IIM Kozhikode PhD is a full-Time research-based course. The course is offered for a duration of 3 years. Admission to the Doctoral program at IIM Kozhikode is done through entrance exams like CAT/ GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ JRF (UGC/CSIR)/ UGC-NET or IIMB test followed by Research Proposal and Personal Interview. Candidates will be short listed on the recommendation of respective areas based on their academic performance, Qualifying examination scores and Research Proposal and are eligible for an online PI round. Check IIM PI Questions & Answers.

Candidates holding full-time 2-year PGDM program/ MBA Degree from any of the IIMs or holding an Executive PGDM/ MBA Degree from IIM Kozhikode are exempted from entrance exams as mentioned above. After the successful completion of the DPM course, students are successfully placed as faculty members (or equivalent) in reputed universities in North America, Europe, India and Middle-east. 

IIM Kozhikode Programme Key Facts 

• Program Structure: IIM Kozhikode PhD Program has two phases including course work and thesis research. The 1st phase covers the first two years of the course including Core Courses and Elective/ Doctoral level Courses, a course of independent study at the end of the first academic year followed by a 2nd academic year of in-depth courses of specialization. 
• Specialization: The DPM at IIMK will be offered through various specializations such as Economics, Finance, Accounting and Control, Information Technology & Systems, Marketing Management, Strategic Management to name a few.
• Application Fee: The application fee of Rs.1000/- is required (Rs. 2000/- in case you are opting for IIMB Test), which has to be submitted online through the link provided with the application form.. 
• Fellowship: Attractive financial support is extended by the Institute to students joining the programme. Indian students Would be given a stipend of INR 35,000/- per month for the first and second years, INR 37,500/ per month on successful completion of Comprehensive examination and INR 40,000/- per month after successful presentation and defense of Thesis proposal. Besides these, A contingency grant of INR 1.2 Lacs for four years of the programme is made available to each student for meeting expenses on books, stationery, computers, etc.
• Selection Process: Relevant Test Scores applicable for IIM Kozhikode PhD Admission 2024 include CAT/ GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ JRF (UGC/CSIR)/ UGC-NET. Candidates will be short listed on the recommendation of respective areas based on their Profile.The candidates with UGC-NET and applying for the Economics area are supposed to appear in a written test by IIM Kozhikode conducted along with the interview.
• Research Proposal: Underlined as one of the major admission criteria for doctoral program at IIM Kozhikode, Candidate should submit a research proposal not exceeding 2000 words and must include a title, keywords, motivation of the research, description of research problem and the questions, a preliminary review of relevant literature, possible research approaches, and references
• Cut off: The minimum cut-off for the IIM Kozhikode DPM admission year 2023 for CAT, GMAT, GRE, GATE and IIMB Test is overall 60th percentile or equivalent. For OBS / EWS the cut off is 55 and SC/ST the DPM cut off is 50 respectively. 
• Hostel facility: IIM Kozhikode offers excellent accommodation facilities for students inside the campus. Institute provides free bachelor accommodation for participants and married accommodation at nominal expense (from the second year) for the entire duration of the programme. Check: IIM Kozhikode Hostel Facilities 

IIM Kozhikode PhD Important Dates

IIM Kozhikode PhD Eligibility Criteria

The candidates are required to have one of the following qualifications as the basic eligibility to pursue Ph.D. at IIM, Kozhikode.

• Master’s Degree or Post Graduate Diploma (2 yrs) with at least 55% marks or minimum grade equivalent.
• Professional qualifications of CA, ICWA and CS with B Com/Degree with at least 50% marks or minimum grade equivalent.
• B Tech/4 year Degree with 6.5 CGPA or equivalent marks and an additional minimum of 3 years of relevant experience is required when applying to Marketing Management Area

Candidates from the following categories are awarded a 5% relaxation in the minimum marks required.

1. Scheduled Castes
2. Scheduled Tribes
3. Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
4. Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
5. Persons-with-Disabilities

Read More: IIM Kozhikode Courses & Fees

IIM Kozhikode PhD Admission Guidelines

• Admission to the Ph.D. program at IIM, Kozhikode is done through entrance exams like CAT, GMAT, GRE or IIMB followed by Personal Interview.
• If the candidate is not opting for IIMB, he/She should have a valid test score that is not older than 3 years from the date of application as on January 25, 2024.
• Candidates who have completed the full-time two-year PGDM program in any of the IIMs or Executive PGDM from IIM Kozhikode need not appear for qualifying exams.

