Student's corner

Dear Students,

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

Do you think with technology firms hiring more PhDs, IITs may be able to find more takers for the PhD programmes?

BEST RESPONSE

Takers of PhD programme look for an engrossing experience in their subject of interest and a career prospect that includes more respect and demand for their skills, the only impediment being their demand in the industry thereafter. With the technology firms recognising the potential of PhDs and offering them great opportunities to flourish, students interested in getting a PhD will be liberated from the fear of an unsure career ahead. This offers the candidates more space to spring up. IITs will look forward to such a better fuelled head count in their programme.

—Kritika Swarup, Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi

OTHER RESPONSES

With the hiring of PhD students by various tech firms, the general perception that PhD graduates are too specialised in academia is fading. Rather it is taken for granted by recruiters that these candidates are enriched in qualities like innovative thinking, problem solving strategies beforehand in addition to their specialised subjects. It opens up a new range of opportunities for the enthusiasts who wish to pursue higher study and enter into the corporate sector as well. It will be an altogether exciting experience for the newcomers and definitely more takers for the PhD programmes in the IITs in near future.

—Dipika Sahoo, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar

When the seats for post-graduate course are increasing by leaps and bounds each year, there has been stagnation in the number of students applying for PhDs. If IITs want to be known as excellent research institutes, they need to attract the best and brightest of the world. Introduction of M Tech-PhD dual degree and better stipends being offered has helped to some extent. But the changing trend of technology firms hiring more PhDs would definitely go a long way ensuring more takers for PhD programmes as market do play a huge role in career decisions being made.

—S Sarath, Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA)

Takers of PhD programme look for an engrossing experience in their subject of interest and a career prospect that includes more respect and demand for their skills, the only impediment being their demand in the industry thereafter. With the technology firms recognising the potential of PhDs and offering them great opportunities to flourish, students interested in getting a PhD will be liberated from the fear of an unsure career ahead. This offers the candidates more space to spring up. IITs will look forward to such a better fuelled head count in their programme.

—Kritika Swarup, Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi

The new recruitment drive will open multitudes of opportunity for young bright scholars who wish to pursue career in R&D. As technological companies start hiring PhDs for R&D units, number of students opting for PhD in IITs will increase. Decent remuneration offered by these technological firm will also provide much needed impetus to candidate who wish to pursue career in R&D. And this will ultimately help India to emerge as a global player in R&D.

—Nilaya Mitsah Shanker, Shri Ram Swaroop Memorial College Of Engineering And Management (SRMCEM), Llucknow

In this highly competitive generation, it definitely matters what pay package one is offered right at the beginning of the 'earning age' and in this context aspiring research scholars definitely gain an advantage in their courses but also receive an opportunity of security for the future.The course, however, is not a major factor of difference. IITs have their own stand and being its part is a matter of satisfaction in itself. However the practicality is that with reputation also goes what one will be after a fixed period of study where one has invested his lot. This is where hiring in PhD will help.

—Gaurav Singhal, St. Thomas College of Engineering And Technology, Kolkata.

Obviously, with the rise in number of research scholars being hired by technology firms, PhD programmes of IITs will automatically be affected directly or indirectly.The number of research scholars produced annually in India are much less than the required number. The technology firms require research work for their long term benefits which in turn will influence more students to take up PhD programmes. This rise in number of PhD takers will not only help technology firms in their endeavour but also improve the country's economy.

—Shivam Chhabra, Integral University, Lucknow.

With software giants like Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and others looking to recruit more PhDs, there will certainly be increase in demand for PhDs from premier institutes like IIT’s. India produces about 1000 PhD students every year from the IITs which is about only 10 per cent of what US and China produces. But with lucrative salaries being offered, more demand and improving condition of the educational scenario in India, I believe that IIT’s will soon find more takers for the PhD programmes.

—Sidharth Udani, Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.

In 2004, India produced around 5,900 science, technology and engineering PhDs, a figure that has now grown to some 8,900 this year. The government is making major investments in research and higher education - including a one-third increase in the higher-education budget in 2011–12 - and is trying to attract investment from foreign universities. The hope is that up to 20,000 PhDs will graduate each year by 2020 as per estimated targets. These targets ought to be easy to reach given such encouragement like companies going on a hiring spree of research scholars.

—A Bhuvana Bhimaiah, Alagappa University, Bangalore.

One reason that many doctoral programmes do not adequately serve students is that they are overly specialized, with curricula fragmented and increasingly irrelevant to the world beyond academia. Expertise, of course, is essential to the advancement of knowledge and to society. But in far too many cases, specialization has led to areas of research so narrow that they are of interest only to other people working in the same fields, or sub-fields. This could change or improve with more hiring.

—AB Karthik Monnappa, BIMS, Trichy.

Gradually but surely students will realise that a doctorate degree is a ticket to plum jobs and better future. This will encourage them to opt for PhD programmes. In India, the most coveted career options change with time depending on what makes a student better placed in the job market. A little time ago it was B.Tech and MBBS, and as of now it is the MBAs. Seeing that recruiters are more inclined to hire Doctorates as they add more value to the hiring firm, IITs will definitely find more takers for their programme.

—Rahul Gautam, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT-D)

A course's popularity depends a lot on the market opportunities in store for the pursuer. An increase in demand for researchers would act as a great incentive for students to pursue PhD as it provides a lucrative job in addition to the rich academic experience provided by PhD .The trend would help in widening the domain of P.HD beyond academia and would help in attracting some of the best brains in PhD programme who would have been earlier left out due to lack of market incentives.

—Rishabh Jain, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA).

Your responses should reach us at edu@businessstandard.com by Monday evening every week. Please ensure that your responses do not exceed 100 words. Avoid attachments and email your full name, institute's name, batch and complete mailing address. The student who gives the 'Best Response' will be awarded Rs 500.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: 

Do you think it is good move for IIM Indore to start a five-year integrated management programme?