Message from the Office of the Doctoral Programme
The Executive Ph.D. Programme offered by the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta will begin its illustrious journey from 2025. By offering various specializations in Management and related disciplines, this new programme will be ideally crafted for exceptionally motivated and committed senior professionals in industry, policy-making, government and non-government sectors, who would like to engage in rigorous, impactful and inter-disciplinary research and learning. The programme will equip them to address complex challenges with innovative, research driven insights, while continuing to excel in their present career trajectories. An Executive Ph.D. is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about fostering intellectual growth, helping senior leaders to sharpen their strategic acumen, and giving them a competitive edge in their respective fields. The main objective of the Executive Ph.D. Programme therefore is to educate, train and shape committed scholars to become domain experts and visionary thought-leaders in their chosen fields of enquiry and immersion, while simultaneously crafting them as excellent management educators for the future.
As the first institution of its kind set up in 1961, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta continues to remain a trail-blazer in the field of management education and research, both nationally and globally. Our beloved institution remains true to its core values of nation-building and social development through ethical and responsible management pedagogy and practices. The new Executive Ph.D. Programme further expands the core values of IIMC through greater engagement with society at large—across industries, civil services, the social sector, and other areas—by helping in the co-creation of knowledge processes in management that is more inclusive and relevant to real-world challenges. The programme critically enhances research skills and theoretical knowledge among industry and policy practitioners, empowering them to tackle complex, real-world problems in their fields with rigorous, evidence-based solutions. It will potentially facilitate career transitions for mid- and senior-level practitioners from industry and policy into academic roles focused on teaching and research. By easing this transition, the Executive Ph.D. programme aims to break down artificial boundaries, encouraging interdisciplinary research that addresses the pressing, practical issues faced by industries and government today. This initiative also helps to expand the pool of academically qualified Professors of Practice, a valuable resource for business schools and management institutes looking to enhance their faculty with industry expertise.
In keeping with the collaborative spirit of research, Executive Ph.D. students are encouraged to network with national and international scholars in their own areas of expertise, explore possible opportunities for research, and when possible, co-opt them in their thesis advisory committees. Support systems provided for Executive doctoral research in IIMC include a well-functioning library with state-of-the-art resources consisting of journal packages, databases, books and computing facilities. We invite motivated research-oriented scholars to apply for the Executive Ph.D. Programme and start an intellectually fulfilling journey as part of the IIMC community.
Prof. Saikat Maitra
Chairperson - Doctoral Programme
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta