ADVERTISEMENT FOR ADMISSION TO FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME Ph.D. PROGRAMME – DECEMBER 2026 – JANUARY 2027
Madras School of Economics (MSE) invites applications from eligible candidates for admission to Full-Time or Part-Time Ph.D. Programmes in Economics, Management, and Data Science for the December 2026 – January 2027 Session.
Award of Degree
The Ph.D. degree will be awarded by the Madras School of Economics under its degree-granting power as per the MSE Act, 2020. Degrees are offered in Economics, Management, and Data Science.
Rules and Regulations
Guidelines for the Ph.D. programme are governed by MSE Ordinance 3 (Revised September 2026). Profiles of faculty members, active research scholars, and alumni are available on the website:
• Faculty Profiles: https://www.mse.ac.in/faculty/
• Ph.D. Research Scholars: https://www.mse.ac.in/mse-students/
• Ph.D. Alumni: https://www.mse.ac.in/phd/
Full-Time and Part-Time Ph.D. Admission
(i) The rules for Full-Time and Part-Time Ph.D. scholars are prescribed in Ordinance 3.
(ii) Admission letter will be issued only if the selected Part-Time research scholar submits the ‘No Objection Certificate (NOC)’ from the employer when the selection results of the candidates are announced. The format for NOC shall be shared by MSE at the time of announcement of the results.
Eligibility Criteria
(i) Educational Qualifications for:
a) PhD in Economics: Master’s degree in Economics
b) PhD in Management: Master’s degree in Finance or Management
c) PhD in Data Science: Master’s degree in Data Science
d) Inter-disciplinary PhD degree: Any of the Humanities, Social Sciences or STEM disciplines or Bachelor’s degree in professional courses listed in the Ordinance-3 will also be considered. This degree will be given to PhD scholars whose master’s degree is either not in Economics, Management or Data Science.The degree should be from UGC/AICTE-approved institutions (or equivalent foreign degree as per UGC guidelines).
(ii) Minimum Marks & Relaxation:
a) At least 55% marks in aggregate or conversion of the equivalent grade to percentage.
b) A relaxation of 5% of marks, from 55% to 50%, or an equivalent relaxation of grade, may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/MBC/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled in their Master’s or Bachelor’s in professional courses. The eligibility marks of 55% (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) and the relaxation of 5% to the categories mentioned above are permissible based only on the qualifying marks without including the grace mark procedures.
(iii) Qualifying Entrance Tests:
a) Applicants with valid test scores in UGC-JRF / CSIR-JRF / NET/PhD / SET / GATE / CAT or any NTA-conducted Ph.D. entrance test are preferred. The validity of the test score will be as mentioned in the score card or result certificate.
b) Candidates applying for Full-Time or Part-Time Ph.D. program without any of the above test scores must appear for a written test at MSE as a qualifying exam.
Research Areas
Preference will be given to candidates interested in: Asset Pricing, Behavioral Finance, Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, Development Economics, Environmental Economics, Industrial Organization, International Trade, Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, Public Finance, Labour Economics, Industrial policy, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics. Data science, Actuarial Science.
Research Fellowship:
Candidates with UGC-JRF or CSIR-JRF in their respective disciplines may avail their fellowship for pursuing Ph.D. research in Economics, Management, Data Science, or Interdisciplinary areas, as permitted by UGC/CSIR rules. Meritorious full-time candidates (excluding JRF, NRIs and Foreign nationals) may be considered for (a) MSE fellowship of Rs. 30,000/- per month for a period of three years (extendable to maximum of one more year based on performance)
from the date of joining and an annual contingency grant of Rs.10,000/- will be additionally provided during this period.
Fee Structure:
Uniform fee structure would be followed for full-time / part-time research scholars holding fellowship and Non- Stipendiary scholars. Scholars under SC/ST category would be granted 50% exemption in the semester fee. The total fee per semester is INR. 8000 including all infrastructural support. The semester fee is about 2.5 times more for non-resident Indians and about 3.5 times more for foreign nationals in INR. The hostel fee will be separately charged which will be
informed when the intimation email for the selection is sent and the same conversion for the NRI and foreign nationals will be applicable.
Written Test Details (For Candidates without Entrance Exam Scores mentioned above):
(i) The test will be conducted at MSE.
(ii) Duration: 45 minutes
(iii) Candidates will have to answer two questions (15 marks each) one from Section A and one from either Section B, Section C or Section C or Section D covering the topics mentioned below.
(iv) The Topics covered in different Sections include sections:
a) Section A: Compulsory Section (Quantitative Methods): Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Operations Research.
b) Section B (Economics): Topics covered in UGC-NET or GATE.
c) Section C (Management): Topics in Marketing and Corporate Finance for Management
d) Section D (Data Science): Computer Science, Statistics, and Mathematics for Data Science. Data Science and the underlying computational models are fundamental to decision-making processes across domains.
Interview Procedure:
(i) The personal interview will be conducted online by a panel of MSE faculty.
(ii) The interview will cover:
a) Courses completed during Master’s program as listed in your grade sheet
b) Master’s dissertation if any
c) Research interests mentioned in the Statement of Purpose (SOP)
How to Apply:
Fill out the Application Form attached to this advertisement and submit the form online. After submission, forward the auto-generated copy of your application (with attachments) to phdoffice@mse.ac.in.
