Programme Director: Dean: Dr. Mathew Attumkal, CMI

Email: attumkal.mathew@gmail.com; mattumkal@dvk.in,

Scope:

The scope of the third cycle leading to a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) is the completion of the academic studies in Philosophy.  Its objective is specialization in a particular area of philosophy as well as refinement in the methodology of philosophical research.

Board of Postgraduate Studies (BPS):

There shall be a Board of Postgraduate Studies consisting of the Dean and two other members elected by the Faculty Council for a period of three years.  The Dean shall be ex-officio the Chairperson of the Board, and he shall be directly in-charge of the Doctorate Programme.

Requirements:

For admission to the Doctorate Programme the applicant must hold a Licentiate Degree in Philosophy with at least a high second class.  Admission will also be granted on individual merit to students who have a Master's Degree in any other allied subject, provided they successfully complete the one-year MPhil programme of the Athenaeum (see below for more details on MPhil).

The mode of commutation of any of the requirements for Doctorate with the courses one has done in another ecclesiastical or secular institute or university or college shall be determined by the Syndicate, taking into consideration the merits of each case.  The BPS shall also decide the equivalence of a degree awarded by another institute or university with a degree of the Athenaeum.

Admission:

Admission is open to all who have the proper qualifications but only to those below 55 years.  An exemption to the age-limit can be granted by the BPS in deserving cases. The candidates shall be introduced and recommended by his/her Major Superior/Ordinary or a competent person acceptable to the Institute.  Admissions shall be given only at the beginning of each semester, i.e., in June or November.

Duration:

The minimum duration of the Doctorate Programme shall be two years (four semesters), which may be extended up to five years.  The Dean may grant a further extension of one more year after examining the merit of each case.

Residence in Bangalore is a requirement during the first year of the Doctorate Programme.  Exemption from this can be given only by the BPS after examining the merit of each case.

Director and Second Guide:

The candidate chooses the director from among the teachers of the Faculty in consultation with the Dean. A second guide, in case of research in interdisciplinary areas, may be appointed by the Dean in consultation with the Board of Post-Graduate Studies, and he can be from outside the Institute. The student shall have consultation also with the second guide, and the draft of the dissertation shall be approved also by him.  In case the director is to be from another Faculty of the Institute, prior approval by the Board of Post-Graduate Studies is required.

Doctoral Research:

The doctoral candidates shall be required to have a working knowledge of appropriate languages according to the nature of the research, and also a working knowledge of modern languages, besides English, that may be required for the research.

1. The research programme during the first two semesters shall be the following:
2. Two tutorials/research papers
3. Two faculty seminars in which the members of the faculty and the students of the LPh programme are present.
4. Some teaching assignments under the guidance of the director of the candidate.
5. The candidate shall meet his/her director once in two months for discussions on the research.
6. The candidate shall have the grade of first class for the tutorials and the research papers so that he/she may be promoted to the second year of the doctorate.  The promotion is given by the Dean in consultation with the BPS.
7. The director of the PhD candidate shall prepare a semestral report on the performance of the candidate and send it to the Dean of the Faculty.

Research Proposal

1. After having completed all the other requirements the candidate shall present a Research Proposal to a panel of three examiners (including the Director) appointed by the Dean in consultation with the members of the BPS.Four copies of the Research Proposal have to be presented to the office of the Dean.
2. The Research Proposal shall include a statement of the question or issue of research and its significance, methodology and procedure of the research,provisional titles of the chapters and their contents,projected conclusions,and the bibliography both primary and secondary.
3. The Research Proposal session shall be private and its duration may be about an hour. The main objectives of the session are critical evaluation of the research project and its methodology,and offering concrete suggestions towards the improvement and revision of the research project.
4. The examiners have to give formal evaluation of the Research Proposal individually in writing and hand it over to the Dean along with their comments and suggestions towards the revision of the research project.
5. The candidate shall be informed of the result of the Research Proposal in writing along with the comments and suggestions of the examiners,and a copy of this communication shall be kept in the office.

Dissertation Approval:

 The maximum number of words for the dissertation shall be 1,20,000.  Before the public defence, the candidate shall submit three copies of the dissertation in its final draft to the Dean.  Three readers are appointed by the Dean to scrutinize the draft, and at least two of them must approve it before promoting the candidate to the public defence.  The director shall not be a member of this panel. The observations of the readers shall be intimated to the student and the director of the dissertation. If two of the readers are not in favour of promoting the candidate to the public defence, the dissertation shall be revised and a second session may be arranged for approval after six months. If the panel approves the final draft, five bound copies of the dissertation shall be submitted to the office of the Dean.It may take about at least two months for the public defence of a dissertation, after it has been submitted.  The format of the dissertation shall be according to the prescribed standards of DVK.

Public Defence

1. The Dean appoints the panel of examiners in consultation with the BPS. The panel shall not be less than four members.
2. The public defence shall be chaired by the Dean of the Faculty or his delegate, and shall have the duration of an hour and a half.
3. The Director, the second guide,if any,and at least one of the three readers shall be included in the panel of examiners.
4. The panel of examiners may include competent persons from any of the faculties of the Institute and persons from other faculties in India and abroad.
5. Taking into consideration the local practice of universities,the publication of the dissertation is not considered an essential requirement for conferring the degree at the Convocation.

Marks and Grading System:

The grade of the Doctorate will be determined by calculating the marks according to the following proportions: Tutorials, Research Papers and Seminars: 20%; Written Dissertation 60%: Public Defence: 20%.

Special Fees:

 Besides the annual fees, the candidate shall pay special fees as prescribed in the Handbook for the Research Proposal, Dissertation Approval, and the Public Defence.