The PhD programme of the Department of Sociology is aimed at enabling the students to rethink, revise and rejuvenate the discipline of Sociology by effectively centering South Asia and engage in a purposive dialogue with dominant centers of knowledge, typically associated with the West, and new emergent perspectives from other parts of the world. The doctoral scholars are expected to push the bounds of Sociological and Anthropological knowledge that will enable the development of a ‘South Asian Sociology’, aware of its diverse histories, concerns and approaches, initiate a rethinking of the category of South Asia without falling prey to delimiting paradigms and contribute to the further development of Sociology and Anthropology as disciplines on the whole.

The program solicits research students’ critical role in developing new approaches, methodological innovations, develop of new areas of enquiries, and originality of research rather than convenient reproductions.

Candidates must have completed a minimum of 17 years of formal education, i.e. 12 years of schooling followed by either a 3-year Bachelor’s degree and a 2-year Master’s degree, or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree and a 1-year Master’s degree. The Master’s degree should be in Sociology or related disciplines such as Political Science, Economics and Business Studies, Labour Studies, Psychology, Cultural and Social Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Linguistics, Mass Communication, Journalism, Film and Television Studies, Education, Geography, Law, Social Work, Development Studies, Criminology, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, English, Comparative Literature, Comparative Religious Studies, Sociology of Science, Art History, Critical Theatre Studies, Aesthetics, or Art Production. The degrees must be obtained from an institution recognized by the government of any SAARC country, with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks or an equivalent grade.

Candidates with 4-year Bachelor degree in the subject are also eligible for admission to PhD programme provided they have secured a minimum of 75% marks or equivalent grade.

The number of seats through the Entrance Test mode is 6, while the number of seats through the Direct mode shall be based on availability.

• The duration of the Entrance Test will be 2 hours.
• The question paper will consist of 70 multiple choice questions.
• There will be no negative marking.

The subject knowledge and comprehension skills will be of the post-graduate level.

Some questions may be of multiple-choice type based on the reading of  passages provided.