FPM Programme structure

Programme Structure

The doctoral Programme at SPJIMR is aimed at producing academic researchers and thought leaders of highest global standards. The Programme structure has been designed keeping in mind the requirements to fulfill these objectives. The overall length of the Programme would ideally be between four to five years.

The programme comprises three phases:

Coursework phase
Proposal phase
Dissertation phase

Upon joining the Programme, candidates would go through rigorous coursework in the first year of the Programme followed by a qualifying examination. Towards the end of the coursework phase, scholars are expected to work on a Master’s level thesis on a topic of their choice following which, they submit their proposal for their doctoral thesis on successful defence of their thesis proposal, candidates would move to the dissertation phase. The FPM architecture across 4-5 years and key milestones is as illustrated in the figure below.

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Coursework Phase

The coursework at SPJIMR departs significantly from that of many contemporary institutions in terms of the methodological depth and rigour. It has been vetted by international scholars in their respective fields and is in accordance with the highest global standards.

Over the year, the candidates would take courses under three themes i.e.

Foundation courses- aimed at providing fundamental training in the broad field of management
Specialisation and Core course seminars in the candidate’s area of specialisation to provide requisite depth of the field
Methodology courses- aimed at providing candidates with requisite methodological training to conduct high quality research

The total coursework phase is a total of 30 credits and 600 classroom hours. At the end of the coursework phase, a qualifying exam will be held, which tests understanding of the literature in the candidate’s field of interest. This may combine both methodological and substantive areas as illustrated below.

Allocation of credits across themes for FPM Year 1 and Year

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Master’s level thesis

Towards the end of the coursework phase, the candidate is expected to work on independent research study covering an in-depth literature review and some preliminary empirical analysis of a pilot study on the topic chosen by the candidates.

The proposal and dissertation phase

Thesis Proposal

Post the qualifying examination, the candidate would develop a proposal for a dissertation on a topic of choice. The thesis proposal should entail considerable background research on the topic and should establish that:

The research questions have been identified
It is an original piece of work
The research questions have significant managerial and theoretical significance
Relevant literature has been reviewed
Methodology and data sources have been identified
Preliminary investigation has been conducted to establish the validity of the research questions

The research proposal would need to be defended in an open seminar.

Dissertation

The candidate is expected to complete the research and submit the dissertation within five years of the start of the programme. In exceptional circumstances, an extension of two years can be provided on recommendation of the Dissertation Committee Chair.