Integrated MSc – Ph.D. Program in Computer Science

About

As a leading Liberal Studies Institution, Ashoka University continuously strives to provide excellent opportunities to the students and researchers. It is one of Ashoka University’s prime goals to maintain a healthy and productive balance between academics and research activities. As an institution promoting interdisciplinary research, Ashoka University is adding an Integrated Ph.D. Programme to its unique and state-of-the-art academics. Integrated Ph.D. Programme at Ashoka University is designed to nurture and mentor highly motivated students in building their researcher career form the earlier stages. The programme will admit students with a Bachelor’s Degree and offer them an opportunity to experience a blend of coursework and research projects while awarding them both Masters and Ph.D. Degree. 

Eligibility

A 3-year BSc in Computer Science (or equivalent) or Mathematics (with demonstrable knowledge of computer science) or Statistics (with demonstrable knowledge of computer science) with 55% marks, or the GPA equivalent.

Duration

The expected duration of the combined program is 6 years. At the end of the program, a student who successfully completes the program will be awarded a MSc and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Under exceptional circumstances, students may be allowed to exit the program with an “M.Sc. in Computer Science by Research” at the end of 3 years.

Program Structure

In the first 2 years, students are expected to complete 60 credits of graduate level Computer Science courses, and 24 credits of research. Successful completion will lead to promotion of the student to a JRF. In the third year, students are expected to complete another 36 research credits. They are also expected to pass Ph.D. qualifiers and defend a Ph.D. proposal. As a result, the third year culminates in the promotion of the student to Ph.D. candidacy and will be promoted to SRF. From the fourth year to the 6th year, students are expected to carry out high quality research and publish their results in top venues. The program completes successfully when the student has written and defended a Ph.D. dissertation as per the program’s requirements. 

Fees and Stipend

All students admitted to the program will have to pay the fees for the M.Sc. program as decided by the university for the first 2 years. After promotion to JRF and further on, students are expected to pay the tuition fees as per the existing Ph.D. program requirements.  The university may make available a limited number of “freeships” for the first 2 years to truly exceptional candidates. Upon successful completion of the Master’s level curriculum, candidates would be paid a stipend of Rs. 42,000/- (Rs. 35,000+ Rs. 7,000 HRA) per month as JRF.

 

If you need any further clarifications, please send an email to phd.cs@ashoka.edu.in.

Application Portal

Interested candidates can apply for the programme through Ashoka University’s application portal, located at the following link: https://apply.ashoka.edu.in/

After clicking on the above link, please click on “New Registration”, and then you will be requested to select the programme that you are interested in pursuing at Ashoka from a drop-down box. Please select “Integrated MSc + Ph.D. programme in Computer Science”. Then you can continue and complete the registration process.

Please ensure that the email address, which you provide during the registration process, is indeed a valid email address because all communications regarding the written test and the interview will be sent to this email address.   

Examination Process

Note: Written exam and interviews will be conducted online due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Interview

In this cycle, all the students, who qualify in the written test, will be called for an oral interview. A typical interview will be conducted by the faculty members of the Computer Science department. The objective of the interview is to assess the student’s understanding of the proposed area of research, communication skills and commitment to pursue Ph.D.

Written Test

The written test may consist of subjective, open-ended and multiple-choice questions. The objective of the written test is to assess the basic computer science concepts of the applicant. The topics for the written test include (but are not limited to) basic data structures and  algorithms, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, elementary calculus and probability theory, computer organization & architecture, operating systems and database management. Open-ended questions may also be asked to determine the thought-process and logical thinking of the candidates.  

Regarding the written test, please note the following important information. On July 23, 2021, each applicant will receive a Google Meet link invite via email for a meeting during 1.50 pm – 2 pm IST on July 25, 2021. The question paper will then be directly sent to your email address during this meeting. And the applicant can then confirm during this meeting that he/she has indeed received the exam paper. Then the applicant will work on the exam questions and upload his/her answer script latest by 4.10 pm IST on July 25, 2021. (The upload link can be found in the exam paper itself.) Any answer scripts received after 4.10 pm IST on July 25, 2021 will be ignored, and will not count towards the Ph.D. admissions process.

Timeline

Application submission deadline: July 22, 2021 (11:59 PM IST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. 

Written exam Date: July 25, 2021 (2-4 pm IST) [Please join the Google meet link at 1.50 pm IST.]

Interview Date: July 29, 2021

Announcement of Results: July 31, 2021 

Selection Criteria

Selection will be based on merit taking a combination of factors into consideration. These factors include (but are not limited to) the performance of the candidate in the written test and interview, academic record and achievements such as scholarships, awards in competitions, paper publications, patents and internship(s) and work experience in a prestigious organization.