Health Sciences

Doctor of Philosphy in Public Health

The Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health is a doctoral programme offered at the University of Nairobi through the Department of Public and Global Health, School of Public Health, and at Kenyatta University through the School of Health Sciences. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in public health, epidemiology and health systems. The programme addresses Kenya's public health research and health system development needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems research, environmental health, social determinants of health, global health, health policy, disease control and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops public health insights for Kenya's health challenges.

Kenya's disease burden, health system strengthening, universal health coverage, pandemic preparedness, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, health financing and the demand for public health research create demand for doctoral-level public health expertise. The programme supports Kenya's health sector development goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, seminars and supervised research. At UoN, the Department of Public and Global Health offers PhD in Public Health (HPG8) by research and thesis, 3 years, rolling admission. Tuition KSh 396,000/year, Year 1 total KSh 428,000, Year 2 KSh 423,000, Year 3 KSh 473,000, total KSh 1,324,000. Application fee KSh 4,000.

Draft proposal of 15 pages required. At KU, PhD in Public Health, KSh 367,200/year for East Africans, KSh 459,000/year for non-East Africans. Application fee KSh 3,000.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, public health researchers, epidemiologists, health policy analysts and global health consultants. They work in universities, Ministry of Health, Kenya Medical Research Institute, WHO and international organisations.

Duration: 3 years
Public, up to: Ksh 396,000
Private, up to: Ksh 288,000
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: 8 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Advanced Public Health and Epidemiology
Biostatistics and Quantitative Methods
Health Systems Research and Policy
Environmental and Occupational Health
Social Determinants of Health
Global Health and Health Security
Disease Control and Prevention
Health Economics and Financing
Maternal and Child Health
Research Methods in Public Health

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Public Health and Epidemiology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Public health, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Biostatistics and Quantitative Methods
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Biostatistics, including probability theory, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and statistical software applications for doctoral research.
Health Systems Research and Policy
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Health systems, analysing policy frameworks, implementation strategies, and their impact on practice within the Kenyan and broader African context.
Global Health and Health Security
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Global health, covering clinical principles, evidence-based practice, and contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery and research.
Disease Control and Prevention
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Disease control, covering quality assurance principles, control methodologies, and their application in professional standards.
Research Methods in Public Health
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research methods, 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, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in the field.
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

Epidemiology
Research on disease epidemiology
Global Health
Research on global health
Health Policy
Research on health policy
Health Systems
Research on health systems

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting public health research, analysing epidemiological data, reviewing public health literature, attending seminars on disease control, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with KEMRI, Ministry of Health and WHO for research collaboration. Fieldwork in communities and health facilities is common.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's disease burden and UHC create demand
Access to KEMRI, Ministry of Health and WHO
Research contributes to public health improvement

Against it

UoN PhD is expensive (KSh 1,324,000 total)
Fieldwork in remote areas is challenging
Ethical approvals for health research are time-consuming

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

Public200k to 396k

200k at Egerton University396k at University of Nairobi

Private144k to 288k

144k at Kenya Methodist University288k 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 396k, Egerton 200k/yr (sphun.uonbi/egerton.ac.ke). KeMU 144k, Kabarak 288k/yr

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. NACOSTI provides research grants for science and technology research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
NACOSTI Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
NACOSTI Research Grant
GrantKenyan
Science and technology researchers in Kenya
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: At UoN: MSc from UoN or recognised institution. Department of Public and Global Health, School of Public Health. PhD in Public Health (HPG8), 3 years, by research and thesis. Total KSh 1,324,000. Draft proposal of 15 pages required. Application fee KSh 4,000. At KU: MSc in Public Health from KU or recognised institution. School of Health Sciences. KSh 367,200/year for East Africans. Application fee KSh 3,000.

MSc in Public Health, Epidemiology, Health Sciences 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
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before faculty panel
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, field projects and seminar presentations

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at University of Nairobi (Department of Public and Global Health, School of Public Health, PhD in Public Health HPG8, 3 years, total KSh 1,324,000, rolling admission, application fee KSh 4,000) and Kenyatta University (School of Health Sciences, PhD in Public Health, KSh 367,200/year, application fee KSh 3,000).

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 public health schools
Epidemiologist
High demandKsh 250,000 to Ksh 600,000
Epidemiology at Ministry of Health
Public Health Researcher
High demandKsh 220,000 to Ksh 550,000
Research at KEMRI and research institutes
Health Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 220,000 to Ksh 550,000
Policy at Ministry of Health and WHO

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, public health researchers, epidemiologists and health policy analysts. They work at KEMRI, Ministry of Health, WHO and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Public health PhD is just about community health.
The field covers epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems, global health and health policy.
There is no demand for public health PhDs in Kenya.
Kenya's disease burden and UHC create strong demand.
Public health research is purely descriptive.
The programme uses epidemiological methods, biostatistics, clinical trials and policy analysis.
Only doctors study this PhD.
The programme attracts nurses, pharmacists, social scientists and environmental health officers.