Student enrolled into Direct PhD program are admitted into the dept. After they join the dept,

A Direct PhD student is admitted into dept at large.i.e. no research guide/advisor is assigned to the student during the admission process. Once he/she joins the dept, in the very first week, he/she talks to the professors in the dept. and find a research guide/advisor. If the professor agrees to take the student in his/her research group, he/she will be academic and research guide for teh duration of the students stay here in the dept.

Once the student identifies a research advisor, a Doctoral Committee (DC) is constituted. The three member GTC consists of two professors from MME dept. and the third from other depts. Student, in consultations with his/her advisor and DC then carefully selects the courses that he/she can register for. A Minimum of eight courses(for the entire duration of PhD) have to be credited by the student to fulfil the requirements. DC and the advisor can recommend extra courses in case they feel the student will be beneficiary of it. The courses can be from any dept and not just from MME.

Students are expected to clear the comprehensive exam(More details here) before two years from the time of their enrolment into the dept. A student can utmost appear twice for the comprehensive exam. It is generally understood the student embarks on his research topic only after successfully completing the comprehensive exam.

Two Seminars and a thesis.

One DC meeting before the end of two years.