Humanities & Social Sciences

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Admission to PhD Programmes in HSS

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences offers a PhD programme in each of its five disciplines: English (Literature, Linguistics, and English Language Teaching), Fine Arts, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. However, please note that some disciplines may not advertise for PhD applications in a given round of admissions. Please see the most current advertisement at  http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/pgadmission.htm to see if the discipline to which you would like to apply is accepting applications.


Eligibility criteria for PhD Admissions in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Applications to the PhD programme in HSS are screened on the basis of a written exam and, if shortlisted based on your performance in the exam, an interview.

The following are the eligibility criteria for appearing in the entrance exam. If you meet these criteria, you will be invited to appear for the exam in the discipline to which you have applied.

  • A master’s degree in any subject
  • Minimum 55% marks or a minimum CPI of 6 on a 10-point scale in the master’s degree
  • One of the following, unless you have a master’s degree from the IITs in any subject with a CPI of at least 8:
    • JRF/NET certification in the discipline to which you are applying. The NET certificate should be less than five years old at the time of application.
    • A valid GATE (Humanities and Social Sciences) score in the discipline to which you are applying
    • You do not require NET or GATE certification if you have a master’s degree from the IITs in any subject with a CPI of at least 8.
  • Those applying under the SC/ST and OBC-NCL categories require only passing marks in their master’s degrees. In addition, they must have NET certification (less than five years old at the time of applying) or a valid GATE (X/H) score in the discipline to which they are applying.

You can find the link to the online application portal here: http://www.iitk.ac.in/doaa/pgadmission.htm

Syllabus for PHD (Fine-Arts) Entrance Test Students with and without Fine Arts Background  
Syllabus for PhD Admission in English (Literature, Linguistics and ELT)  
Syllabus for PhD Admission Test in PHILOSOPHY  
Syllabus for PhD Admission Test in Psychology  
Syllabus for PhD Admission Test in SOCIOLOGY - for Applicants with Sociology Background  
Syllabus for PhD Admission Test in SOCIOLOGY - for Applicants without Sociology Background