Interdisciplinary Research: PhD & MTech Research at CPS provides a unique opportunity to students to work on interdisciplinary problem with faculty from different departments and diverse areas including communication, control, machine learning, robotics, security, autonomous systems etc. Students are typically supervised jointly by two advisors from different disciplines.
Right Balance of Theory and Hands-on Training: PhD & MTech at CPS provides a solid theoretical grounding and strong experimental training. This balanced approach prepares you for solving problems at both fundamental and applied levels.
Industry Exposure: via participation in industry – academia collaborative research projects.
Entrepreneurship Opportunities: CPS has established the Technology and Innovation Hub (ARTPARK) that focuses on fostering entrepreneurship. Students will get a unique opportunity to incubate your ideas through ARTPARK and translate their research into products that benefit the society.
Attractive Fellowships: CPS provides generous fellowships and travel grants to selective PhD students. Besides government funding, extensive funds from industry are also available.
Exciting Careers: Graduates get attractive opportunities in innovation-driven industries and government research organizations. The program also prepares students to launch their academic career.
Program Structure
Advisor Assignment: When students join the program, they are assigned their Research Supervisor. The assignment is based on the mutual research interests of the students and the faculty.
Courses: Students have to complete required course credits that range from 12 credits to 24 credits depending on their qualifying degree. Students take courses in consultation with their respective advisor(s), and they can take courses from any department at IISc.
Comprehensive Exam: After completing the course requirements, students appear for their comprehensive exam. They are tested based on the course material and their research progress. Students who pass the exam are confirmed as PhD candidates.
Thesis Submission and Defense: Once students complete their research work, they submit their thesis followed by a defense. Successful candidates are granted the degree.
(For more details see the Student Information Handbook 2026 )
