Health Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology

The Doctor of Philosophy in Infectious Diseases is a doctoral programme offered at the University of Nairobi through the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in the Faculty of Health Sciences. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in infectious diseases, tropical medicine and disease control.

The programme addresses Kenya's infectious disease research and public health development needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in infectious disease epidemiology, tropical medicine, bacteriology, virology, parasitology, immunology of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine development, outbreak investigation and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops infectious disease insights for Kenya's public health challenges.

Kenya's high burden of infectious diseases including malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance challenges, vaccine development needs and outbreak preparedness create demand for doctoral-level infectious disease expertise. The programme supports Kenya's disease control and public health goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, laboratory sessions and supervised research at UoN. The Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology offers PhD in Infectious Diseases (H84) by thesis with tuition at KSh 432,000/year, total KSh 1,432,000 over 3 years. Minimum duration is 3 years. Intake is in September.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, infectious disease researchers, epidemiologists, microbiologists and public health consultants. They work in universities, KEMRI, WHO, CDC Kenya, Ministry of Health and international health organisations.

Duration: 3-5 years
Public, up to: Ksh 432,000
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: 4 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Tropical Medicine and Neglected Diseases
Advanced Bacteriology and Mycology
Virology and Viral Pathogenesis
Medical Parasitology
Immunology of Infectious Diseases
Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
Vaccine Development and Immunisation
Outbreak Investigation and Response
Research Methods in Infectious Diseases

Modules

8 in the programme

Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Epidemiology of infectious diseases, covering epidemiological methods, disease surveillance, and their application in public health research.
Tropical Medicine and Neglected Diseases
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Tropical medicine, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Virology and Viral Pathogenesis
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Virology, covering virological principles, viral pathogenesis, and their application in disease diagnosis and prevention.
Immunology of Infectious Diseases
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Immunology of infections, covering immunological principles, immune response mechanisms, and their application in clinical research.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Antimicrobial resistance, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Research Methods in Infectious Diseases
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

Tropical Medicine
Research on tropical and neglected diseases
Vaccine Development
Research on vaccine development
Virology
Research on virology and viral diseases
Antimicrobial Resistance
Research on antimicrobial resistance

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting infectious disease research, running microbiological assays, analysing epidemiological data, reviewing infectious disease literature, attending seminars on tropical medicine, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with KEMRI, UNITID, CDC and Ministry of Health for research collaboration.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's high infectious disease burden creates strong demand
Access to KEMRI, UNITID, WHO and CDC
Research contributes to disease control and public health

Against it

Laboratory work with pathogens requires biosafety facilities
Health research requires ethical approvals
Field research in disease-endemic areas has health risks

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 432k

367k at Kenyatta University432k 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

UoN 432k/yr verified (medmicrobiology.uonbi.ac.ke). KU 367.2k/yr (ku.ac.ke). Private unverified.

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

Funding options

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

Scholarships

4 recorded

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

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: At UoN: Masters degree from UoN or recognised institution. Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. H84. Must submit draft proposal. Applications in September. Total KSh 1,432,000 over 3 years.

MSc/MMed in Medical Microbiology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Medicine or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, laboratory reports and seminar presentations
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
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 University of Nairobi (Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, H84, total KSh 1,432,000 over 3 years). UNITID supports tropical and infectious diseases research.

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

Epidemiologist
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Epidemiology at Ministry of Health and CDC
University Professor
High demandKsh 220,000 to Ksh 550,000
Teaching and research in medical schools
Microbiologist
High demandKsh 190,000 to Ksh 480,000
Microbiology at hospitals and research labs
Infectious Disease Researcher
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Research at KEMRI and UNITID

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, infectious disease researchers, epidemiologists and microbiologists. They work at KEMRI, WHO, CDC, Ministry of Health and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Infectious disease research is just about treating patients.
The field covers epidemiology, microbiology, immunology, vaccine development and antimicrobial resistance.
There is no demand for this PhD in Kenya.
Kenya's high infectious disease burden creates strong demand.
Infectious disease research is purely laboratory-based.
The programme uses epidemiology, field research, clinical trials and molecular biology.
Only doctors study this PhD.
The programme attracts microbiologists, immunologists and public health professionals.