The IFMR GSB’s PhD Programme, now under the aegis of the Krea Doctoral College, has focused on cutting-edge research in finance and management since the inception of the programme in 1982 as part of the then IFMR (Institute for Financial Management and Research). The diversity within Krea University and the interdisciplinary approach to research have further enhanced the quality of the doctoral curriculum at IFMR GSB.
The doctoral coursework has two phases. The first phase comprises the first two years, during which the doctoral scholars undergo selected graduate-level (MBA level) and doctoral-level courses which lay the foundation of research by exposing them to various functional areas (Data Science & Information Systems, Economics, Finance, Accounting, & Quantitative Finance, Marketing, Operations, Organisation Behaviour, and Strategy) within management. The coursework helps PhD scholars gain an in-depth understanding of management research from both theoretical and applied perspectives, thus preparing them to become successful management educators. In addition to various courses, an integral part of the coursework is the Independent Research Study, which prepares the PhD scholars to embark on writing their doctoral dissertation by instilling in them the required research skills. At the end of the first phase, PhD scholars need to qualify in comprehensive oral and written examinations.
The second phase begins from the third year when the PhD scholars start working on their research topic under the guidance of faculty members. During this phase, PhD scholars make presentations periodically to update the progress made in doctoral research. Finally, the doctoral degree is awarded after the submission of the thesis, its subsequent evaluation by external subject experts, and a successful public viva-voce.
Krea University provides generous financial aid to PhD scholars and strongly encourages them to participate in reputed peer-reviewed conferences, colloquiums, and workshops both in India and abroad. The library at Krea University has a rich collection of books, journals, and periodicals and subscribes to several databases required for empirical research.
It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that our PhD graduates have joined reputed academic institutions and research organisations in the past.
If you are keen to embark on an enriching journey of doing doctoral research, please reach out to us.
The Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) was established in 1970 and has an impressive and long record of contributing to the expansion and enrichment of the knowledge base in the financial services industry. In 1982, IFMR became an approved research institution to conduct research leading to award of PhD by the University of Madras. Initially, the PhD degree was in the area of Finance and then since 2014 in the area of Management.
In 2018, IFMR was re-christened as IFMR Graduate School of Business (IFMR GSB) and integrated within the newly formed Krea University under the IFMR Society. IFMR GSB offers MBA and PhD programmes under Krea University from 2018. Krea Doctoral College will now oversee the PhD programmes of the university, in both schools – IFMR GSB and SIAS. IFMR GSB strives to provide a stimulating research environment to its research students, supported by faculty with exceptional research credentials. IFMR GSB endeavours to be an institution that contributes in the space of higher education by training students who then go on to become thought leaders and teachers themselves.
The alumni of the PhD programme have assumed positions as faculty in prestigious academic institutions such as Ashoka University, Great Lakes Institute of Management, the Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, IIM Kashipur, IIM Shillong, IIM Amritsar, IRMA, Madras School of Economics, Mahindra University, and Rajagiri Business School. Other alumni are in significant roles in research institutes, think- tanks and corporates such as Centre for Excellence in Fiscal Policy and Taxation, CRISIL, Deloitte, ICICI, Institute for Human Development, and SCOPE international.
IFMR GSB’s in-house journal, “Journal of Emerging Market Finance” reinforces IFMR GSB’s research credentials. With the support and guidance of faculty, PhD students publish extensively in peer-reviewed journals and present their research in various national and international conferences. The annual research symposium at IFMR GSB provides an excellent platform for students to showcase their work and interact with researchers from the Krea ecosystem and other national and international institutions.
IFMR GSB offers a research programme leading to the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The PhD programme combines rigorous coursework and a flexible curriculum with in-depth research requirements while staying true to the Krea vision of interwoven learning, ethical values, critical thinking and interdisciplinary education.
The University now offers the PhD programme to full-time and part-time students
Full-time students receive tuition waiver and stipend for four years. Extension up to one year may be granted, following review by the Dissertation Committee. Part-time PhD students are required to do coursework which is a blend of in-person and hybrid lectures and return to campus for end-of-year 1 examination and comprehensive examination, and proposal, synopsis, and thesis defense. Both part-time and full-time students are awarded a PhD in Management.
Visit this section to find important admissions deadlines, along with a link to our application.
