Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences

Purpose

The program is designed to develop promising scientists into critical thinkers capable of initiating and implementing independent research in the health sciences. The graduates will also have the potential to become educators at the tertiary level.

Rationale

South Africa has severe challenges in the Health Sector. There are significant inequities in access to quality health care between and within provinces, and between rural and urban areas. Part of the problem is the inadequate number of highly trained health scientists capable of training other health care delivery personnel, and in conducting research with the potential to address the unmet needs in human health. This programme is designed to increase the number of highly skilled health scientists in the country.

Prospective candidates must have completed modules dealing with statistics and research methodology. Exceptional applicants who have not completed all the pre-requisite course work may be accepted provided that the necessary levelling work is taken during the first year. A personal interview may be required.

Access to the Qualification

Candidates for entry into the Doctor of Philosophy program must be graduates with a minimum of 600 tertiary level credits, usually in biomedical sciences or in clinical medicine. But graduates in Chemical and Physical Sciences are also encouraged to enrol as long as their field of study relates to the broad field of health sciences.

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Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Doctor of Philosophy: Health Sciences Degree, learners will be able to display detailed knowledge and understanding of the health science they are specialising in. A Physiology graduate, for example, should have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the human body functioning at all levels of biological activity, from the sub-cellular to cellular, to the synergistic integration of biological function.

Specific Outcomes: Specific goals include the graduate's abilities to

• Critically review, appraise and synthesise the health sciences literature.
• Plan, conduct and defend original research that creates or tests new concepts, hypotheses, models or theories.
• Demonstrate competency in oral, written and electronic modes of communication.
• Advance knowledge in a specific area of Health Sciences by ongoing research and scholarship.
• Identify specific research problems and formulate testable hypotheses related to these problems.
• Apply research findings in the design or evaluation of new approaches to patient diagnosis and treatment services, to health care delivery systems, and to health professions education.
• Integrate principles of ethics and cultural sensitivity in all professional activities.
• Function in a leadership role in the research, academic and clinical settings.

Integrated Assessment

Examination of the thesis by independent examiners, including eminent scientists external to the University, constitutes the method of assessment.