Top 10 Career Options After PhD in India [2025]

According to the All-India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) report released by the Ministry of Education, the total number of Ph.D. students enrolled in 2021–2022 increased by 81.2% to 2.13 lakh from 1.17 lakh in 2014–2015. 

Being the apex academic qualification in a course of study, a PhD program essentially embodies expertise, research, and development in a specific field. But if you still believe academics is the only lucrative path after completing your PhD, you are in for a surprise! 

Whether you pursuing a PhD or are in the middle of your research venture, you might be wondering what’s next after PhD. In this article, we will explore the top 10 career opportunities in India after a PhD, and help you answer your question of what are your job options after a PhD. 

Keep reading to explore lucrative PhD career opportunities!

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Key Highlights: The figure below displays the Top 10 highest paying jobs after PhD in India along with their salary per annum

Source: AmbitionBox

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Top 10 Career Opportunities in India after PhD in 2024

A PhD in India opens the door to a range of expertise and specialization oriented career opportunities. You can apply your advanced knowledge in these roles to meet the organization's demands and carry out.

A multitude of career opportunities await you in senior-level roles after a PhD in India. Depending upon your field of interest, study, and expertise, you can venture into academics, do your independent research, or work with global research corporations. 

What are the highest paid jobs after a PhD in India?

Let's take a look at the highest paid jobs after a PhD in India:

#10 Policy Analyst

• Becoming a policy analyst is the preferred path for people coming from a background in economics, public policy, social sciences, healthcare, and environmental sciences.
• A policy analyst needs skills in domains like data analysis, critical evaluations, statistics, and policy analysis.
• You can be employed in think tanks, government agencies, global agencies, as well as private research organizations. Some prime examples include NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Environment, the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). 

#9 Research Scientist

As a research scientist, you can continue to advance your research further or work with organizations and contribute your skills and expertise in your desired field of research. 

• Your skill in conducting scientific research involved in-depth knowledge, analytical acumen, technical proficiency as well as advanced communication and content publication skills. 
• This job role can land you in organizations in academia, health, and pharma, the food industry, agriculture, environmental research as well consulting firms. A few examples in India include the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Britannia, Tata Consultancy Services, and the World Wide Fund(WWF).  

#8 Patent Agent

• A patent agent in India hails from the technical sciences field and is a highly valued job profile in India. You are required to clear the patent agent exam conducted by the Indian Patent Office.
• In this role, you need to be well versed with not only technical skills but also have a strong command over patent law and process in India, and intellectual property.
• As a patent agent, you can work with research and development organizations, law firms, academic institutions, and even consulting firms. TCS, IITs, IIMS, Biocon, and Khurana & Khurana are some of the top examples of organizations.

#7 Petroleum Engineer

• A petroleum engineer in India is an industry-specific path for engineers and geologists. 
• This role requires you to be skilled in geophysics, methods of oil recovery, data analysis, petrophysics, critical thinking safety regulations, R&D, and project and risk management.
• Petroleum Engineers in India can work in academia, research organizations, and consultancy firms. Examples include ONGC ( Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), Indian Oil Corporation, Reliance Industries, Deloitte, and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

#6 Senior Developer

• Senior Developers hail from the computer science, data science, engineering, and IT domains.
• Being adept at extensive technical knowledge, this profession requires skills in advanced programming, AI & ML, Data Analytics, R&D, and project management as well as soft skills like collaborative teamwork.
• As a PhD level Senior Developer, you can look at working in academia, tech giants, and tech startups. Examples include Swiggy, Infosys, Google, Apple, Wipro, and Microsoft. 

#5 Data Scientist

• The data scientist role is one of the fastest-growing professions in India. PhD professionals in this role come from a background in computer science, statistics, and mathematics.
• This role requires skills in complex and large data handling, research, technical skills, and analytical skills.
• Data scientists work in almost all organizations, ranging from tech, finance, and healthcare, to e-commerce. A few prominent companies in these domains hiring data scientists are Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, and Zerodha.

#4 Senior Consultant

• A senior consultant position helps you to leverage your expertise and research experiences in your field to provide services to other organizations in consultancy. 
• As a senior consultant, you’d require skills in effective communication, domain expertise, project management, relationship management, data handling and analysis as well as critical analysis.
• You can work in healthcare, management, IT, and even finance. Some key organizations hiring senior consultants are Bain & Company, Infosys, and NITI Aayog.

