Marwadi University Rajkot Ph.D Computer Science: Fees 2026, Course Duration, Dates, Eligibility

Ans. Yes, the Part-Time PhD in Computer Science at Marwadi University is specifically designed for working IT professionals, software engineers, and academics. You can continue your job while pursuing the PhD, and research can be conducted at your workplace and/or at MU. You must submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your employer at the time of application. This is particularly beneficial for professionals working in software companies, IT firms, or tech startups who want to contribute to academic research in areas like AI, machine learning, or cybersecurity.

Ans. Yes, GATE qualification (Computer Science paper - CS) gives you a direct exemption from the MU PhD entrance test. You can directly appear for the personal interview without taking the university-level entrance exam. Your GATE score is valid for 3 years, so a recent GATE score can be used for PhD admission. Candidates without GATE must appear in the computer-based entrance test consisting of 10% research methodology and 90% Computer Science subject-specific questions based on the GATE/NET CS syllabus.

Ans. MU supports research in a wide range of Computer Science areas including artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning, data science and big data analytics, cybersecurity and cyber law, cloud computing, computer networks, software engineering, natural language processing, computer vision, and IoT. MU is Gujarat's first AI-enabled campus powered by NVIDIA and has a High-Performance Computing Facility (Supercomputer) awarded by the Government of Gujarat, providing excellent infrastructure for computational research. The specific research topic is finalized in consultation with your assigned supervisor and approved by the Doctoral Advisory Committee.

Ans. As per MU PhD regulations, you must publish a minimum of two research papers in SCOPUS or Web of Science Core Collection indexed journals before submitting your thesis synopsis. You must be the first author of these publications, and the papers must be from the research work done to fulfil the objectives of your approved thesis. Alternatively, one Indian or International utility patent (granted during the PhD tenure, with the scholar, supervisor, and MU as applicants) can substitute for one paper. For computer science research, IEEE Transactions, ACM journals, Elsevier, and Springer journals indexed in SCOPUS are commonly targeted.

Ans. For part-time candidates, the maximum duration is 7 years from the date of registration. An extension of up to 2 years beyond this maximum can be granted by the Provost on the recommendation of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. Women candidates and persons with disability (more than 40%) are allowed an additional relaxation of 2 years. The total period for completion in any case should not exceed 10 years. This extended timeline makes the part-time PhD feasible for working IT professionals who may have demanding project schedules.

Ans. PhD scholars must appear before the Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) once every six months for a Research Progress Review (RPR) presentation. A total of five RPR presentations are required before you can submit your thesis synopsis. RPR presentations are typically held in May/June and November/December each year. For RPR4 and RPR5, you must have published or received acceptance for your first and second research papers respectively. The DAC includes your supervisor, an external subject expert, and internal faculty members who guide and evaluate your research progress at each stage.