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SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES

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Graduate Program
INT M.SC.- PH.D. PROGRAM GUIDELINES Ph.D. Program Guidelines

The Chemistry Subject Board (CSB) is responsible for running and monitoring the graduate programme Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. Program
Guidelines
in Chemistry across all centers of TIFR.   All graduate students in the Department of Chemical Sciences
(DCS) at Mumbai and in the TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TCIS) at Hyderabad, wishing to
Graduate Courses
obtain degrees in Chemistry, are governed by the CSB rules and procedures.  The CSB oversees the
running of the Integrated M.Sc. - Ph.D. programme which is detailed below. Chemistry Subject Board

 
Admissions

Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. programme

Open Positions
Entry Requirements:  B. Sc., B. Pharm or equivalent degree graduates are eligible for admission to the
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Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. programme.

All students are selected through the TIFR Research Scholars' admission procedure and admitted to the
Institute as graduate students.

Expected Duration: 6 years

Fellowship and Contigency: Details of the Fellowship for Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. students can be obtained here,
and details of the Contingency Grant can be obtained here.

Students in the Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. programme are awarded the M.Sc. degree together with the
Ph.D. degree at the end of their academic tenure in TIFR. 

Course Structure

In addition to the information given below, also refer to Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. Academic Timeline for further
details

An academic year consists of two semesters (1st semester is August to December and 2nd Semester is
January to May). During the first three years a student will have to complete:
·       10 lecture courses (each course lasts one semester)
·       A short course - taught in July
·       1 laboratory rotation course
·       2 short projects (Project A1 and A2)
·       A long project (Project B)
·       Research Methodology* course
Specifically, two short projects (Project A1 and A2, each 8 weeks long) will have to be carried out during
the second semester of the first year. Under no circumstances will Project A1 and A2 be done with the
same supervisor. In the second year, a second project (Project B) will have to be completed in the first
half of the 2nd year.
The credits associated with this course structure are
Credit for the 10 courses:                             40
Credit for 1 short course:                                2
Credit for Lab rotation course:                      10
Credit for 2 projects (A1/A2 + B):                  24
Credit for the M.Sc. project:                          24
========================================
Total credits:                                                100
*The research methodology course is evaluated with a Pass or Fail criterion.
Therefore, by completing these courses and projects, the students will earn a total of 100 credit points.
Upon successful acquisition of 76 credits (minus the M.Sc. research project), the student will be eligible
to register for the Ph.D. degree in Chemistry (see below for details on Ph.D. registration process).
Passing Criteria

The minimum passing mark in every course/project is 50%. Students who have not passed a particular
course or a project will be required to repeat the same in the next available opportunity. Students failing
in more than 2 courses or projects during the course work period will have to leave the graduate
programme.  If a student fails to pass a course or a project even in the second attempt, he/she will have
to leave the graduate programme.

The table below shows the conversion of numerical scores, which are given at the end of the courses or
projects, to grade points or letter grades:

Numerical score out of 100 GRADE POINTS LETTER GRADES MEANING

95-100 10 O Outstanding
 85-94 9 A+ Excellent

75-84 8 A Very good

65-74 7 B+ Good

55-64 6 B Above average

50-54 5 C Average

0-49 0 F Fail

M.Sc. Research Project and Continuation

From the start of the second semester of the second year, the student is expected to start working on
their M.Sc. research project full time. The M.Sc. research project can be a continuation of either Project
A1, A2 or B or a new project – done in consultation with Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. supervisor (see below for the
selection of the Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. Supervisor) that has been assigned. In addition, during the 2nd and 3rd
year, the student is also expected to finish all their course requirements.

Exit Option

Note that for students who joined ONLY between 2015 and 2018 into the Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. programme, they
are entitled to opt for leaving with only an M.Sc. degree. If the student wishes to exercise this option, then
they need to inform CSB with a written declaration (stating the reasons for leaving) by July 31st of the 2nd
Year. In case the declaration is made at a later stage, the student’s eligibility for the M.Sc. degree is not
guaranteed and it will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

If the student has decided to leave with only an M.Sc. then the following aspects have to be noted:

1.    Once a declaration is made to leave, the student cannot revert back to the Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D.
programme.

2.      The total tenure of the TIFR stay and registration will be limited to 3 years.

3.        The student needs to finish all the course work, their M.Sc. research project, submit a M.Sc.
Synopsis document, give a M.Sc. Synopsis seminar in the department and submit a M.Sc. thesis
by July 31st of their 3rd year. Details of the synopsis and thesis submission are given below.

4.    During the 3rd year, the student will be provided accommodation by TIFR, and the Fellowship and
Contingency Grant will revert to the levels of the 1st year.

