Why IITs see joint PhD degrees with foreign universities as a win-win

NEW DELHI: As part of his doctoral studies at the Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Apoorva Goel spent a year in Australia. It helped her academic work and also “opened doors to unparalleled global networking opportunities”, she said.

Goel is part of a Joint PhD programme, offered by IIT Madras and the Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. “I had the opportunity to collaborate with distinguished professors, engage with research scholars, and gain deep insights into global research methodologies and best practices,” he added.

Joint degree programmes with foreign institutions have become a key part of the IITs’ global education push. A part of the larger internationationalisation project of the Institutes of national Importance, IITs have launched dozens of joint-PhD programmes over the past few years, with anywhere between five and 20 such partnerships at each.

The results have been encouraging. While they afford Indian students like Goel exposure to international standards of education and research, such programmes are also helping to attract foreign students to the campuses, a win-win for students and institutions. Doors are opening to faculty collaborations and more joint research and publications. They are even helping guide efforts to set up campuses abroad and joint programmes are now being considered for the postgraduate level as well.

IIT Madras has been a frontrunner. Their first joint PhD programme started in 2008, in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS). They also have three joint masters programmes with foreign institutions – a Joint MSc in Data Science and AI and Joint MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems with University of Birmingham, UK; a Joint MSc in Water Security and Global Change with Technische Universität (TU) Dresden

and RWTH Aachen Germany; and a Joint MTech in Energy Systems with Kathmandu University, Nepal.

IIT partnerships with international universities

In the last 10 years, IIT Madras has introduced joint doctoral programmes with 20 institutions, across Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. These include the Australian National University; National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan; and Michigan State University, USA.

“IIT Madras has 18 departments, including management studies and Humanities and Social sciences, and we have had students from almost all the departments participate in the Joint PhD programme,” said Raghunathan Rengaswamy, dean (global engagement), IIT Madras.

IIT Roorkee has such programmes with nine, most based in Canada and Asian countries. The first such partnership was initiated in 2019, with the University of Strasbourg, France. It was open to all students enrolled under the joint degree programme.

However, the collaboration with University of Alberta, Canada, started in 2020, was for students of agricultural, life and environmental sciences (ALES) engineering; medicine and dentistry; public health; and science departments.

“These programmes are governed by bilateral agreements. They offer a collaborative, globally-oriented education with a single degree awarded by multiple institutions, allowing students to gain expertise from different academic environments and cultures,” said VC Srivastava, dean, international relations, IIT Roorkee.

IIT Guwahati offers such programmes with two universities – Gifu University, Japan, and Dalhousie University, Canada. Students of food science and technology and mechanical engineering have an opportunity to complete the programme at Gifu. In case of collaboration with Dalhousie University it is for all departments.

Students of IIT Delhi and University of Queensland, Australia, have been working together since 2018. Each collaboration is for specific departments, decided during the signing of the agreement. The intake is not fixed with each university deciding based on available funding.

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PhD Admission: How it works

While in most cases research scholars or students in their first year are enrolled in the joint or dual degree programme, some institutions provide multiple pathways.

IIT Roorkee considers enrolment at a later stage as well, if both the supervisors agree.

IIT Madras has two ways to get enrolled:

• Join as a PhD scholar and then convert to a Joint PhD in the second or third year after completing the necessary coursework.

• Join as a Joint PhD scholar directly under jointly-funded projects

“We have demarcation as a home and host institute. A home institute is where the student is initially enrolled and is liable to pay the tuition fee. Typically, the duration of stay in the host institute is between 12 to 18 months,” said Rengaswamy.

For each collaboration, the number of semesters or years students spend at the ‘host’ varies. But for most programmes, the minimum is six months. Students also have an opportunity to extend their study – up to one additional academic year – at the host institution but only if both partners agree.

“In case of the joint programmes at IIT Guwahati, it is for one or two semesters that students spend at the host institute. Extension depends on the decision of the respective institution,” said Sumana Datta, dean, alumni and external relations and also professor in the chemistry department. .

Joint Doctorate Degree: How much does it cost?