#3 Professor

• One of the most commonly known career paths after a PhD is to become a professor. This enables you to work as a faculty in educational institutions.
• As a professor, you require all-round skills along with your primary teaching skills. You need to have planning, communication, delegation, research, and administrative skills.
• You can work in government universities or private universities as per your inclinations. A few top educational institutions for professors in India are IITs, IIMs, Delhi University, and Ashoka University.

#2 Commercial Senior Director

• A commercial senior director usually comes with a background in business, marketing, sales, or similar areas of work.
• With a PhD you can utilize your skills in analysis and strategy development, as well as research to apply in business.
• Almost all sectors of the market have a Commercial Senior director role. They are seen in finance, consulting, manufacturing, health and pharma, and even technology. Some top organizations that recruit for this position are JPMorgan, Accenture, Google, and Pfizer.

#1 Chief Research Officer

• This senior position after a PhD is certainly a lucrative one wherein you can hold a leadership position and supervise research in an organization.
•  As a CRO, you need to level up your skills and expertise in your domain but require broader skills in management, strategy development, budget management, decision-making, and leadership.
• You can work as a chief research officer in companies requiring R&D. A Few prominent companies that recruit for this role are Cipla, Siemens, DRDO, ISRO, Samsung India, and Reliance Industries.

Which industries can PhD graduates work in?

With a PhD specialization, you can look forward to working in multiple sectors across industries. With field specialization, and advanced research acumen, you can offer your services in many areas, You can align yourself with the sectors if they match your area of interest and skills. Let’s take a look at these sectors: 

1. Academia

With a PhD, you have a range of options in academia. You can choose to practice your research in an academic institution or become a faculty member. Having a PhD would give you an edge in the faculty sphere as you come with your years of experience and research in the specific domain. You can use your knowledge to further impact the education sector.

2. Government and Public Sector

Government organizations and agencies look for PhD candidates to work in roles across policy analysis, consultancy, ministries, and government departments like education development.

3. Legal Services

With a PhD in law specialization, you can work in different domains of corporate law, and intellectual property. You can even work in providing legal services by acting as an advisor to firms and companies.

4. International Organizations 

PhD candidates can massively contribute their advanced skills and knowledge by working in the development sector, for domains in public policy, public health, policy studies, economics, as well as social impact. World Bank, IMF, UN, Amnesty International and World Trade Organisation are some international organizations where PhD candidates can work.

5. Data Science

The domain of data science has some of the lucrative job options for PhD professionals. They can utilize their years of research and expertise in statistical data modeling to work in the data science industry. They can even go on to take leadership or advisory positions.

6. Environmental Sector

With the world experiencing climate change and environmental degradation on a rapid scale, the demand for research in environmental science has been increasing. PhD candidates from these fields are hired to conduct research and analysis in this sector and carry out large-scale research programs.

Future Trends in PhD in India

Gone are the days when a PhD was only prominent in academics. With digitization and the boom of startups and technology, PhD candidates are now open to a plethora of sectors and positions where they can leverage their skills and expertise. And this is set to expand in the coming years. 

Did you know that India has the second-largest higher education system in the world? Yes, higher education is on the rise in India and students enrolling in PhD programs have also increased multifold. 

As time progresses, there is more and more demand for qualified and skilled researchers,  leading to further employment opportunities for PhD candidates. Here’s a snippet of what more can we expect:

• Advance in interdisciplinary research studies
• Increased collaboration between academics and industries/start-ups 
• The prime importance of big data in individual research as well
• Social issues research is expected to become more popular among potential researchers 
• Increased importance to climate studies and research 

Conclusion 

In this article, we explored a series of career opportunities after PhD in India. After exploring this topic, we have observed that the demand and prospects for PhD graduates in India have been experiencing growth. PhD jobs in India are expanding into multiple sectors and industries, beyond the stereotypical academic domain.

With advancements in technological innovations, PhD graduates have a plethora of opportunities to carefully choose their area of work and commercialize their domain knowledge and skills.

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