Ph.D. in Management
Programme Overview
The Ph.D. programme in Management at the WPU School of Business is a prestigious, rigorous programme designed to develop high-quality academic management thinkers with advanced knowledge and expertise in Financial Management, Marketing Management, Operations Management, Human Resource Management, Organisational Behaviour, Leadership, Strategic Management, Information Systems, and Digital Technology & Analytics. The doctoral programme strongly emphasises research and encourages students to undertake original, impactful research projects. Doctoral students work closely with faculty supervisors to identify research questions, develop research methodologies, collect and analyse data, and contribute novel insights to academia and industry. The programme culminates in a doctoral dissertation that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the chosen area of specialisation. The WPU School of Business has a team of renowned faculty members who are experts in their respective fields. These faculty members actively engage with doctoral students, providing mentorship, guidance, and support throughout the research process. Their expertise and research contributions enrich doctoral candidates' learning experience and contribute to the programme's overall academic excellence. Recognising the interdisciplinary nature of management research, the programme encourages students to explore connections with other disciplines such as economics, psychology, sociology, and engineering and Technology. This interdisciplinary approach fosters innovation and allows students to gain insights from diverse perspectives, enhancing the depth and breadth of their research contributions. The WPU School of Business emphasises a global perspective in its curriculum and research agenda. Students are encouraged to explore international issues, cross-cultural management challenges, and global business trends in their research endeavours. In addition to academic coursework and research, the programme provides professional development and networking opportunities. Candidates have access to workshops, seminars, conferences, and industry partnerships that enhance their skills in academic writing, presentation, networking, and job market preparation. These activities help students develop the necessary competencies for successful careers in academia, research, consulting, or industry leadership roles.
Diverse Areas of Research
Marketing
Research in this area explores consumer behaviour, brand management, digital and social media marketing, marketing analytics, retail strategy, and services marketing. Scholars examine how organisations create, communicate, and deliver value in increasingly dynamic and technology-driven markets.
Finance
This area covers corporate finance, investment analysis, financial markets and institutions, behavioural finance, risk management, and fintech. Research focuses on decision-making under uncertainty, capital allocation, and the evolving structure of financial systems.
Human Resource Management & Organisational Behaviour
Research in OB/HR examines individual and group behaviour within organisations, leadership development, employee motivation and engagement, talent management, diversity and inclusion, and the design of effective HR systems and policies.
Operations Management
This area addresses supply chain management, process design and optimisation, quality management, operations analytics, sustainability in operations, and technology-driven transformation of business processes.
Strategy and Leadership
Research here focuses on corporate and competitive strategy, strategic decision-making, innovation and entrepreneurship, governance, and the role of leadership in driving organisational change and long-term performance.
Information Systems, Digital Technology & Analytics
This area explores the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital platforms, and enterprise information systems in shaping business models, decision-making, and organisational performance. Research spans digital transformation, IT strategy, e-business, and technology adoption.
General Management
This interdisciplinary area encourages research that cuts across functional boundaries, addressing broader managerial and organisational challenges such as business ethics, sustainability, cross-cultural management, and the integration of strategy with functional execution.
Duration & Fees
Duration
Minimum 3 Years
Ph.D. admissions are currently closed for the Spring Semester. The application window for AY 2026-27 (Autumn Semester) will open in mid-February 2026. You may leave your enquiry, and we will get in touch with you as soon as the application form is live.
I. Eligibility Criterion for admission to the Ph.D. Programme
| Name of the Programme | Graduation | Postgraduation/Professional Qualification (In addition to the Graduation) | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ph.D. in Management |
Minimum 50% marks or equivalent in any Bachelor’s degree of equivalent qualification from any Universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or any other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or be recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India; or possess an equivalent qualification from an institution approved by AICTE |
A Master's Degree or Two-year Post Graduate Diploma approved by AIU OR a 5-year Integrated Master's Degree (obtained after completing higher secondary school in the 10+2 pattern) in any field with 50% marks OR Professional qualification - CA, CS, CMA in addition to a bachelor's degree OR 4-year/8-semester Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/ Economics/ Commerce/Computer Science and Engineering or any equivalent programme from any university approved by UGC with 75 percent marks in aggregate or CGPA 8/10 |
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Reservation: A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) as per GoI rules |
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II. Selection Process
1. Candidates satisfying eligibility criteria shall be called to appear for the Ph.D. entrance test conducted by MITWPU. Exemption from the PhD entrance test will be given to students who qualify UGC-NET/SET (valid score) and similar national tests will be exempt from the PhD entrance test.
