Top Indian Institutes for Ph.D. in Data Science

More and more organizations are now opening up to endless possibilities that data holds, necessitating the presence of people who are capable of unlocking meaningful and actionable insights from the vast amount of data. These people are called data scientists, and what they do—study data and extract insights, is called data science. Data science has become a prominent field over the last few years, and in India too. Consequently, many people are riding the wave and shifting to data-driven careers. A Ph.D. in data science is considered to be a prestigious qualification to advance in a data career. Here is a list of some top Indian institutes for Ph.D. in data science.

The initial thought that almost every person seeking a Ph.D in data science comes across is to explore the IITs. The Indian Institute(s) of Technology are one of the country’s most prestigious centers of (engineering) excellence. 

Some Ph.D. in Data Science Programs at IITs

We have covered a few IITs offering comprehensive science and data science doctorates. Have a look.

1. IIT Madras

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) is one of the oldest institutes catering to higher education in engineering. It was established in 1959 by Prof. Humayun Kabir, Union Minister of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs, after the first Indo-German agreement in Bonn. With over 16 academic departments and some research centers, IITM ranks among the top engineering institutes for postgraduate and doctorate students.

IIT Madras offers research programs in several areas like biotechnology, ocean engineering, structural analysis, element modeling, data sciences, and many more. The institute also offers joint Ph.D. programs with universities like the University of Singapore, the University of Bordeaux, Michigan State University, and a few others. Refer to the research programs’ page for more details.

2. IIT Hyderabad

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), a relatively newer IIT institution branch, was founded in 2008. As one of the nation’s most sought-after institutions for science and technology, IITH has continuously been listed among the top 10 engineering and Ph.D. institutes in India. The institute offers a number of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in all classical engineering disciplines and interdisciplinary areas like artificial intelligence.

IITH offers regular Ph.D. programs in the following departments: biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, chemical engineering, climate change, physics, engineering science, civil engineering, mechanical & aerospace engineering, and many other domains. Specifically for a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence or a Ph.D. in data science, in India, IITH is an excellent place to enroll. To know more about the courses and admission requirements, refer here.

3. IIT Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) is one of the 23 Centers of Excellence for engineering, research, and development in science and technology. It was established in 1961 as College of Engineering and was later renamed as IIT-Delhi in 1963. The institute is an excellent place for students to wish to study engineering, sciences, and even business administration.

The Yardi School of Artificial Intelligence (ScAI) at IIT Delhi offers comprehensive Ph.D. programs in both core and advanced artificial intelligence and data science. The data science Ph.D. course will also include machine learning techniques, mathematical foundations, and applications of artificial intelligence in the field. For more information on Ph.D. programs offered by the Yardi School of Artificial Intelligence, refer to the website.

4. IIT Jodhpur

IITJ, the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, was established to promote technology-based education and research in India in 2008. The Institute is committed to a multidisciplinary approach to developing new technologies and furthering them as educational courses via its cutting-edge laboratories, academic degree-related activities, and coordinated research efforts. 

IITJ offers M.Tech, data science Ph.D. courses, and an integrated data science Ph.D. The doctoral program focuses on inculcating deep knowledge and computational thinking skills among students. Students who enroll in Ph.D. in data science will also develop a strong understanding of machine learning, data mining, modeling & simulation, numerical analysis, and other data-related technologies. For details, check out the main website. 

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Some Other Data Science Ph.D. Courses in India

Have a look at some more data science Ph.D. courses and institutes offering them.

5. BITS Pilani

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, BITS Pilani, is the epitome of higher education. The Institute was established in the early 1900s as a small school to train youth. Over the years, it expanded into a set of colleges for higher education that later formed the university. BITS is known to provide top-of-the-line technical education to students all over the world who are admitted on a merit basis. 

Ph.D. in Data Science at BITS PILANI

BITS Pilani offers several areas of doctoral education in the data science domain. These areas include:

• Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Mining
• Computer Architecture, Embedded Systems & Robotics
• Data Warehousing, Databases, and Advanced Databases
• High-Performance Computing and Distributed Systems
• Image Processing & Multimedia
• Networking and Mobile Computing
• Algorithms & Theoretical Computer Science 

The institute primarily offers full-time doctoral courses. Other details, including the fee structure and shortlisting criteria, can be found on the website.

6. Ph.D. in Data Science: Christ (deemed to be) University

The CHRIST University was founded by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a social reformer, and educationist. It was established as a college with an aim to bring breakthroughs in the Indian higher education landscape using modern curricula and holistic education. After several years of operating as a college, the UGC (University Grants Commission) accredited it with the autonomy of being identified as an institution in 2006. Since then, the (deemed to be) university has focused on Bachelor’s, Master, and Doctoral degrees in social sciences, engineering, architecture, sciences, commerce, and law.

CHRIST’s doctorate of data science is a unique amalgamation of computer science, mathematics, and statistics. The Ph.D. program also covers the underlying computational models and mathematical research to give students a dynamic learning experience in the data domain. For details about the course and course fee, check the course page.

7. Indian Statistical Institute

If you are wondering which university is best for data science Ph.D. in India, then the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is your answer. Mahalanobis established the prestigious institute in 1931 as a small statistics laboratory in the Presidency College. Soon enough, many people began taking an interest in statistical research, and the wave took over the institute. ISI offers several prestigious postgraduate and doctoral programs across multiple fields, like humanities, commerce, IT, engineering & architecture, management, and sciences. 

For a Ph.D. in data science domain, ISI offers research fellowships in Statistics, Quantitative Economics, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, and Reliability & Operations Research. Specifically, ISI is an excellent option if you are looking for a Ph.D. in statistics in India. To know more about the program details, refer to the website. 

8. Ph.D. in Data Science at IISc Bangalore

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore is a reputed research university for higher education in the fields of engineering, management, design, and science. The Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS), a division of IISc that specializes in data sciences and computations, grants research-based doctoral degrees. 

CDS offers two research-based routes for students seeking admission to a Ph.D. in data science: Computational Science (CP) and Computer & Data Systems (CS). CDS-CP includes computational methods in areas like bio-molecular computation, structural biology, medical imaging, and other related fields. CDS-CS designs, implements, and evaluates computer hardware and software systems. For more information, refer to the website.

9. Woxsen University 

Looking for an integrated data science Ph.D. in India, Woxsen University is a top university in India for data science Ph.D. and is one of the most reliable, privately-held universities in the southern part of the country. Founded in 2014, the university ranks well amongst emerging engineering and business colleges. The university aims at bringing new-age programs in multiple domains like management, architecture, design, liberal arts & sciences, and a few others. 

In doctoral programs, Woxsen offers both full-time, and executive Ph.D. focused on research and interdisciplinary subjects. It also offers a comprehensive, fully residential Ph.D. in data science. For more information, refer to the website.

10. Ph.D. in Data Science at IIT Guwahati

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is a prestigious higher education institution established in 1994. Being the only institute that comes in the top 100 world universities under 50 years of age, it offers comprehensive graduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs. The Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (MFSDS&AI) offers several Ph.D. courses at IIT Guwahati:

• Ph.D. in AI 
• Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, or Reinforcement Learning
• Ph.D. In Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, and High-Performance Computing.

For more information about the courses and admission requirements, refer to the website.