5.      No extension of Fellowship or Contingency Grant beyond the 3rd year will be granted.

Selection of Integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. Supervisor

All students must decide his/her Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D supervisor before end of May of the first year and inform
the Chemistry Subject Board accordingly (see Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. Timeline). Choosing an Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D.
supervisor is a responsibility of the research scholars. Any faculty member of TIFR can in principle serve
as a supervisor for the student, so long as the subject/project of the thesis is approved by the CSB.  A
student can be registered with an academic staff member as a supervisor who has at least six months of
service left before retirement from the date of registration.   Faculty members who have less than six
months of service before retirement can be a supervisor only if a co-supervisor is identified who would
be responsible for the completion of the research project. The co-supervisor is expected to take over as a
regular supervisor once the original supervisor retires.   Allocation of the supervisor will primarily be
based on the choice of the student, but two students of the same batch wishing to join the same
supervisor for Ph.D. will not be generally approved.  The names of Faculty members who may accept a
student in a given year will be informed to the students in the first year.  A Faculty member will generally
accept only one student from a given batch.  A second student will be allowed to join a Faculty member
who has already accepted one student of the same batch, only if there are no other Faculty members
available as supervisors for the student and the concerned Faculty member agrees to accept two
students. If a student fails to select a supervisor as per the guidelines of the Subject Board, then he/she
will have to leave the graduate programme.

Ph.D. Registration

Students have to register for the Ph.D. degree as soon as they complete the requisite total of 76 credit
points (they need not finish their M.Sc. research project in order to register for Ph.D. The 24 credits
allocated for M.Sc. project can be acquired in the 4th year after they have registered for their Ph.D.). Ph.D.
registration is normally done by the end of the third Year. Registration form is available here.  The Ph.D.
project is designed in consultation with the Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. supervisor and should be different from the
M.Sc. research project

Once registered for Ph.D., after the fourth year onwards, the student will also be required to give at least
one departmental seminar before May 31 in each Academic year. Continuation to a subsequent year of
the Ph.D. programme is contingent on the successful performance and evaluation of the student. This
evaluation is done by the department every year in June (see below under “Thesis Monitoring
Committee (TMC) and Annual Evaluation” for more details).

Thesis Monitoring Committee (TMC) and Annual Evaluation

Every Ph.D. student will have a thesis monitoring committee (TMC), to be constituted by the thesis
Supervisor, after they register for the Ph.D. programme. This committee will consist of the thesis
Supervisor and at least two other Faculty members. The student should have regular interactions with
the TMC and a formal report of the thesis committee on the progress of the student will be required for
consideration of extension of the Research Scholarship of the student at the end of each academic
year. As already mentioned above, each registered Int. M.Sc.-Ph.D. student will also be required to give at
least one Departmental Seminar before May 31 of each Academic year.

Submission of M.Sc. Synopsis and Thesis

After all the M.Sc. research work has been completed the student is eligible for (a) submission of his/her
synopsis, (b) submission of thesis and presentation of a viva defence. Details of the M.Sc. synopsis
submission procedure are given here (M.Sc. Synopsis). The synopsis will be evaluated by a three-
member committee, constituted by the CSB in consultation with the supervisor. Once the synopsis
seminar has been given and the synopsis report approved by the evaluating committee, then the student
can submit the document along with the Synopsis submission form (M.Sc. synopsis form)to the
University Cell.  

The student has 3 months after the M.Sc. seminar to submit his/her M.Sc. thesis.

If an extension is needed for thesis submission (beyond the three month deadline), then prior approval from
both CSB and Dean GS has to be obtained. This request is to be made before the termination of the three
month deadline.

The thesis must be a PDF document, legibly typed on A4-size pages in 12 pt font size, with 1.5 spacing
and with 1 inch margins. Apart from text, it may contain figures, tables, sections of computer code and a
detailed bibliography. In addition, it should incorporate  it should incorporate

(i)       A duly signed Copy Right Form by the candidate and by the Research Supervisor.

(i)       A title page according to the format given here.

(iii)      A list of the candidate’s publications (in case there are any), where it is clearly indicated which
publication(s) contain(s) material incorporated in the thesis.

(iv)     The thesis should also contain a separate categorised statement mentioning which parts of the
scientific results presented in the thesis are carried out by collaborators.

(v)       The thesis needs to be submitted along with the Thesis submission form.

This thesis will be evaluated by one external examiner and the M.Sc. guide. After the reviews of the
thesis are obtained, then the student will give an open seminar defending the thesis – the Viva. For the
Viva, the external examiner will be evaluator.

The M.Sc. thesis has to be submitted before a Ph.D. Thesis is submitted to CSB.

