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Department of
Humanities and Social Sciences

PhD Programme

PhD Admissions for session starting August 2025

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences seeks applications for the PhD programme. The details of which can be found below.  

Discipline

Research Areas*

Economics and Development Studies

Development Economics, Political Economy, Ecological Economics, Environment and Development, 
Water Resources Management, Climate Action and Policy

History

History of Architecture, History of Art, Archaeology, History of Astronomy, Material Culture, Epigraphy, Sanskrit

Literature

 Indian Writing in English, South Asian Anglophone Literature, World Literature, Literature and Feminism

Political Science

Political Theory, Modern Indian Political Thought, Gandhian Studies, Anti-Caste Discourse in India, Gender and Indian Politics, Social Movements and Indian Politics, Village Studies, Intellectual History of Maharashtra

Sociology

Sociology of Climate Change, Environmental Sociology, Media sociology, Disaster and Development, Environmental Justice, Political Ecology.

*Research areas are not restricted to any specific disciplinary background. Applicants are welcome to work across disciplines and research areas.

Eligibility Criteria:

1A. The applicant should have a minimum of 60% aggregate marks or CGPA of 6 on of a 10-point scale (55% or equivalent CGPA in aggregate for SC/ST and PD candidates) in their Master’s (MA/MSc/MPhil/BS-MS) Degree, in one or more of the subject which includes Sciences, Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Studies, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sanskrit, Sociology, the Fine arts, and allied disciplines. Applicants from Architecture, Engineering/ Technology, and Medicine are eligible after a Bachelor’s degree (minimum four years).

Additionally, the candidate MUST have qualified in any ONE of the following exams with any science or humanities/social sciences subject:

  1. National Eligibility Test (NET) with valid* CSIR-JRF / UGC-JRF
  2. CSIR-UGC NET-LS (from examination conducted during the year 2023 and 2024)
  3. NBHM/GATE with a valid* score.

*The score/rank MUST be valid at least till August 01, 2025.

OR

1B. BS-MS/Masters students from any of the Institutes of National Importance with major in one of the subjects mentioned above with a CGPA 8 or above on a10-point scale are exempted from national-level test eligibility criteria 

 

Candidates in the final year of qualifying degree are also eligible to apply. However, their final selection is subject to their successful completion of the qualifying degree with the above mentioned requirements at the time of admission i.e. on August 01, 2025.

Selection procedure: Based on application form and the above listed criteria, applicants will be shortlisted for an interview. The shortlist will be based on a two-page research plan in addition to the above requirements. Candidates selected for the interview will receive a separate email to appear for the interview at the IISER Pune campus. Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates.

Note:

Only online applications are accepted. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. The department may use additional criteria in order to shortlist candidates for interviews depending on the number of applications received.