2. PhD entrance test shall be qualifying, with qualifying marks as 50%, provided that relaxation from 50% to 45% shall be allowed for the candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-creamy layer)/Differently abled category, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other category of candidates. The entrance test syllabus shall consist of 50% research methodology and 50% subject-specific content.
3. The interview/viva-voce will be conducted by the university for test-qualifying candidates. For selection of candidates, a weightage of 70% to the entrance test and 30% to the performance in the interview/Viva-voce shall be given. For NET/JRF /SET/ qualified students, the selection will be based on Interview/Viva Voce
4. The recommended candidates will be intimated through email about their selection and the candidates will be offered Ph.D. provisional admission.
5. The eligibility of a candidate is provisional as per information provided by the candidate in his/her application form and is subject to verification of minimum eligibility conditions for admission to the programme, educational documents and reservation documents (if any).
6. University keep rights to cancel admission of the Ph.D. scholars in the case of misconduct by the scholar, unsatisfactory progress/absent for consecutive two progress seminars, failure in any examination related to Ph.D., fabrication found in educational and reservation documents, candidate is found ineligible, involved in plagiarism in paper publications and thesis.
7. Provisional eligibility to appear in the selection process is no guarantee for admission to the programme.
8. Candidates who will join Ph.D. programme full time, they will be provided with the stipend as per MITWPU norms.
9. Ph.D. admission will be confirmed after successful completion of the coursework with 55% or more as per UGC norms. Ph.D. programme should be minimum of three years including coursework and maximum of six years from the date of admission to the Ph.D. programme.
10. A maximum of an additional two (2) years can be given through the process of re-registration, provided, however, that the total period for completion of a PhD programme should not exceed eight (8) years from the date of admission in the PhD programme.
11. Provided further that, female PhD scholars and persons with Disabilities (having more than 40% disability) may be allowed an additional relaxation of two years (2); however, the total period for completion of a PhD programme in such cases should not exceed ten (10) years from the date of admission to the programme.
12. Female candidates may be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave for up to 240 days in the entire duration of Ph.D. programme.
Research Scholar
| Sr. No. | Batch | Name of Research Scholar | Name of Supervisor | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2025-26 Spring |
Pravin Pokhmare |
Dr. Shailendra Kale | Strategic Planning Framework for Sustainable and Resilient Urban Electricity Transmission Systems |
| 2 |
2025-26 Spring |
Meriem Aityahia |
Dr Swati Bankar |
Organisational Behaviour |
| 3 |
2025-26 Spring |
Pallavi Lohokare |
Dr Meenal Pendse |
Navigating the School-to-University Transition and Undergraduate Journey of First-Generation Learners in Indian Private Universities: A MixedMethods Study |
| 4 |
Sushant Chavan |
Dr. Parveen Kumar |
Impact of Sustainable Packaging Strategies on Consumer Behaviour: The Role of Circular Economy Awareness |
|
| 5 |
2025-26 Spring |
Kulbhaskar |
Dr Girish Mude |
Professional Identity Threat and Response Under Agentic AI : A mixed Methods Study of IT professionals in India's Software services sector |
| 6 |
2025-26 Spring |
Col Akshay Bhagat |
Dr. Aparna Dixit |
Leadership & Strategic Management |
| Sr. No. | Batch | Name of Research Scholar | Name of Supervisor | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Ragini Ghogare |
Dr. Varsha Nerlekar |
Impact of Explainable Artificial intelligence,Trust, Technological Anxiety and perceived risk on Robotics process automation adaption among employees in the Indian automotive sector |
| 2 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Amrita Baidya |
Dr. Aparna Dixit |
AI-Enabled Recruitment Systems and Hiring Decision Effectiveness: A Study of IT Companies |
| 3 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Yogesh Dadasaheb Kharat |
Dr. Gautam Bapat |
Investigating EV adoption factors in tier 2 & 3 cities in India |
| 4 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Jagdish Sunil Velapure |
Dr. Shailendra Kale |
A study of Diagnostic Models for Developing and Validating a framework to sustain kaizen gains: A special reference to Manufacturing Organisations in Pune. |
| 5 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Adesh Kumar Gupta |
Dr. Swapnil Undale |
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Service Industry with special reference to IT |
| 6 |
2024-25 Autumn |
Manisha Sanjay Suryawanshi |
Dr. Rajeev Sengupta |
Digital Banking |
| 7 |
2024-25 Spring |
Puja Mourya |
Dr. Deependra Sharma |
Impact of AI on consumer buying behavior |
| 8 |
2024-25 Spring |
Shweta Raghunath Bhoir |
Dr. Deependra Sharma |
Consumer Behavior and Health Marketing within Management Studies |