Submission of Ph.D. Thesis

The minimum period between the date of joining (Registration done usually by end of third year (see
Ph.D. Timeline) and the submission of the Ph.D. synopsis will be 2 years.  After all the research work has
been completed and student has a minimum of one first-authored paper in a reputed journal, then the
student is eligible for (a) submission of his/her synopsis, (b) submission of thesis and presentation of a
viva defence.

Ph.D. Synopsis

Each Ph.D. student, upon completion of their research work, has to submit a synopsis document and give
a department synopsis seminar. The details of the procedure for the Ph.D. synopsis can be found here.
This document has to be submitted at least 10 days before the synopsis seminar along with the
Synopsis submission document. The synopsis seminar will be a department seminar and it will be
evaluated by 5 Synopsis committee members (TMC members + 2 additional members co-opted by CSB
in consultation with the thesis supervisor). The synopsis will be graded and after the successful synopsis
presentation and correction of the synopsis document (to be done within a month of the synopsis
seminar), then the student can submit the document to the University Cell.

If, for any reason, the student delays the submission of synopsis beyond the recommended period of one
month, the presented synopsis and the seminar may be declared null and void, and the candidate would
have to write a fresh synopsis and give a fresh seminar. Prior approval has to be sought from the CSB
convenor if the student anticipates taking more than one month for the synopsis submission.

Once the synopsis document has been successfully submitted to the University Cell, then the student will
be allowed to submit a Ph.D. thesis. The maximum time between the synopsis seminar and the Ph. D.
thesis submission is six months.

If an extension is needed for thesis submission (beyond the six month deadline), then prior approval from
both CSB and Dean GS has to be obtained. This request is to be made before the termination of the six
month deadline.
The thesis must be a PDF document, legibly typed on A4-size pages in 12 pt font size, with 1.5 spacing
and with 1 inch margins. Apart from text, it may contain figures, tables, sections of computer code and a
detailed bibliography. In addition, it should incorporate

      (i)       A duly signed Copyright Form by the candidate and by the Research Supervisor.

(ii)      A title page according to the format given here.

(iii)   A list of the candidate’s publications, where it is clearly indicated which publication(s) contain(s)
material incorporated in the thesis.

(iv)     The thesis should also contain a separate categorised statement mentioning which parts of the
scientific results presented in the thesis are carried out by collaborators.

(v)       The thesis needs to be submitted along with the Thesis submission form.

For evaluating the theses, the CSB will constitute a committee of two external members and the thesis
Supervisor for Ph. D. theses.  For this purpose, the University Cell will approach the Supervisor for
recommending the names of 5 external experts, and forward the same to the CSB (from which two
names will be selected).  The final names of experts selected by the CSB may not be the same as those
recommended by the Supervisor.  The Convener, CSB, will send these names to the University Cell, who
will coordinate with these experts for the thesis evaluation process.  The Supervisor will not have any
knowledge of the names of the externals experts. Further details of the thesis submission can be
obtained here.

A Viva will be held after the thesis has been evaluated. One of the external examiners will be present for
the Ph.D. Viva.

Post Ph.D. Viva

A Provisional Certificate (for both M.Sc degree and a Ph.D degree) can be given to the student within
one or two days ONLY after the Ph.D. Viva-voce examination has been cleared successfully.

The award of the degrees is ratified by the TIFR Academic Council, chaired by Director, TIFR, in its next
meeting. After this ceremony, the candidates may collect their signed M.Sc. and Ph.D. certificates from
the University Cell.

Candidates who are unable to collect their certificates from the University Cell in person may receive
their certificates by post, at the address provided by them on the submission form.

The degrees are formally announced by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the next TIFR Founder’s Day
(October 31) in a solemn ceremony.

IF A STUDENT FAILS TO MEET ANY OF THE TIMELINES MENTIONED ABOVE, THEN THIS VIOLATION
WILL CARRY A PENALTY AS DETERMINED BY THE CSB.

A STUDENT MAY APPROACH ANY MEMBER OF THE TMC PREFERABLY (OR ANY OTHER FACULTY
MEMBER) FOR ANY GRIEVANCE DURING THE ENTIRETY OF HIS/HER Int. M.Sc.-PH.D. TENURE.

Code of Conduct

The students must refrain from any kind of academic misconduct. The following acts constitute an
academic misconduct: copying of answer sheets either in examination or home-work assignments,
absenteeism from classes, fabrication or falsification of data/results, plagiarism, etc.  By no means is this
list exhaustive.   The acts listed above and any act that is not listed here but perceived as an academic
misconduct by the CSB will invite disciplinary action, including expulsion of the students engaged in such
acts. 

 
 

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