Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
IIT Bombay has capped the duration of its PhD programmes at 8 years for all new registrations, following an internal review that found some doctorates had remained pending for more than a decade.
The move comes as questions around the completion rates of PhD programmes have gained wider attention in higher education. At IIT Bombay, the review was prioritised at identifying the reasons for prolonged PhD timelines, some extending 10 years, and addressing cases that had remained unresolved.
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“We took a review of ongoing PhDs to try and understand the hold-ups. The idea was to work on solving those issues and encourage candidates to reduce the time spent on PhDs,” IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare said during the event at IIT Bombay.
The institute said the review also helped clear a backlog of pending doctorates. IIT Bombay awarded 620 PhD degrees in the 2025-26 academic year, the highest in a single year in the institute’s history. According to Kedare, the institute had not crossed 500 PhD degrees in a year before this.
The delays had multiple reasons, Kedare said. These included supervisors being occupied with other projects, candidates moving to other jobs and external candidates leaving their programmes. The Covid-19 pandemic also added to the delays. Some PhD registrations had remained pending for more than 10 years.
The eight-year ceiling will apply to new PhD registrations. The institute’s decision is aimed at setting a defined outer limit for completion while addressing the factors that can lead to prolonged enrolment.
Of the 620 PhDs being awarded this year, 77 are in chemical engineering, 62 in electrical engineering, 49 in mechanical engineering and 40 in humanities.
The PhD degrees are part of IIT Bombay’s 64th convocation, being held over the weekend, at which the institute is awarding 3,763 degrees to 3,442 students. The batch includes 1,713 undergraduate, 1,430 postgraduate and 620 PhD degrees. There are 791 women and 2,651 men among the graduating students.
The convocation also saw 28 students receive a three-year Bachelor of Science degree. IIT Bombay introduced the BS as an early-exit option for students enrolled in its four-year BTech programmes. Students who complete the required credits can leave the programme with a BS degree.
An institute official said the option could be useful for students who want to pursue a start-up or are unable to complete the four-year programme.
A medal distribution ceremony was held at the convocation hall on Saturday evening, with Umesh Waghmare, secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, as the chief guest.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
