Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is offered by the following Faculties of the University of Kelaniya, under the auspices of the Faculty of Graduate Studies:

  i. Board of Study in Commerce & Business Management

 ii. Board of Study in Humanities

iii. Board of Study in Medical Sciences

iv. Board of Study in Science

 v. Board of Study in Social Sciences

vi. Board of Study in Computing

vii. Board of Study in Multidisciplinary

viii. Board of Study in Digital Learning

PhD applicants should submit a research proposal to FGS. This will be directed to the relevant Board of Study and department upon consideration. Supervisor/s will be appointed by the Board of Study, once the eligibility of the candidate is accepted, based on the proposal and a presentation made by the applicant to the senior academics at the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The duration of study for a PhD is three years, with extensions possible, on recommendations by the supervisor/s. Progress reports need to be submitted to FGS via the supervisor, every 06 months.  Other requirements for the PhD are given in the guidelines, website and the letters sent by the FGS. Thesis guidelines are given to each applicant once the eligibility criteria are accepted. FGS encourages empirical research by its PhD candidates, so applicants should be prepared to conduct research, and not be dependent solely on library sources or other secondary material. The terms thesis and dissertation are interchangeable at the University of Kelaniya.

Course Fee

Application Fee - LKR 4,000/=

People's Bank Account No - 055-1001-8066-9229

Supervision Fees (except Commerce & Business Management MPhi/PhD) :

• The following fees are applicable for applications submitted after 01.06.2025

• MPhil Supervision Fee: Rs. 100,000
• PhD Supervision Fee: Rs. 150,000

If a student has multiple supervisors, the fee will be divided equally among them.

* Special Considerations for the Board of Study in Science:

1. Distribution of Supervision Fee:

• If a supervisor declines to accept the fee, that portion will not be charged to the student.
• If some supervisors accept and others decline, the total fee will be divided among all supervisors, but only the portion for those who accept will be charged to the student.

# Special Considerations for the Board of Study (BoS) in Science, Medical Sciences, Computing and Technology:

1. Bench Fee (if applicable):
   • Each department within the BoS will determine its own bench fee.
   • The Head of Department will communicate (in writing) the respective amount to FGS prior to sending the offer letter to the student.

• The bench fee will be an additional charge for the student on top of the course fee.

Notes

1. The application fee of Rs. 4,000.00 should be paid separately by the applicant at the time of submission of the application.

2  If there are more than one supervisor, the total supervision fee will be equally distributed among supervisors.

3. If there are foreign supervisors/reviewers/examiners requested by the candidate or the supervisors, the local fee will be applied, subject to circulars and regulatory approvals.

4. If a PhD upgrading is requested, the candidate should pay Rs 45,000.00  along with the upgrading application. PhD upgrading fee is a non-refundable fee.

5. The full amount will be paid if the upgrading evaluation report is submitted within 1 Month; if it exceeds 1 month, 50% of the evaluation fee will be paid to the reviewer.

6. If the candidate is successful at the upgrade to PhD, the balance fee of PhD (after deduction of the fee paid for the MPhil program) should be paid by the candidate. The fee paid for the upgrading process is not considered for the balance course fee. The PhD fee effective at the time of the upgrade meeting will be considered as the PhD fee.

7. The full amount will be paid if the thesis evaluation report/mark sheet is submitted within 3 months. If it exceeds 3 months 50% of the evaluation fee will be paid.

8. If an Examiner requests Travelling Costs instead of the composite allowance, such requests will be forwarded to the relevant Head of the Department for approval utilizing the Department Development Fund. FGS does not guarantee the travelling expenses. It may be provided from the Department Development Fund, subject to a maximum of Rs . 15,000/=.(The reimbursement will be made based on the standard rates,: i.e: Pickme, Uber. Further, the acceptable bills should be provided to the FGS Finance Division for reimbursement. It is recommended to use online mode as much as possible rather than spending money on travel costs.

9. Resubmission of the proposal or progress presentation: If a resubmission of the proposal or progress presentation is recommended by the panel, the candidate should pay the additional cost of Rs. 10,000 per resubmission presentation. The balance expenditure for resubmission presentation will be borne by the FGS.

10.If a resubmission/re-evaluation is required based on the Viva/Panel Board decision, the relevant payment (panel fee, refreshment Costs) should be borne by the candidate. 

Year Round applications are invited. There is no closing date

Program Duration

*The re-registration period is allowed subject to making relevant fees.

Requirements to be Completed

Guidelines for Postgraduate Programmes

Download Forms

Local Applicants

Please pay an application fee of Rs. 4000 and submit/email ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) the application
along with;
 
1. Application Form
2. Proof of payment for the Application fee
3. Research proposal
4. Certified copies of degree/ professional certificates
5. Certified copies of Passport / National Identity Card
6. Certified copies of Birth certificate
7.  Certified copies of Research experience

8. Dully fill the conflict of interest form (If you already have supervisors)
 
Bank details are as follows;
 
Account Number: 055-1001-8066-9229
Bank: People's Bank
No.59 D.R.Wijewardane Mw,
Colombo - 10
Sri Lanka.
General Tel : 011-2332746, 011-2334278/2446409
SWIFT : PSBKLKLX
 
FGS Facebook page:
 
https://www.facebook.com/FGSKelaniya/ 

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Processes of FGS related Activities

MPhil/PhD related matters

1. MPhil/PhD Application Submission
2. Progress Report
3. Progress Presentation
4. Renewal of Registration
5. MPhil to PhD upgrade
6. Notification of Submission of Thesis
7. Refundable Library Deposit
8. Request for Topic Change
9. Arrange Proposal Presentation, Progress Presentation & Viva

10. Structure of MPhil & PhD Degree Modules

11. Inclusion of Two Reviewers for MPhil/ PhD Proposal, Progress Presentations