Application Process
The admission procedure for Interdisciplinary Ph.D and M.S. programme at IIT Madras is as follows:
The admission procedure:
During each admission session, there will be a list of projects listed on the IDRP website.
Find the projects relevant to you and check your eligibility to apply.
The application Process is in two steps. You need to complete both steps to be considered for the admission process.
Apply in IITM Portal [IMP: You should apply for IDRP].
Fill out the project choice form (maximum of 2 choices) available on this website after applying at IITM Portal.
External Candidates Please Note: You have to contact two interested faculties (from different departments inside IITM) and discuss your scope of research work well before you apply to this program. The concerned faculty have to apply internally to this program to be considered for admissions.
Details
You can apply any time of the year.
Click here to get redirected to the official Ph.D. and M.S. (Research) Admission and Application portal of IIT Madras and start the online application procedure.
Select your department as Interdisciplinary to apply under Interdisciplinary Research Programme.
The list and details of available interdisciplinary projects are available on the Admissions page click here.
All the candidates are required to indicate their project choices before the prescribed date (Available here)
Short-listed candidates will be intimated via e-mail.
There will be an orientation session before the interviews for shortlisted candidates.
Once the interviews are over, results will be published on the IDRP portal, and call letters will be emailed.
Due to covid related restrictions, the selection process involves shortlisting and interviews.
There is no screening test for this round of admissions.
Information for Interdisciplinary Screening Test
Screening test is compulsory for short-listed candidates applying under ALL categories except for External and Part-Time.
External and Part-Time candidates are exempted from Screening Test.
The Screening Test has 2 components:
Written test (online test), and
Interview
both conducted at IIT Madras campus.
Written test (online test) format and general guidelines:
The test has two parts: Part A (subject) and Part B (General Aptitude).
Both the parts are compulsory. The exam is of 3 hours duration.
Only scientific calculators are allowed. Programmable calculators are not allowed.
Candidates should not be involved in any kind of malpractice during the examination. In case of any such violation, the candidate's application for this programme will be cancelled.
Part A of the Screening Test
Part A consists of 100 questions which are equally distributed between the following subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Basic Engineering. The questions are distributed as follows:
Q Nos 1-20: Mathematics
Q Nos 21-40: Physics
Q Nos 41-60: Chemistry
Q Nos 61-80: Biology
Q Nos 81-100: General Engineering
Each question may have MORE THAN ONE correct answer.
Candidates are required to answer ONLY 50 questions in Part A. Negative marks will not be applied if the number of attempted questions is <= 50.
Each question carries 1 mark. A maximum of 50 marks will be awarded for Part A.
Negative marks will apply ONLY for incorrect attempts beyond 50. For e.g.,
If the candidate attempts 50 questions, 40 of which are correct and 10 are wrong, he/she will be awarded a score of 40 (No negative marks for incorrect answers).
If the candidate attempts 90 questions, 60 of which are correct and 30 are wrong, he/she will be awarded a score of 35 (50 – 30*0.5).
If the candidate attempts 90 questions, 80 of which are correct and 10 are wrong, he/she will be awarded a score of 45 (50 – 10*0.5).
The syllabus for Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry is same as that of Class XI and Class XII CBSE syllabus.
The syllabus for Basic Engineering is based on 1st year Engineering subjects of Engineering Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Computer Programming and Electrical Engineering.
Part B of the Screening Test
Part B consists of 25 questions on verbal ability, logical reasoning and data interpretation.
All questions are compulsory.
Each question carries 1 mark.
There are NO NEGATIVE MARKS for this part.
For any queries, please visit the FAQ page or contact idrp@smail.iitm.ac.in