Health Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Systems and Preventive Medicine

The Doctor of Philosophy in Health Systems and Preventive Medicine is a doctoral programme offered at Kenyatta University through the School of Public Health and at the University of Nairobi through the Department of Public and Global Health.

It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in health systems, preventive medicine and public health. The programme addresses Kenya's health system strengthening and preventive medicine research needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in health systems analysis, preventive medicine, epidemiology, health policy, health financing, health workforce development, disease prevention, health promotion, health programme evaluation and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops health systems and preventive medicine insights for Kenya's healthcare challenges.

Kenya's health system reform agenda, UHC goals, disease prevention challenges, health workforce shortages, health financing needs and the growing emphasis on preventive care create demand for doctoral-level health systems and preventive medicine expertise. The programme supports Kenya's UHC and health system strengthening goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework and supervised research. At KU, the School of Public Health offers PhD at KSh 367,200/year for East Africans. At UoN, the Department of Public and Global Health offers PhD in Public Health (HPG8) by thesis.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, health systems researchers, preventive medicine specialists, health policy analysts and public health consultants. They work in universities, Ministry of Health, WHO, county health departments and international health organisations.

Duration: 3-5 years
Public, up to: Ksh 428,000
Private, up to: Ksh 300,000
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: 5 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Health Systems Analysis and Strengthening
Preventive Medicine and Disease Prevention
Advanced Epidemiology
Health Policy and Governance
Health Financing and Economics
Health Workforce Development
Health Promotion and Education
Health Programme Evaluation
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Research Methods in Health Systems

Modules

8 in the programme

Health Systems Analysis and Strengthening
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Health systems analysis, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and current analytical techniques used in advanced research and professional practice.
Preventive Medicine and Disease Prevention
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Preventive medicine, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Health Policy and Governance
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Health policy, analysing policy frameworks, implementation strategies, and their impact on practice within the Kenyan and broader African context.
Health Financing and Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Health financing, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Health Programme Evaluation
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Evaluation of health programmes, covering assessment design, evaluation methodologies, data-driven decision-making, and quality assurance processes.
Research Methods in Health Systems
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research design and methodology, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research in the field.
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

Preventive Medicine
Research on preventive medicine
Health Policy
Research on health policy
Health Financing
Research on health financing
Health Systems Strengthening
Research on health systems strengthening

A day as a student

A typical day involves analysing health systems data, conducting epidemiological research, reviewing health policy documents, attending seminars on preventive medicine, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with Ministry of Health, WHO and county health departments for research collaboration.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's UHC agenda creates strong demand
Access to Ministry of Health, WHO and KEMRI
Research contributes to health system strengthening

Against it

Requires interdisciplinary health and social science knowledge
Health research requires ethical approvals
Accessing health systems data can be challenging

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

Public367k to 428k

367k at Kenyatta University428k at University of Nairobi

Private130k to 300k

130k at AMREF International University300k at Aga Khan 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

KU 367K, UoN 428K/yr verified (ku.ac.ke, sphun.uonbi.ac.ke). AKU, Amref unverified.

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. WHO and NIH Fogarty provide research grants for health systems research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
WHO Research Grant
NIH Fogarty International Grant

Scholarships

4 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
WHO Research Grant
Grant
Health researchers
NIH Fogarty International Grant
Grant
International health researchers

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: At KU: Masters degree in relevant area from KU or recognised institution. School of Public Health. KSh 367,200/year. Application fee KSh 3,000. At UoN: Masters degree from UoN or recognised institution. Department of Public and Global Health. Draft proposal required.

MSc/MMed in Public Health, Medicine, Health Systems or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

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

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at Kenyatta University (School of Public Health, KSh 367,200/year) and University of Nairobi (Department of Public and Global Health, HPG8).

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 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaching and research in health schools
Health Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 190,000 to Ksh 480,000
Policy at Ministry and WHO
Preventive Medicine Specialist
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Preventive medicine at Ministry
Health Systems Researcher
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Research on health systems

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, health systems researchers, preventive medicine specialists and health policy analysts. They work at Ministry of Health, WHO, KEMRI, county health departments and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Health systems research is just about hospital management.
The field covers policy, financing, workforce, disease prevention and health promotion.
There is no demand for this PhD in Kenya.
Kenya's UHC agenda and health system reform create strong demand.
Preventive medicine research is purely clinical.
The programme uses epidemiology, health economics, policy analysis and programme evaluation.
Only doctors study this PhD.
The programme attracts social scientists, economists and public health professionals.