Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Established in 2008, encompasses:

• Four School
• Five Research Centres
• 21 sub-domains / disciplines
• Three Masters Programmes
• Three Undergraduate Programmes
• PhD programme
• 1600+ Students
• 65+ Faculty
• 3000+ Alumni
• Research Projects + INR 30 million
• 35+ students conferred with PhDs
• 100+ students pursuing PhD since inception
• 50+ Research Guides

The FOHSS is known to offer a variety of well curated, innovative and rigorous programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate level at the Constituent Institutes and Research Centres:

• Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune
• Symbiosis School of International Studies, Pune
• Symbiosis Statistics Institute, Pune
• Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts, Pune

Besides the FOHSS has four Research Centers:

1. i) Symbiosis Centre For Behavioural Studies (SCBS):, has been established to intensify the thrust of behavioural research scholarship. It is associated both with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Management Studies. Behavioural science explores the activities and interactions among human beings. It employs a multidisciplinary approach to behavioral studies, integrating Psychology, Sociology, Neuroscience, Urban Planning, Policy Nudges, and other related fields. This interdisciplinary approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and its applications in various domains like marketing, consumer behavior, branding, economics, design, healthcare, Urban Planning, and emotional wellbeing to name a few. The centre encourages behavioural research from the various faculty within the university. Infrastructure at SCBS is equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and contemporary software to facilitate modern scientific research.
2. ii) Symbiosis Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability (SCCCS) envisions contributing to the creation of knowledge and research, supporting our national efforts of climate action and assisting in the shift to sustainable pathways. It will include the climate change impact related with mitigation, adaptation and resilience at the local, regional, and national levels.
3. iii) Symbiosis Centre for Urban Studies (SCUS), drives research through an interdisciplinary framework to create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urbanization. The research is focussed on issues related with urban - urban economic development, planning, governance, finance, development experiences, land economics, demography, infrastructure, migration, poverty, livelihood, policy and many more areas cutting across a multidisciplinary approach.
4. iv) Symbiosis Centre for Ambedkar Studies (SCAS) envisions contributing to the knowledge and research on Dr. Ambedkar’s thoughts on Education. The centre has been awarded the Dr Ambedkar Chair by the Dr Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) - Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The centre has been permitted to take two research fellows for the PhD programme. The doctoral students will get the research fellowship as prescribed by the (DAF) (The website is under construction).
5. v) Symbiosis Centre for Research in Internationalisation in Higher Education (SCRIHE) has a wide scope for research on analysis of trends in Internationalisation of higher education, internationalisation strategies, partnerships and collaborations, political and regulatory framework, policy and governance, economics of education, technology in education, to name a few (The website is under construction).

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FOHSS) plays a critical role both at the University and in broader society at large, which includes:

Fostering interdisciplinary perspectives by integrating knowledge from various sub-disciplines - Anthropology, Culture Studies, Economics Education, ,History, International Relations, Political Science, Statistics, Sociology to name a few. It also goes beyond the sub-domain in the FOHSS to the other seven faculties which have more than 80 sub-domains at our university, including law, artificial intelligence, consumer behaviour, and many more.

The FOHSS helps with better understanding of Society and Culture. It also explores the complexities of human societies, cultures, behaviours, beliefs, and values - providing insights into the historical, social, and cultural contexts that shape our world today. This helps students develop cultural sensitivity and global awareness by studying diverse cultures, languages, histories, and global issues, thus preparing students to engage with a multicultural and interconnected world.

It emphasizes critical thinking and analysis. As a result the students learn to evaluate information, construct arguments, and communicate ideas persuasively. The faculty also engages with ethical questions, moral dilemmas, and issues of justice and fairness. They encourage students to reflect on these issues, fostering ethical awareness and responsible citizenship.

FOHSS contributes to research and scholarship that advances knowledge in their respective fields. Their research often addresses pressing societal issues and contributes to policy debates.

The PhD Programme under FoHSS, offers the following sub-streams:

1. i) Economics - wherein till date research has been pursued in the area of Agriculture Economics, International Trade, International Economic Cooperation, Monetary and Fiscal Economics, Financial Economics, Money and Banking, Infrastructure, Health Economics, Human Development, Rural Development, Urban Development, Urban Finance, Urban Mobility, Land Economics, Environment Economics, Financial Inclusion, Education and Economics of Education, o name a few.
2. ii) International Relations - Nuclear Non-Proliferation, International Migration, International Trade, Economic Cooperation, Global Development Agenda and Governance and many more.
3. iii) Statistics - Bio-statistics - Detriment Index based Ranking Technique and Demonstration of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tool for Early Signal Detection in Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD’s), Applied Statistics - Functional Data Analysis Technique for the Assessment of Temporal Measurements in Climate Change and others.
4. iv) Education - Dr Ambedkar’s Thoughts in Higher Education, Education Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation, Higher Education, Policy, Urban Education, Curriculum and
5. v) Interdisciplinary - Anthropology, Culture Studies, Economics, Education, History, International Relations, Political Science, and many more sub-domains across the other seven faculty at the University.

A number of PhD guides from the constituent institutes and research centers having vast knowledge and expertise, are available to mentor and guide the research scholars, to commence their research journey on a subject matter or an area they are passionate about. The well-designed PhD coursework helps the student commence their passage to discover new insights and perspectives in the chosen areas. A team of quantitative and qualitative experts along with an array of important data sets and software such as SPSS, SAS, STATA, R, EViews, GRETL and Python are available at the university to assist the students in their onward research journey.

About the Dean: Dr Jyoti Chandiramani

Dr Jyoti Chandiramani has been the Director of Symbiosis School of Economics and Dean Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – Symbiosis International Deemed University (SIU) since 2010. She has played a significant role in establishing one of India’s leading schools of Economics, committed to provide students an educational journey – of academic excellence and lifelong learning.

Her research areas include topics associated with Urban Economic Development (urban poverty, urban infrastructure, urban mobility, urban policy, etc.), Besides she keenly studies and follows contemporary trends in International Development Cooperation – from the MDGs to the SDGs. She is presently working on Pune centric cases which include Census Towns of Pune District, Calculating Pune Cities GDP and Economic Planning for Pune City. She has been guiding a number of PhD scholars and has also undertaken various research projects and consultancy in collaboration with NABARD, NIUA,, ITDP, Sulochana Thapar Foundation and with reputed think tanks in India.