Health Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy in Family Medicine

The Doctor of Philosophy in Family Medicine is a doctoral programme that builds on family medicine training to produce scholars capable of advancing research in primary care, family health and health systems strengthening. In Kenya, family medicine training is offered at Kabarak University and Moi University, with research opportunities through Kenyatta University's Department of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology. The programme addresses Kenya's Universal Health Coverage agenda and primary health care strengthening.

Students engage with advanced topics in family medicine research, primary health care systems, chronic disease management, maternal and child health, health systems research, community health, epidemiology, health policy, quality improvement in health care and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops primary care innovations for Kenya's health system.

Kenya's push for Universal Health Coverage, the devolution of health services and the need for strengthened primary health care create demand for doctoral-level family medicine expertise. The programme supports Kenya's health system strengthening and UHC goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework and supervised research. At Kabarak University, family medicine is offered with a focus on strengthening primary health care. At Kenyatta University, the Department of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology provides research supervision. Annual fees vary by institution, with Kabarak University charging approximately KSh 155,100/semester for PhD by coursework.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, family medicine researchers, health systems consultants and primary care policy analysts. They work in universities, medical schools, Ministry of Health, county health departments and international health organisations.

The programme is ideal for family medicine practitioners and primary care researchers who wish to contribute original research to family medicine and primary health care.

Duration: 3-5 years
Public, up to: Ksh 428,000
Private, up to: Ksh 310,200
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 3 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Family Medicine Research Methods
Primary Health Care Systems
Chronic Disease Management Research
Maternal and Child Health
Health Systems Research
Community Health and Epidemiology
Health Policy Analysis
Quality Improvement in Health Care
Universal Health Coverage
Research Methods in Health

Modules

8 in the programme

Family Medicine Research Methods
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Research methods for family medicine and primary care, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research.
Primary Health Care Systems
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Research on primary health care systems, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Health Systems Research
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Research on health systems strengthening, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Community Health and Epidemiology
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Community health and epidemiological research, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Quality Improvement in Health Care
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Quality improvement methods in health care, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Health Policy Analysis
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Analysis of health policy for primary care, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and current analytical techniques used in advanced research and professional practice.
Departmental Seminars
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research presentations and peer review of doctoral work, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in.
Thesis Research
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Doctoral thesis research and dissertation writing, involving original research, literature review, data analysis, and the production of a doctoral dissertation contributing new knowledge to the.

Specialisations

Health Systems
Research on health systems strengthening
Community Health
Research on community health
Primary Health Care
Research on primary health care systems
Chronic Disease Management
Research on chronic disease in primary care

A day as a student

A typical day involves reviewing primary care literature, analysing health systems data, developing quality improvement frameworks, attending seminars on family medicine and health systems, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with primary care facilities and county health departments for field research.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's UHC agenda creates strong demand for primary care research
Research directly impacts health system strengthening
Access to Ministry of Health and county health departments

Against it

Family medicine PhD is a specialised and emerging field in Kenya
Requires medical or health background
Research may require ethical clearance for human subjects

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public170k to 428k

170k at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology428k at University of Nairobi

Private144k to 310k

144k at Kenya Methodist University310k at Kabarak University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 428K, JKUAT 170K/yr verified (healthsciences.uonbi.ac.ke). KeMU 144K, Kabarak 310K/yr.

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. WHO provides research grants for health systems research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
WHO Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
WHO Research Grant
Grant
Health systems researchers

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: Holder of MMed in Family Medicine or Master's degree in a health-related field from a recognised institution. At Kabarak University, family medicine training supports primary health care strengthening.

MMed in Family Medicine or MSc in Public Health, Epidemiology or related health field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before faculty panel
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, research projects and seminar presentations
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Family medicine training offered at Kabarak University and Moi University. Research supervision available at Kenyatta University (Department of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology). The Ministry of Health has underscored the unique role of Family Medicine in strengthening primary health care and UHC.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in medical schools
Family Medicine Researcher
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Research on family medicine and primary care
Primary Care Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Policy analysis at Ministry of Health
Health Systems Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Consulting on health systems strengthening

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, family medicine researchers, health systems consultants and primary care policy analysts. They work at medical schools, Ministry of Health, county health departments and international health organisations.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Family medicine is just general practice.
The field covers primary care systems, chronic disease, maternal health, health policy and quality improvement.
There is no demand for family medicine PhDs in Kenya.
Kenya's UHC agenda creates strong demand for primary care research expertise.
Family medicine research is not rigorous.
The programme uses epidemiological methods, health systems research and quality improvement science.
Only doctors study family medicine PhDs.
The programme attracts public health researchers, nurses and health systems specialists.