Doctor of Philosophy in Climate Change

The Centre on Climate Change and Sustainability at South Asian University invites applications for its PhD programme through the Entrance Test and the Direct Admission Mode.

This interdisciplinary PhD programme aims to prepare the next generation of scholars and practitioners to address 21^st century challenges of climate change, green transition, and sustainability. 

Students enrolled in the PhD programme can undertake cutting-edge research in the following areas:

• Climate change impacts, risks, and vulnerability assessments
• Climate adaptation, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods
• Mitigation policies: decarbonization and energy transition
• Climate-agriculture-water interfaces
• Climate change governance and negotiations
• Climate-air pollution linkages
• GIS and AI-ML applications in climate studies
• Net zero for sustainable businesses
• Linkages between ESG and sustainable reporting
• Climate finance, carbon credits, carbon market, green energy
• Any other research area relevant to climate studies

Candidates must have completed a minimum of 17 years of formal education, i.e., 12 years of regular schooling followed by either a 3+2 year or a 4+1 year Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program in any discipline from an institution recognized by the government of any of the SAARC countries with a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in sciences and a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade for admission to non-science subjects.

Candidates with a 4-year Bachelor’s degree in the subject are also eligible for admission to PhD programme provided they have secured a minimum of 80% marks or equivalent grade for admission to science subjects and 75% marks or equivalent grade for admission to non-science subjects.

Modes of Admission

Admission to various PhD programmes is offered through two modes:

1. SAU Entrance Test Mode:

• For Indian Candidates: Center-based online tests conducted by the University on stipulated dates.
• For other SAARC Candidates (excluding India): Proctored online tests on stipulated dates.

2. Direct Admission Mode (Without SAU Entrance Test):

• In India: Based on scores from national-level tests.
• In Other SAARC Countries: Based on national-level test scores or qualifying examination results from recognized institutions/boards.
• For Non-SAARC Candidates: Based on scores obtained in their qualifying examination (from recognized institutions).

Under the Entrance Test mode, the admission procedure for the PhD programme consists of an Entrance Test followed by an interview.
Under the Direct and Executive modes, candidates will be shortlisted and called directly for the interview.
For further details, please refer to the General Guidelines for the PhD Programmes.

The number of scholarship seats through the Entrance Test mode is 2, while the number of seats through the Direct & Executive mode shall be based on availability.

Updated soon.

The PhD Entrance Test is designed to assess candidates’ conceptual understanding of interdisciplinary knowledge in climate change and sustainability, as well as their research aptitude relevant to doctoral-level studies.

The test will include multiple-choice questions covering a range of topics, including but not limited to the following areas:

• Climate science: Earth’s climate system, greenhouse effect, global warming, climate data, trends, and uncertainties
• Climate change impacts, climate risks, and concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and sustainable development
• Climate adaptation strategies, mitigation pathways, decarbonization, and energy transition
• South Asia’s energy mix and leading Emission Trading Systems (ETS), among others
• Climate policies and governance, including UNFCCC, IPCC, and the Paris Agreement
• Climate economics, climate finance, carbon markets, ESG, sustainable reporting, and net-zero frameworks
• Research aptitude and analytical ability: research methodology basics, quantitative and qualitative reasoning, data interpretation, logical reasoning, and general awareness of environmental issues

For further reference, please refer to the syllabus for the MS in Climate Change and Sustainability here.

For a sample test paper, click here