PhD students (full-time / part-time) admitted with a higher degree qualification i.e. M.Tech in CS or equivalent will have to register for a minimum of 6 units (or a minimum of two courses with equivalent units) in the first (and where relevant second) semester after admission.

1. The courses should be of 4th level or more. Among the two courses to be registered, at most one course could be of 4th level.
2. In general, the courses identified should be structured courses. However, unstructured/project-type/self-study course may be allowed in consultation with the (notional) supervisor and approval of the DRC.
3. PhD students (with higher degree qualification) admitted through vertical transfer are exempt from the above mandatory coursework unless the field of their research study is different from the one in which they have graduated in.
4. Mandatory coursework is not applicable to the Ph.D. aspirant students.

PhD students (full-time / part-time) admitted with B.E./B.Tech/MSc or equivalent will have to register for courses as mentioned in section 2.6 here: https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/DRC_Guidelines-2015-updated.pdf

Adhering to the guidelines mentioned above, the notional supervisor decides the coursework as deemed suitable preparing the student to tackle the research problems

Yes, there are courses named Study in Advanced Topics (SAT 1 and SAT 2). These are specialized courses meant for advanced graduate students and PhD students. They are typically offered (sometimes also in hybrid mode providing flexibility for the part-time students to attend remotely) for a very few students and include specialized topics meant to prepare them for research problems.

The notional supervisors receive an email from the CSIS office requesting for the details of the courses that their PhD students are registering in that semester. The notional supervisor would then share the details via email (sharing the details for each of their students separately) as per the requested format