UAlberta-IIT Joint Doctoral Degree Programs

Partnerships with Indian Institutes of Technology

The University of Alberta has partnered with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee to offer Joint Doctoral Degree Programs (JDPs). The JDPs create a two-way flow for academic exchange, providing PhD students the opportunity to pursue research at the partner institution and receive a degree from their home institution with recognition of their participation in the JDP. The JDPs aim to give students valuable international research experience at premier institutions, while creating long-term linkages and collaborations between U of A and IIT professors.

Eligible faculties at UAlberta include:

Information on the process of applying to the JDPs is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research's Shared Credential Applications webpage.

Students will receive special certification upon graduation, recognizing their participation in the JDP. At UAlberta, the designations will be as follows:

  • The UAlberta transcript notation will read: "Participating in a shared credential program offered jointly by this university and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay/Kanpur/Kharagpur/Madras/Roorkee."

  • The UAlberta parchment notation will read "having completed all the statutory requirements of the program offered jointly by the University of Alberta and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay/Kanpur/Kharagpur/Madras/Roorkee has been granted the degree of [Official Degree Name] and awarded all the rights and privileges pertaining to this degree.

Please note that JDP students will only receive a parchment from their home institution and that only the host IIT's name will be listed on UAlberta designations.

Information for UAlberta Professors & Students

Collaborating professors from UAlberta and participating IITs will jointly identify research projects for joint degree students to work on as part of their doctoral studies. The home supervisor will identify a doctoral student to recommend to their collaborator and both will serve as joint supervisors. Students must spend 6-12 months at the partner institution doing research related to their doctoral program. Students must successfully complete all their required courses, comprehensive examination (if required), and candidacy exam at their home institution before visiting the partner institution.

Students must pay to their home institution full tuition and all other required fees associated with full-time registration while they are at the partner institution. They pay no application or tuition fees at the other institution but some non-instructional fees are mandatory, such as the transit pass (UPass) and health insurance program for students visiting UAlberta (UAHIP).

For periods students spend at the partner institution, the host institution will provide support sufficient to cover accommodations and meals. Airfare, insurance, visa fees, etc. are not covered in the fellowship.

At UAlberta:

  • IIT students will receive a doctoral fellowship of CAD20,000 for a 12-month visit, or a pro-rated amount for periods of 6-11 months.

  • Central funding is available to annually support 50% of two 12-month doctoral fellowships for each IIT; supervising UAlberta professors are required to commit the remaining 50%. If the annual allocation of central funding for doctoral fellowships is exhausted, the supervising UAlberta processor will be required to commit to funding the full amount.

  • There is no deadline for students to submit an application. However, as limited central funding exists at U of A to support IIT JDP fellowships annually, interested applicants are encouraged to apply early. In the event that central funds are exhausted, students would still be eligible to apply provided the hosting professor at U of A commits to funding the full fellowship amount.

At IIT Bombay:

  • Hostel (dormitory) and cafeteria fees will be waived for visiting UAlberta students.

At IIT Kanpur:

  • Hostel (dormitory) and cafeteria fees will be waived for visiting UAlberta students.

At IIT Kharagpur:

  • Visiting UAlberta students will receive a monthly stipend that will be sufficient to cover basic living costs: 31,000 INR [roughly $525 CAD] for "Junior Researchers" (students traveling in their second year of enrolment in a doctoral program) and 35,000 INR [roughly $590 CAD] for "Senior Researchers" (3rd year and up doctoral students).

At IIT Madras:

  • Visiting UAlberta students will receive a monthly stipend that will be sufficient to cover basic living costs: 31,000 INR [roughly $525 CAD] for "Junior Researchers" (students traveling in their second year of enrolment in a doctoral program) and 35,000 INR [roughly $590 CAD] for "Senior Researchers" (3rd year and up doctoral students).

At IIT Roorkee:

  • Hostel (dormitory) and cafeteria fees will be waived for visiting UAlberta students. Domestic travel from Delhi to Roorkee will also be provided.

UAlberta students are also eligible to apply for an Education Abroad Individual Award.

Contacts

For more details regarding the application process and funding availability, please contact intern@ualberta.ca.

For questions from IIT students and professors, please contact your relevant Office of International Relations for information specific to your institution.