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

Ans. Yes, the Part-Time PhD in Marketing at MU is specifically designed for working marketing professionals including brand managers, digital marketing specialists, market research analysts, advertising professionals, and sales managers. 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 work with real consumer data and market dynamics and want to contribute their practical insights 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 (Management 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% Management/Marketing subject-specific questions based on the UGC-NET Management syllabus.

Ans. The Faculty of Management Studies at MU supports research in a wide range of Marketing areas including consumer behavior and decision-making, digital marketing and social media marketing, brand management and brand equity, retail marketing and omnichannel strategies, marketing analytics and big data, international marketing and global branding, green marketing and sustainability, and services marketing. 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 marketing research, journals like the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Retailing, and other SCOPUS-indexed marketing and management 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 marketing professionals who may have demanding campaign and 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.