PhD Programme is divided into three stages. These are:

Stage I: Ph.D. Course work
The Ph.D. course work at TERI SAS is designed to develop rigorous research and analytical skills among the students. It is intended to equip them with the necessary research and analytical skill sets. The Ph.D. Course work is governed by the ‘TERI School of Advanced Studies Ph.D. Regulations-2019’ (and subsequent amendments) and UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degrees) Regulations, 2016 (and subsequent amendments).

Ph.D. Course work structure and requirement
A minimum of 8 credits and a maximum of 16 credits will have to completed by the Ph.D. students in order to complete their course work. Some courses are mandatory in nature and some are prescribed by the Department Research Committee (DRC)/ Centre Research Committee (CRC) on the recommendations of the Student Research Committee (SRC). The Ph.D. course work must be completed within the first two semesters of joining the programme.
Every Ph.D. student must take the following mandatory courses.
a) Research Methodology – 3 Credits (Credit only course)
b) Research and Publication Ethics - 2 Credits (Credit or audit course)
c) Quantitative Research Method – minimum 2 Credit course from the list of quantitative methods course as prepared by the respective DRC/CRC

There are additional mandatory courses for students registering in some of the departments. Ph.D. students may also opt for ‘Communication Skills’, a non-mandatory course. Other advanced level courses from the list of courses offered for Masters Programmes may also be prescribed by SRC after considering the student’s background in relation to the proposed topic of research.

Stage II: Research proposal defense and research work
• A student will be permitted to appear for defending his/her research proposal only after he/she has completed the Ph.D. course work as decided by the SRC.
• As a part of the research proposal defence, a draft research proposal must be prepared in the prescribed format by the student in consultation with the Supervisor(s).
• The Supervisor will schedule the research proposal defence.
• After a satisfactory defence, the student will submit his/her final research proposal and related documents to the DRC/CRC with due approval from the Supervisor. The final research proposal must be submitted to the DRC/CRC within a period of 24 months from the date of registration to the Ph.D. programme.
• During the Ph.D. programme, the student shall appear before the SRC at least once in each semester to make a presentation of the progress of his/her work. This process will continue until thesis submission

Stage III: Thesis submission
A Ph.D. student may submit his/her thesis, in the prescribed format, at any time provided that he/she has completed the minimum period of registration and complied with all the necessary requirements as specified in “TERI School of Advanced Studies Ph.D. Regulations-2019” (and subsequent amendments). Prior to the thesis submission, the student shall make a presentation in the Department. A Ph.D. student must submit his/her thesis within the stipulated period, failing which his/her registration will be considered null and void.