The qualifying tests for various specializations are listed below.

The shortlisted candidates based on their profiles and the scores in the qualifying examinations will be called for a personal interview that will be held online. Check IIM PI Questions & Answers.

How to Apply for IIM Kozhikode PhD?

• Candidates can apply online to a maximum of two areas of specialization.
• The application fee should be remitted online through the link available in the application form.
• The application fee is INR 1000 and for candidates opting for the IIMB entrance Test, the fee will be INR 2000.

Documents to be Submitted

• Scanned copies of academic mark-sheets
• Qualifying examination scorecar
• Category certificate
• Two referee recommendations to be submitted online by the referee directly to the IIM, Kozhikode through the link sent to the referee’s email id.

Read More: IIM Kozhikode Admission

IIM Kozhikode PhD Course Details

Ph.D. programs are offered under the following areas of specialization.

1. Economics
2. Finance, Accounting & Control
3. Information Systems
4. Marketing Management
5. Strategic Management
6. Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources
7. Quantitative Methods & Operations Management

The two Ph.D. programs offered at IIM, Kozhikode are

1. The Doctoral Programme in Management (DPM)
2. Ph.D. in Management (Practice Track)

Doctoral Programme in Management (DPM)

• DPM is a residential and full-time doctoral program of the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode.
• The course curriculum consists of two phases namely course work and thesis research.
• The course work is covered in the first two academic years. In the first year the student takes up a course of independent study and the second year involves a detailed course study in the area of specialization.
• For a candidate to continue to the second phase of the program, he/she has to pass the Area Comprehensive Qualifying Examination (CQE).
• The second phase involves thesis research work with a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) comprising two faculty members from the area of specialization and one faculty member from a different area.

The first year is separated into three trimesters. The students study certain courses along with Post Graduate Programme (PGP) students and some courses are designed exclusively for them. The courses in each trimester are tabulated below.

In the second year, the courses handled in each trimester are tabulated below.

• If the candidate has passed the second year, then he/she is eligible to appear for Area Comprehensive Qualifying Examination (CQE).
• CQE includes a written examination to evaluate the student's conceptual and methodological capability and an oral component to assess communication and presentation skills.
• In the third year, a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is formed to monitor the progress of the candidate on preparing the research proposal.
• The candidate is required to present an Open Proposal Seminar on the research problem and work on presenting a paper at an international conference.
• In the beginning of the fourth year, candidates are required to submit a RAC-approved term-wise plan to the FPM. The candidate should have presented a paper at the national or international conference.
• In the fifth year, the candidates are expected to present the Pre-Thesis Submission Seminar. The duly modified final draft of the dissertation is sent for examination to an Indian external examiner and an international external examiner.
• A public seminar is delivered by the candidate in the Final Thesis Defense Seminar followed by a viva-voce.
• The Thesis Examination Committee will give its formal recommendation for the award of the Fellow title to the participant based on the final presentation and Viva Voce. The Fellow participant will be awarded the title in the subsequent Convocation.

Ph.D. in Management (Practice Track)

Ph.D. in Management (Practice Track) involves two phases: coursework and thesis research.

The first year involves the coursework.

For the complete course structure of the PhD Programme (Practise Track), click here.

Read More: IIM Kozhikode Reviews

IIM Kozhikode PhD Placements

Two-thirds of the IIMK Ph.D. candidates are placed as faculty members at prestigious institutes and esteemed universities in India, Europe, North America, or the Middle East. Other students have been placed at reputed corporate organizations. Some of them are listed below.

Prestigious National Institutes

• Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore
• Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras
• National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai

Reputed Foreign universities

• University of St. Gallen
• University College of London
• University of New Brunswick, Canada
• Middlesex University, Dubai
• Durham University Business School, United Kingdom

Prestigious Educational Institutions In India

• Bennett University, Noida
• Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore
• Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai
• Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur
• FLAME University, Pune

Read More: IIM Kozhikode Placement

IIM Kozhikode PhD FAQs