Excellent Placements Possibilities
The alumni of the PhD programme have assumed positions as faculty in prestigious academic institutions such as Ashoka University, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, IIM Kashipur, IIM Shillong, IIM Amritsar and the Madras School of Economics. Other alumni are in significant roles in research institutes, think-tanks and corporates such as CRISIL, SCOPE International, ICICI, Institute
for Human Development and Centre for Excellence in Fiscal Policy and Taxation.
| IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| List of PhD. Alumni * | ||||
| S. No. | Name | Area | Title of Thesis | Year Awarded |
| 1 | N Chandrasekaran | Finance | Market Structure and Financial performance – A study of the Indian Cement Industry during 1971-86. | 1990 |
| 2 | G Ramachandran | Finance | Behaviour of Share Prices – A Statistical Analysis | 1991 |
| 3 | K Lakshmi | Finance | Financial Performance of Diversified Companies – A strategic analysis. | 1991 |
| 4 | Uma Subbaraman | Economics | Exchange Rate Economics: Micro Analysis of India’s Exchange Rate Experience | 1994 |
| 5 | S Manjula | Finance | Working Capital Management: A case study of fertilizer industry in India | 1995 |
| 6 | L V Ramana | Finance | Initial Public Offerings in India: Analysis of their performance and pricing | 1997 |
| 7 | R Meenakshi | Economics | Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India (An Analysis of its impact on the Economy and on the Corporate Sector) | 1998 |
| 8 | Sucharita Kumar | Finance | Corporate Behaviour in Raising Capital – A Study of the Indian Corporate Sector. | 1998 |
| 9 | S K Shanthi | Economics | Economics of Public Debt: India’s experience (1960-61 to 1990-91) | 1999 |
| 10 | B Gayathri | Finance | Credit Risk Modeling of Hire Purchase Transaction | 2001 |
| 11 | S Vijayalakshmi | Finance | Agency Cost, Ownership Structure and Financial Policies in the Indian Corporate Sector | 2002 |
| 12 | C R Aravind | Finance | Financial Structure and value of the firm – An Empirical study of Indian firms in the post liberalisation period | 2003 |
| 13 | P R Ramakrishnan | Finance | Corporate Bankruptcy and Restructuring of Firms in India | 2003 |
| 14 | Ponmudi Vasudevan | Finance | Corporate diversification, financial policies and firm value: an empirical analysis of the Indian corporate sector | 2008 |
| 15 | C.A. Yoonus | Finance | Noise Trading Model – Evidence from the Indian Capital Market | 2012 |
| 16 | Surenderrao Komera | Finance | Essays on Capital Structure Choice and Corporate Bankruptcy | 2014 |
| 17 | Dilip Kumar | Finance | Volatility Estimation and Forecasting: A Study of the Unbiased Extreme Value Volatility Estimator | 2015 |
| 18 | Khanindra Ch. Das | Economics | Essays on Outward Foreign Direct Investment from Developing Countries | 2015 |
| 19 | Swati Dutta | Economics | Poverty and Vulnerability Analysis in India: As Asset based Approach | 2015 |
| 20 | Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay | Economics | Interrelated Essays in Development Economics | 2016 |
| 21 | Praveen Bhagawan M | Finance | Corproate Risk Management:Emprical Evidence from Indian Non-Financial Firms | 2016 |
| 22 | Lakshmi Padmakumari | Finance | An Investigation into the Level Dependence in the Volatility of Asset Returns | 2018 |
| 23 | Parthajit Kayal | Economics | Modelling Alternatives to Market Efficiency via Excess Volatility and Mean Reversion | 2018 |
| 24 | Lakshmi Viswanathan | Finance | An investigation into the empirical regularities of stock returns: Non-normality of stock returns and the determinants of correlation across global stock indices | 2019 |
| 25 | Santosh Kumar Dash | Economics | Three Empirical Essays on Inflation | 2019 |
| 26 | Muneer Shaik | Economics | Robust Estimation of Volatility using Extreme Values of Asset Prices | 2019 |
| 27 | Priyanka Menon | Economics | Essays on Financial Development | 2022 |
| 28 | George Varghese | Economics | Empirical Essays on Nonlinear Dynamics in Primary Crude Oil Benchmarks | 2022 |
| 29 | Kunal Saha | Management | Long Memory and Anti-Persistence in Exchange Traded Funds and Underlying Indices: An Analytical Study | 2022 |
| 30 | Kanvinde Mukta Pushkar | Economics | Testing Market Efficiency: A Random Walk Approach | 2022 |
| 31 | Aishwarya Krishnaswamy | Economics | Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure and firm performance: An empirical analysis of Indian Companies | 2022 |
| 32 | Aiswarya Thomas | Economics | Essays on International Spillovers of Monetary Policy | 2022 |
| 33 | Blessy Augustine | Economics | Empirical Essays on Debt | 2023 |
| 34 | Gourab Chakraborty | Management | Measurement of Extreme Market Risks – An Empirical Analysis across Asset Classes and Financial Markets | 2023 |
| 35 | Ann Mary | Economics | A Study on Spatial Inequalities and Policy Responses in India | 2023 |
| 36 | Anjali K | Economics | Essays in Financial Economics | |
| 37 | Gurmeet Singh | Economics | Emprical Essays on Inflation and Financial Markets | 2024 |
| 38 | Sruthy Babu | Psychology – Management Studies | Impact Of Cultural Intelligence On Work Outcomes And Wellbeing Among Expatriates In Gcc | 2025 |
| * The PhD degree was awarded by Madras University | ||||
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