial Support" section of IIMB website

A. Yes, much of the research work done by our students is interdisciplinary in nature.

A. No, but they are required to work closely with professors as teaching assistants and research assistants.