The collaborative program curriculum is divided into three layers of courses:
- The first layer is common to all admitted students and consists of 2 General Core courses (6 credit hours in total).
- The second layer consists of 3 discipline-specific core courses in Medical Sciences. These courses can be taken by non-discipline students as electives. A total of 44 credit hours of dissertation are required from each student.
- The third layer consists of one course of electives (3 credit hours) and is open to all students.
List of Required General and Discipline-Specific Core Courses:**
General Core Courses |
|---|
Course ID | Course Title | CH | Pre-requisites | Co-Requisites | New Course |
BIOM 740 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 | Admission | None | Yes |
BIOM 750 | Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease | 3 | Admission | None | Yes |
Medical Sciences Core Courses |
|---|
MEDI 855 | Clinical translational research | 3 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 860 | Seminar in clinical investigation I | 1 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 861 | Seminar in clinical investigation II | 1 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 862 | Seminar in clinical investigation III | 1 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 863 | Seminar in clinical investigation IV | 1 | Admission | None | Yes |
| | Elective* | 3 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 890 | Dissertation Research I | 5 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 891 | Dissertation Research II | 5 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 777 | Qualifying exam | 0 | Admission | None | Yes |
MEDI 892 | Dissertation Research III | 6 | Candidacy | None | Yes |
MEDI 893 | Dissertation Research IV | 6 | Candidacy | None | Yes |
MEDI 894 | Dissertation Research V | 10 | Candidacy | None | Yes |
MEDI 895 | Dissertation Research VI | 10 | Candidacy | None | Yes |
MEDI 899 | Dissertation defense | 0 | Candidacy | None | Yes |
*Electives: students select 1 course from the following: MEDI 830 or MEDI 840 or MEDI 870 **New PhD program in Health Sciences has been started in 2021/2022 |
List of Elective Courses
Course ID. | Course Title | No. Credit Hours | No. Contact Hours | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | New Course (Yes/No) |
Theo. | Lab. |
MEDI 830 | Designing Clinical Research Studies | 3 | 3 | - | None | None | Yes |
MEDI 840 | Ethical issues in clinical research and research involving human subject | 3 | 3 | - | None | None | Yes |
MEDI 870 | Special topics in clinical and translational Research | 3 | 3 | - | None | None | Yes |
Course Sequencing
All students will complete the Required Core Courses within the first year. These foundation courses provide content in the areas of written and oral communication, experimental design, and dissertation writing in a publishable format.
COURSE | TITLE | CREDIT HOURS |
FIRST YEAR SEMESTER I (General core) |
|---|
BIOM 740 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 |
BIOM 750 | Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease | 3 |
FIRST YEAR SEMESTER II(Discipline core courses and electives) |
|---|
Medical Sciences Core Courses |
MEDI 855 | Clinical translational research | 3 |
| | Elective* | 3 |
SECOND YEAR SEMESTER I |
|---|
MEDI 860 | Seminar in clinical investigation I | 1 |
MEDI 890 | Dissertation Research I | 5 |
SECOND YEAR SEMESTER II |
MEDI 861 | Seminar in clinical investigation II | 1 |
MEDI 891 | Dissertation Research II | 5 |
MEDI 777 | Qualifying exam | 0 |
THIRD YEAR SEMESTER I |
MEDI 862 | Seminar in clinical investigation III | 1 |
MEDI 892 | Dissertation Research III | 6 |
THIRD YEAR SEMESTER II |
|---|
MEDI 863 | Seminar in clinical investigation IV | 1 |
MEDI 893 | Dissertation Research IV | 6 |
FOURTH YEAR SEMESTER I |
|---|
MEDI 894 | Dissertation Research V | 10 |
FOURTH YEAR SEMESTER II |
|---|
MEDI 895 | Dissertation Research VI | 10 |
MEDI 899 | Dissertation defense | 0 |
*Electives: students select 1 course from the following: MEDI 830 or MEDI 840 or MEDI 870
**New PhD program in Health Sciences has been started in 2021/2022
Program Length
In most international institutions of higher education that foster research, the PhD degree involves typically four years of study with 60 credit hours of coursework and research. The duration of the collaborative PhD program in medical sciences at Qatar University is thus consistent with many successful international programs in biomedical sciences. The anticipated completion time of the course of study for the PhD, assuming no academic probation(s), is four full years. However, PhD studies can be extended to one more year based on students’ progress, in line with other PhD programs at Qatar University.