The PhD in Health Sciences is governed by the “Health Sector Graduate Studies Office” chaired by the Office of Graduate Studies at the QU Health Sector.
The PhD program in Health Sciences has two specialization:
- Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research
- Clinical and Population Health Research
The PhD is to be awarded by the Health Sector, as a college, which was approved by Qatar University board of regents in April 2021. The program provides students with foundations in biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical and population health. The PhD program aims to develop scientists who will contribute to the biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical and population health disciplines through creative research and scholarship. The ultimate goal is to develop future generations of innovative health scientists who will solve pressing health problems and contribute to the Qatar health vision and well-being of the population. The program has an intense research focus and the duration of the curriculum is four years with a total of 60 credit hours. The program admits students on a full-time basis.
Dual PhD degree with RCSI
The Health Sector has signed an agreement with RCSI for a dual PhD degree. Under this scheme, students will spend their first two years of study at Qatar University (and will take the required PhD courses) while the students will continue their third and fourth years of study at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RSCI). The first enrollment of students under this scheme will be for Fall 2023.
Competitive graduate scholarships by QU-RCSI are available.
To join, please apply to the PhD in health Sciences through Online admission application and for scholarship through Graduate Assistantships (GA)
Click here for the Study Plan
The curriculum incorporates formal lectures, group projects, research presentations, journal clubs and writing review articles, to develop the students’ ability for critical thinking, intensive scientific writing, and problem-solving skills through research. All components of the PhD program are conducted in English. The length of the educational and training components has been benchmarked against well-established international institutions. The educational and research outcomes gained by the students throughout this program will be of a high international standard given the high-quality mentoring opportunities and state-of-the-art research facilities offered by the HealthSector.
The educational content is tailored to address the local needs and the current healthcare environment in Qatar. The program has established links with several educational and medical institutions in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia to facilitate collaboration in the areas of teaching and research. Moreover, the PhD program is closely collaborating with prestigious national research, medical and educational institutions within the State of Qatar, such as Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Sidra Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), interim Translational Research Institute (iTRI), the Neuroscience Institute, the Metabolic Institute, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and the National Center for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR). The PhD program has established several dual/ joint degree agreements with leading international Universities, including at this stage, University of Alberta (Canada), McGill University (Canada) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
The current program has attracted significant recognition as the main research-based PhD in health sciences in Qatar. Many national, local residents and international students from diverse educational backgrounds have joined the program, including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, biologists and allied health professionals.