| 9 |
2024-25 Spring |
Niket Ramlal Korgaonkar |
Dr Swati Bankar |
Impact of Psychological Capital on Employee Well-being |
| 10 |
2024-25 Spring |
Santosh Mestry |
Dr. Ameya Patil |
The Synergistic Role of Technology and Organizational Management in Driving Sustainable Finance and ESG integration towards Net Zero |
| 11 |
2024-25 Spring |
Col Mukund Sarsar |
Dr. T.J. Vidyasagar |
Leadership & Strategic Management |
| Sr. No. | Batch | Name of Research Scholar | Name of Supervisor | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Meera Satyan Bramhapurkar |
Dr. Deependra Sharma |
Impact of algorithmic nudging factors on consumer decision confidence among urban online consumers |
| 2 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Pratiksha Kartik Jankar |
Dr. Varsha Nerlekar |
AI Adoption and Organizational Dynamics in IT Firms |
| 3 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Parimal Prabhakar Khade |
Dr. Sonal Muluk |
Patent Commercialization in Healthcare and Life Sciences Startups: Barriers and Strategic Needs |
| 4 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Farheen Belgaumwala |
Dr. Sudeepta Banerjee |
Employer Branding and Organizational Identification in AI enabled workplaces - a study of Gen Z employees |
| 5 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Mukund Subbarao Kulkarni |
Dr. Gautam Bapat |
Modelling Organizational, Cultural and Technological Factors for Effective Strategy Execution in Indian Banks |
| 6 |
2023-24 Autumn |
Pushkar Gokhale |
Dr. Milind Pande |
Impact of Marketing Strategy on Financial performance of Healthcare Related Start-ups, with reference to Mumbai-Pune Corridor |
Research Supervisor
| Sl. No. | Name of the Research Supervisor | Research areas of the Supervisor | Scopus ID / Researchers ID/ Personal website link / Vidwan profile link of the Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
Dr. Milind Pande |
AI, Telecom, IT, Education, Research |
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2 |
Dr. Deependra Sharma |
Consumer Behaviour, Retail |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58278293900 https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=4LO-rlwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate |
|
3 |
Dr. Varsha Nerlekar |
"Behavioral and Sustainable Finance, ESG investing, financial market volatility, banking digitalization, and emerging technology applications in finance." |
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4 |
Gautam Bapat |
General Management |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58490532500 |
|
5 |
Dr. Mahesh Kumar |
Finance |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=5721140529 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PKf8UwwAAAAJ&hl=en |
|
6 |
Dr Renuka Nifadkar |
Finance, Fintech, Sustainability |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58658295600 |
|
7 |
Dr. Swapnil Undale |
Sales & Marketing, AI, Technology Adoption, Pharmaceutical Marketing |
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4533-7953 |
|
8 |
Dr. Swati Bankar |
Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Employee Engagement, HR Analytics, Training & Development |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58296815700 https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=DBnwcVAAAAAJ |
|
9 |
Dr. Aparna Dixit |
Human Resource Management, Employer Branding Strategic Management, Training and Development, AI |
|
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10 |
Dr Girish Mude |
Marketing |
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yRtGG1YAAAAJ&hl=en |
|
11 |
Dr Sonal Muluk |
Marketing Management |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=56890957400 |
|
12 |
Dr. Parveen Kumar |
Sustainability and Waste Management, CSR and Rural Livelihood Management |
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jn83kzgAAAAJ&hl=en |
|
13 |
Dr. Meenal Pendse |
marketing, sustainable marketing, tourism, marketing metaverse |
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=fjl4VEYAAAAJ https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57956930900 |
|
14 |
Dr Rajeev Sengupta |
BFSI |
https://www.scopus.com/pages/search/publications?searchId=2c8acd4e-da7b-4165-a80a-50b440b256e8 |
|
15 |
Dr. Shailendrakumar Kale |
Operations & Supply Chain Management |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58585065900 |
|
17 |
Ameya Patil |
Finance |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58282190600 |
|
17 |
Dr. Anugamini P Srivastava |
Human resource management, educational management, Artificial intelligence, leadership |
https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=ppf0EIgAAAAJ&hl=en |
|
18 |
Dr. Sushma Verma |
Corporate Finance, Behavioural Finance, Sustainable Development |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57219486014 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-u-oa3IAAAAJ&hl=en |
|
19 |
Dr. Suchitra Renguntwar (Ajgaonkar) |
Workforce agility, HRM, Learning mechanisms, TQM, Socail enterprise sustainability, performance appraisal |
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57224681547 |
|
20 |
Dr. Sudeepta Banerjee |
General management |
admissions@mitwpu.edu.in
