Yes, it is mandatory to attend the qualification exam with exception to applicants who have cleared CSIR- NET exam and other national tests for Junior Research Fellowships

The central aspect of the interview/viva-voce is to check whether the candidate possesses the competence for the proposed research. The questions will be based on the research proposal presentation by the aspirant. The aspirant is expected to prepare the presentations with the following heads- tentative title wow fadeInUp, problem statement, objective of the work, basic methods & methodology, and expected outcome. Each aspirant will be given 10 min for presentation followed by 20 min of Q & A session.

Can one choose more than one Guide for the Ph.D.?

Yes, but one will be the principal supervisor and the other a co-guide. The candidate cannot choose Guides from the same discipline. Each candidate is encouraged to carry out interdisciplinary work, and experts from different discipline will achieve this goal

Ph.D. is the highest educational degree a student/researcher can achieve. However, it would be best to pursue a doctoral programme for the following aspirations:

• Gain a deeper understanding of success and failure: develop self-worth
• Willingness to think not just out-of-the-box but around, about and beyond the box
• Recognize individual core-competencies, and harness the potential
• Single out the areas of weakness and take steps to bridge the knowledge or skill gap
• Inculcate the habit of planning, optimization, and troubleshooting
• Develop communication, interpersonal, organizational and planning skills

Yes, possible after getting due permission from the University Research Committee and Guide(s) of Somaiya Vidyavihar University.

Any research scholar with more than 40% of physical disability may be allowed a relaxation of two years for a Ph.D. in the maximum duration. Also, women candidates may be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave once in the entire duration of a Ph.D. for up to 240 days.

Ph.D. programmes shall be required to complete the course work prescribed by the University during the initial one or two semesters. Course work will include two components: Research-aptitude and subjectknowledge development. In research–aptitude component, extensive lecture-cum- hands-on-session in research methodology, scientific writing, statistics, techniques & tools, Intellectual property rights are included. The subject-specific component encompasses lectures on principles, procedures, and technical know-how for the particular Ph.D. work. The scholars will receive grades on presentations and examinations. The research scholar has to obtain a minimum of 55% of marks (Research-aptitude paper and Subject-specific paper + presentations) in the course work in order to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit the dissertation/thesis

• Own your Ph.D.: The choice to work on real-problem based approaches that 'you choose' with experts belonging to multidisciplinary expertise
• Proposal writing, Scientific writing and presentation skills
• Beyond a 'lab': Opportunity to work on consultancy and collaborative projects with industry allowing the real-time experience to developing problem-statements, understand project-specific constraints, and develop the best possible feasible solutions.
• Joint Guidance/ Mentorship: The aspirant will have the opportunity to mentor by two subject experts, one Guide and another co-guide, each belonging to different disciplines.
  • E.g., If the Ph.D. candidate wants to work on a project to develop on 'Point-ofcare-devices to screen antimicrobial susceptibility,' he/she can choose the Guide from Faculty of Science and co-guide from Faculty of Science and Engineering & Technology. This scenario is for M.Sc/M. Tech students from Biological Sciences, but reversed in incase of the candidate is an M.Tech in Engineering and Technology.
• Connecting link: Somaiya Institute for Research and Consultancy (SIRAC) is a nodal center for building organic linkages across research disciplines within Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) of Somaiya Vidyavihar University. SIRAC is also responsible for coordinating Ph.D. programs for all the HEIs. SIRAC will be organizing engaging events for all Ph.D. aspirants across HEIs to interact with one another and facilitate the flow of information.
• National take but Global reach: Ph.D. scholars will get an opportunity to work on projects under National and Global Alliance with Universities/Institutes/Companies/Start-ups.

• The entrance exam will have two compulsory papers - Paper 1 & 2. Paper 1 is of 50 marks, and Paper 2 is of 50 marks.
• Paper I is a generic paper with 40 multiple choice questions. 10 questions of 2 marks and 30 questions of 1 marks on Logical Reasoning, Research Methodology and Reasoning & Language Aptitude.
• Paper 2 is subject-specific and comprises a combination of multiple-choice and written answer questions - 10 Multiple Choice questions of 1 mark each, and 4 Long answer questions of 10 marks.
• The applicant that secures a score of 50% and above will be shortlisted and proceed to the next phase. Syllabus for entrance test for each programme is given under admission manual in home page