The PhD in economics at DSE, as laid out in the department’s Handbook of Information (2023) — summarised in plain language. The handbook and the department’s notices are what count; this page is a map, not the territory.
Year one: coursework
Coursework is completed in the first year and is a condition for confirming your registration. Four lecture-based courses: Quantitative Research and Methodology (econometric and quantitative methods at the level of Greene), an Economic Theory course (Game Theory or Macroeconomics, depending on your specialisation), and two specialisation courses in your field. The Research and Publication Ethics (RPE) course is also mandatory. Courses are assessed through presentations, term papers and exams; two-thirds attendance is compulsory; you need at least 55% aggregate and 50% in each course. Scholars are also expected to attend at least two-thirds of department seminars during coursework and to present regularly in the weekly student research workshop.
The reading-based empirical course taught by Prof. Rohini Somanathan — called Empirical Methods on this site — is where the paper explainers come from.
Proposal and confirmation
Within a year of completing coursework you present and defend a thesis proposal in a department seminar. Approval of the proposal leads to confirmation of registration (year two). Every scholar has a department supervisor; a joint supervisor from another recognised institution is possible with DRC and BRS approval, and a change of supervisor is possible in the second year with the consent of the allocated supervisor.
Residency, progress and the clock
- At least two years in residence after provisional registration.
- Regular contact with your supervisor and progress reports to the DRC through the supervisor; after registration, six-monthly progress presentations or submissions to remain in the programme.
- Thesis to be submitted within six years of provisional registration.
Before you can submit
- Your supervisor certifies the thesis is acceptable.
- You present the research in a department seminar, per university guidelines.
- Two research papers published in Scopus- or UGC-CARE-listed journals. Plan for this from year two; check journals on the UGC-CARE list and avoid pay-to-publish outlets.
- Submission is online through the university portal; the thesis is later deposited in Shodhganga.
Money
Scholars with UGC JRF hold that fellowship. Others may receive the UGC Non-NET fellowship (₹8,000 a month with ₹8,000 a year contingency at the time of the 2023 handbook); NET-qualified scholars without JRF are also eligible. Limited support exists through the Centre for Development Economics, with priority in the first year for scholars admitted through the entrance examination. The department may offer tutorial teaching for the MA as a further source of support. External options — ICSSR, Fulbright-Nehru, Commonwealth, DAAD, IGC — are tracked under Opportunities.
Who to ask
Your supervisor first; the Departmental Research Committee (DRC) for anything about registration, confirmation and progress; the department office for forms and fellowship disbursement. The Admin, Fellowships & Campus board is where scholars share what actually worked.
Summarised from the Department of Economics PhD Handbook of Information (2023). Rules change; when in doubt, the handbook and the DRC prevail.