Statistics and Data Science

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Slide background

PhD Program

The Department offers a PhD program in Statistics with the objective of preparing motivated researchers, who can work in frontline areas of Statistics and Data Science. The stress in training is both in theoretical rigor, as well computational experience. 

Structure Of The Programme

Following are the requirements for the degrees.

Course work:

During the first two semesters, students are required to complete the minimum credit requirements (54) from course work. The minimum number of courses to be done is 6, out of which 3 are compulsory: 

  • Advanced Calculus
  • Probability Theory
  • Statistical Inference 

Minimum research credit requirement for the programme is 72 and students are required to register for 36 research credit per semester after finishing the course-work. Students are also required to credit a modular 6-credit Communications course SDS 888M.

Comprehensive examination:

Students registered in the PhD programme must pass a Comprehensive examination designed to test the overall comprehension of the student in Statistics. A student can appear in the comprehensive examination only after they have completed the course requirements and satisfied the minimum specified CPI requirement, i.e., 7.0 (out of 10.0).

State of Art Seminar:

A student enrolled in the PhD programme is formally admitted to the candidacy for the PhD degree after they have completed the course requirements for the degree with a CPI of at least 7.0 and have passed the comprehensive examination. Every PhD student admitted to the candidacy for the PhD degree is required to deliver a general seminar covering the State of Art of the area of research. This seminar, viz., the State of Art Seminar must be delivered within six months of passing the comprehensive examination.

Open Seminar:

Before finalizing the thesis, every PhD student must deliver an Open Seminar in which the research work will be presented to obtain comments and criticism, which are to be incorporated in the thesis. The maximum time duration for the submission of the thesis after the delivery of the open seminar is six months.