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

Ans. Yes, the Part-Time PhD in Economics at MU is specifically designed for working professionals including bank economists, government policy analysts, think tank researchers, and college lecturers. 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 who deal with real economic data and policy issues in their daily work and want to contribute to academic research.

Ans. No, UGC-NET is not mandatory, but it gives you a direct exemption from the MU PhD entrance test. Candidates who have qualified UGC-NET (Economics paper) can directly appear for the personal interview without taking the university-level entrance exam. Candidates without UGC-NET must appear in the computer-based entrance test consisting of 10% research methodology and 90% Economics subject-specific questions based on the UGC-NET Economics syllabus.

Ans. The Faculty of Management Studies at MU supports research in a wide range of Economics areas including macroeconomics and monetary policy, microeconomics and market analysis, development economics and poverty studies, agricultural economics and rural development, international trade and foreign direct investment, public finance and fiscal policy, econometrics and quantitative methods, and environmental economics. 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. For economics research, journals like the Journal of Development Economics, Economic Modelling, Journal of Policy Modeling, and other SCOPUS-indexed economics journals 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 economists who may have demanding professional commitments.

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.