Ph.D.

An aspiring Research Scholar asked a few days back through email: ‘I have completed my M.Sc. in Botany. I want to do Ph.D. Please tell me which Ph.D. Courses are suitable for me? What are the good institutes for me?’. Following answer will clear these doubts. Fortunately, there are plenty of reputed institutes in India for research in Basic Sciences such as Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics etc. Let us confine to the Botany in this post. First thing any candidate aspiring to pursue Ph.D. should remember is, clearing any exam that offers good financial support along with a seat in a reputed and recognized university or institute. There are number of national level test for this purpose. Following are these:

1. CSIR UGC- NET: This is a highly popular exam among science students as it offers excellent fellowship under JRF and SRF. Those qualified for JRF will also get research opportunities in India’s best institutes supported by CSIR. The CSIR has more than 30 world class research institutes across the country for training and research in basic and modern sciences. For more details: csirhrdg.res.in

2. ICMR: Indian Council of Medical Research is another organization which offers research opportunities for eligible students in institutes under its purview. ICMR also offer fellowships almost equivalent to CSIR- NET. Check for more info: www.icmr.nic.in

3. DBT Junior Research Fellowship Tests: Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India offers various fellowships for candidates interested in research in sciences, particularly Biotechnology related subjects. See for details: dbtindia.nic.in

4. Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) exams will be another best choice for you as it is specialized in plant sciences and agri-sciences. To name a few of them, National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow, Another lab is, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (formerly known as National Centre for Plant Genome Research) is a premier institution for plant genomic research. It has been established by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. For more info, see www.iari.res.in

School of Life sciences University of Hyderabad etc., If you diversify towards allied sciences like plant biotechnology, bioinformatics IARI is another excellent option. Once you clear any of these exams, choose Institutes which provides Ph.D course in plant sciences.

Here is an interesting question from a reader – cum- student. The question goes like this: ‘I have completed My M. Sc in Biotechnology from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. I would like to do Ph.D. in USA. Is my Educational Qualification sufficient? If not sufficient, what other Degrees do I need to attain and if sufficient what tests do I need to take whether GRE (General) OR GRE (Subject) OR TOEFL, or all of them. Please Guide me through the process of earning a PhD in USA.

Well, this appears to be a genuine doubt for average students from any sub or semi urban areas. The qualification of M.Sc. Biotechnology is sufficient for admission to Ph.D. in Biotechnology. As your target is to move to USA for Ph.D., you need to appear for GRE (General) and TOEFL. Then you have to select the universities / institutions based on your score in GRE and TOEFL.
Admissions in USA are generally held in two sessions. They are Fall and Spring Sessions. Many universities are offering Ph.D. in biotechnology and allied sciences in USA. Biotechnology as such is a highly generalized subject and you need to narrow down your specialization in order to become more focused.

Ph.D. in US is highly challenging and more practical oriented. You must get sufficient hands on experience in all the latest equipment usage, methodologies, literature etc., Mostly you will have work independently under a guide / supervisor with very little assistance unlike India. All the above suggestions will help you to take up Ph.D. in US before going for foreign studies.

Details of GRE and TOEFL can be obtained from the websites www.ets.org/toefl/ and www.ets.org/gre/.