The Path to New Knowledge Creation

One of the special things that I find about the SPJIMR’s FPM – a full-time doctoral programme in management – are the seminar-based courses which are offered by the specialists in the fields/specific area. In the seminar courses, participants end up going through research work by Nobel laureates and trying to understand the contribution by the author/s. The discussion on these works in the seminars helps in examining and understanding the contribution, approach adopted and the methods employed. Personally, these courses have improved my abilities in looking at research work with a new perspective. Also, participants are expected to critique and reflect on how they could contribute to the same research work, had they been the co-authors.

We had a course on ‘Seminar on Psychology’ which was conducted by a faculty from University of London who is a practising Experimental Psychologist. It was very uniquely conducted and the participants got an opportunity to learn about the process of research paper writing in the seminar apart from the main course content. We also learnt how to write our research articles and keep upgrading/revising each draft.

I feel very satisfied and have observed self-improvement because of the hands-on data skills acquired in combination with the research methods learnt during the coursework. Other skills I have picked up include the ability to dissect the current research work, formulate good research questions, foresee future oriented opportunities and convert abstract ideas to implementable tasks. Of course, I acknowledge that I still have a long way to go, when it comes to the research journey. But I don’t think that I would have absorbed these qualities anywhere else. Such is the rigorous yet enriching, fulfilling environment at SPJIMR, and it certainly leaves no doubt as to why it is counted among the top B schools in India.

I would also like to talk about a course called ‘Science of Spirituality’, which was part of the foundation level course work phase. It was really helpful as a course on an individual level and is very essential and a unique learning for a doctoral student. Thus, the institute’s focus is not only on developing content, methods and knowledge but also on prioritizing inner peace, mental health and the growth of participants.

To all those who are interested in pursuing a PhD in Management, I would say that if you have a determination to achieve your goals and are ready to take on a path for new knowledge creation, here is an environment at SPJIMR that would help you master the art of knowledge building by bridging the gap between Rigor and Relevance.