The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K) has launched a new doctoral programme, a Ph.D in Management (Practice Track), for working executives with at least eight years of experience. In this programme, the executives work towards a doctoral degree while remaining in their jobs.
Prof Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM-K, said: “This is the first time in India that we are defining a Ph.D in the form of a ‘practice track’. It is an idea whose time has come. While you are in the job you can bring real-life problems to your doctoral research for investigation and discover solutions with the kind of clarity that only a deeply embedded knowledge system can bring.”
Prof Rudra Sensarma, Dean (Research), called the programme unique on account of its flexibility in scheduling, which is designed to accommodate the busy work life of an executive. He added: “The entire programme can be completed in 3-5 years and successful Ph.Ds can expect to make meaningful contributions to industry best practices or even seek a shift in career to teaching and research.”
Prof Kausik Gangopadhyay, Chair of the doctoral programmes, highlighted a unique feature of the programme — that it allows research specialisation in not just conventional management areas such as economics, finance or strategy but also interdisciplinary or sectoral specialisations, such as in banking, manufacturing, sports or tourism, based on the participant’s choice of research area.
The deadline for online submission of applications, on the institute’s website, is June 5, 2019.