PhD in Gulf Studies
The Gulf Studies PhD Program, launched in Fall 2015, offers students the unparalleled opportunity to study the Gulf while living in the region itself, and is the only graduate program of its kind in the Middle East. The Program was developed in response to a growing need among stakeholders in the region for highly qualified graduates in the field of Gulf Studies and vastly growing general interest and focus on the Gulf region.
The Program draws on an interdisciplinary curriculum to provide a holistic examination of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as Iran, Iraq and Yemen. This includes topics within the areas of politics, economics, history, literature, international relations, security, the energy industry, ecology and culture. Classes are taught by highly regarded expert faculty and academics, which specialize in the Gulf Studies field.
The PhD in Gulf Studies Program also helps connect students to internship and assistantship opportunities on a competitive basis to gain work experience and offset tuition costs, preparing students to excel in their future professional and academic pursuits. The three/four-year program consists of evening classes taught in English and is well suited for working professionals.
The Gulf Studies PhD Program aims to provide an advanced interdisciplinary understanding and in-depth knowledge of issues related to the contemporary states of the Gulf. The degree is designed towards providing students with transferable skills through cutting-edge coursework and the completion of an original research dissertation.
The Interdisciplinary curriculum, which is fully taught in English, provides an in-depth exploration of the region, which includes the following topics:
- Politics
- Social Issues
- International Relations
- Defense and Security
- Environment
- Science and Technology
- Economics
- Energy
- Anthropology
- Media
The degree proposed will require an original contribution to be made to existing scholarship based on research. The research areas that the PhD will focus on will coincide with the research areas of the Center. In order to accommodate student’s professional careers and commitments, the program consists of evening classes. Financial assistance is available on a competitive basis in the form of a Graduate Assistantship (GA).
Accreditation
None, however, the program is recognized by the University of Durham (UK) where a new joint PhD with this university has been approved in January 2015.
To attain the following objectives:
- Advance analytical approach to politics, economics, and social issues of the region.
- Provide the means towards human capacity building.
- Foster the integration of a broad knowledge base and human capacity building .
- Address society’s needs and aspirations.
- Support Qatar National Vision 2030 for human, social, economic and environmental development.
To provide a comprehensive, interdisciplinary knowledge base of the contemporary Gulf States and their relationship with the regional and global context.
- Students will apply independent research skills.
- To apply social science concepts from different disciplines to their study on the Gulf region.
- Analyze the social and political dynamics of the Gulf States.
- To critically analyze the tools used for studying the modern history of the Gulf.
- Evaluate the modern Gulf in relation to either the economic, political, cultural or social setting in global context
- To critically evaluate the processes that marked the historical development of modern states in the Gulf region
Curriculum for Candidates for a PhD in Gulf Studies |
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Year 1 | Ph.D. Candidate | - GULF 600 – Conceptual and Theoretical approaches to Gulf Studies.
- GULF 601 - Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
- GULF 602 - Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
- GULF 614 - Contemporary Issues in Gulf Studies
- GULF 611 - Foreign Policy Analysis of the Gulf States
- Elective 1
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Year 2 | Ph.D. Candidate | - GULF XXX - Elective 2
- GULF XXX - Elective 3
- GULF 612 – Culture and Society in the Gulf
- GULF 615 – Energy and Natural Resources in the Gulf
- GULF 690 – Ph.D. Research and Thesis
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Year 3 | Ph.D. Candidate | - GULF 690 – Ph.D. Research and Thesis
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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. 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)
- Three confidential recommendation letters from professors or employers (Recommendation Letters should be sent directly by the professor to the following addresses:
graduate@qu.edu.qa)
- Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)
- 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
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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.