Students pay fees only at the home institution, not the host. The rest of the terms, however, vary widely and are dictated by the stipulations of the memoranda of understanding (MOU) between institutions.

The PhD fee varies across IITs, ranging between Rs 50,000 and Rs 65,000 per semester, including hostel stay.

“Joint degree students are expected to have sufficient personal funds to cover any and all expenses not covered by either institution as detailed in this agreement. The expenses include the other non-instructional fees, living expenses, travel and transportation, including travel insurance, text books and school supplies and all necessary immigration documents,” said Srivastava.

However, Datta added, “Students also get help from the host institute for accommodation and in dealing with the embassy, and continue to receive scholarships during their stay at the host institute.”

But the joint degree programme offered by IIT Madras and Deakin University, Melbourne, also offers relocation grants and health coverage to scholars. At IIT-M, research scholars are paid a monthly stipend of Rs 37,000 in year one and Rs 42,000 in years three and four. The second year is spent at Deakin which pays AUD $35,500.

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Why its unique

“A Joint PhD scholar has dual supervision where both home and host institute professors guide them,” Rengaswamy pointed out. “They have access to resources and expertise from both institutes, and this broadens their global exposure and paves the way to collaborative research, which may eventually lead to joint publication in international journals. Once completed, the scholars will get a joint or dual degree certificate(s). Some programmes offer a single joint PhD certificate, while others issue two degrees referencing each other.”

Many programmes also allow for collaboration of faculty.

“Faculty from IIT Madras and partner universities engage in joint teaching, fostering global academic standards. International visiting faculty and researchers enrich IIT Madras’ academic environment, which aligns with the National Education Policy’s faculty exchange goals,” said Rengaswamy.

Research scholars looking for a challenge

Tasuku Miyachi, a scholar from Japan is working on his thesis, “Comparative Study of Acidic Soil Tolerance Regulated by the STOP1 Transcription Factor Across Various Plant Species”, at IIT Guwahati’s department of biosciences and bio engineering.

He was looking for a challenge and expects the joint programme to be a bigger one than earning a degree through the traditional route in Japan would have been.

“Considering the structure of the schedule and evaluation criteria, I expect this programme to be more challenging. I believe it will help me transform into a more skills-oriented and internationally-diverse researcher,” said Miyachi. “The joint degree programme was highly appealing as it provided an opportunity to gain international experience. With the time I have spent at IITG, I have been able to learn from the faculty members and my lab mates which has helped me develop different skills and techniques. Also, through the annual progress seminar, it has been enlightening to receive feedback from both Japanese and Indian professors.”

Goel, who spent one year in Australia explained how just the experience of living abroad and being part of another institution helped. “I made friends from various countries, allowing me to experience different cultures, traditions, and cuisines first-hand. These interactions broadened my perspective, teaching me the value of diversity, adaptability, and cross-cultural collaboration—skills that are just as crucial in academia as they are in the professional world,” he said.

Satorupa Karmakar, whose project focuses on “Examining Community Resilience to Fire in Informal Settlements,” is part of the UQ-IITD joint Phd degree programme.

“The academy encourages an environment of academic excellence while providing robust support for research aspirations. Being exposed to both Indian and Australian research environments has been particularly enlightening. While the academic approaches differ somewhat between the two countries, this diversity has strengthened my development as a researcher,” said Karmakar.

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NEP 2020: Push for internationalisation

The joint degree programmes leave a wider impact on the institutions themselves.

Srivastava explained, “Joint degree programmes significantly contribute to the internationalisation of Indian institutions, aligning with the goals of the NEP 2020. They enhance global partnerships, foster cultural exchange, improve academic standards, boost employability, and create more opportunities for international student mobility and research collaboration. By integrating these programmes into their offerings, Indian universities can strengthen their global presence and prepare students for the challenges of an interconnected world.”

Some said they have contributed to the establishment of international student offices and facilitated frameworks for foreign universities in India and Indian campuses abroad.

IIT Madras and Delhi have established campuses in Zanzibar and Abu Dhabi.