Students interested in applying to the PhD in Gulf Studies program must submit an online application form and upload or send required documents to the Admissions Office. (Official hard copies of the applicant’s university transcript IELTS or TOEFL must be delivered or mailed directly to the Admissions Office). The program accepts applications once a year for the Fall semester. Application cycle opens early Spring semester.
Click here for more information on the general application process, including an application instruction guide, graduate admission timelines and access to the online application once it’s open.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Successful completion of the two-year Qatar University MA in Gulf Studies OR a Master's degree in a related subject, or its equivalent, from an accredited university with an accumulative GPA of 3.0.
- The fulfillment of the requisite English language standard. The requirements are that a student earned a previous degree from an institution of higher education in a program where English was the language of instruction OR achieved a minimum score of 520 on the paper-based TOEFL or IELTS ( 6 ). The tests should be taken within 2 years of the start of the intended semester of admission.
- The students must submit a thesis proposal (1000-1500 words) as part of their admissions process.
Application Requirements:
All applicants to the Doctor of Philosophy in Gulf Studies program are required to submit the following documents to the Admissions Department:
- Complete Online Admissions Application
- Final, official and certified university transcripts
- Official TOEFL or equivalent score report or other evidence of English proficiency in accordance with QU Policy
- Statement of proposed thesis topic or general area of research (approximately 1500 words)
- Two confidential recommendation letters from professors or employers (Recommendation Letters should be sent directly by the professor to the following addresses: graduate@qu.edu.qa) and copy to the Gulf Studies Program.
- Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) in English.
- Health Certificate
- Photocopy of the applicant’s Qatar ID card (Non-Qatari applicants must provide a copy of their passport)
- Two recent identical passport-size photographs with white background
- Application Fees
- Official GRE score report
International Applicants
International students who require a student visa (under Qatar University sponsorship) must submit required documents to the International Student Section of the Student Services Department prior to receiving an admission decision. Learn more about student visa requirements and important deadlines.
Financial support (graduate assistantships)
Qatar University offers financial support, in the form of Graduate Assistantships (GA) Awards, to graduate students who engage in teaching and/or research activities that contribute to the university’s academic mission and to the graduate students’ education. Graduate Assistants (GAs) provide academic program support under the supervision of a faculty member. GAs may assist faculty in the department in teaching undergraduate courses, including laboratory teaching assignments, or in providing other appropriate professional assistance, including grading examinations, problem sets, and/or laboratory assignments, setting up displays for lectures and laboratory sections, and preparing or maintaining equipment used in laboratory sections. GA awardees are not permitted to provide administrative services as part of their responsibilities. Graduate Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to students admitted to a graduate program at Qatar University.
Eligibility and Application Process
- All admitted graduate students with GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply for the award.
- Graduate students must show that they have met the minimum English language proficiency requirements (TOEFL or IELTS tests), as well as that of the Arabic language proficiency requirements, if required. Applicants should contact their academic departments for further information;
- Applicant must submit an application for Graduate Assistantship along with the application for admission to a graduate program; • The deadlines for assistantship applications are the same as those for admission;
- The number of GA awards is contingent on colleges’ demand for teaching assistants based on course offerings, laboratory sessions, enrolment, number of faculty and available funds.