The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Medical Science

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Medical Science is a research-based program that engages students in bidirectional translational medicine. The focus is on addressing current medical issues by either bringing patient and medical care challenges into the laboratory or translating scientific discoveries from the lab or clinic into new treatments and health improvements for the community.

Under supervisory guidance, students identify a research question within medical science and work independently on a project. They are required to complete a taught module in Clinical Research Methodology, which prepares them for project planning and management while ensuring ethical literacy and social responsibility. To graduate, students must submit a thesis based on their original research and successfully pass a thesis examination and viva voce.

Entry Requirements

1. A Master’s degree in medical science or related fields accepted by the University Senate
    
2. Other qualifications that are equivalent to a Master’s degree or professional qualification related to the field of Medical Science and experience recognised by the University Senate.
    
3.  A Bachelor’s degree with the following conditions:
   • A bachelor’s degree in medical science or related fields with CGPA 3.67 or higher or its equivalent from an academic programme or a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme may direct progression to PhD programme and approval by the University Senate; OR
   • A relevant bachelor’s degree with CGPA 3.00 may convert their candidacy to the PhD programme after one year of studying at Master level and approval by the University Senate.

English Language Requirements

Any of the following:

• IELTS 6.0
• TOEFL 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), 80 (internet-based)

For International/Malaysian Applicants

• English is the medium of instruction of the previous degree for candidates from universities in non-English speaking countries outside Malaysia.

Research Proposal (needed for application)

The research proposal should comprise between 1,000 and 1,500 words (excluding references), and covers the following structure:

1. An appropriate title for the research project (designated supervisor if known)
2. Introduction and justification of the study, which includes
   • Research background
   • Problem statement
   • Research objective(s)
   • Research question(s)/hypothesis
3. Literature review
4. Research methodology
5. Proposed research schedule
6. List of references

Clinical Research Methodology

An advanced study the management of a research project. The first part discusses the design of a scientific project in health and medical settings, including research questions, hypothesis, method selection, problem solving, and data collection and analysis. The second part consists of ethical theory and ethical issues related to clinical research especially the application of ethics for utilizing human specimens. The third part of this subject focuses on the statistical analysis and its methods.

Thesis

Production of thesis is based on students’ original research throughout the PhD candidature. Students must submit a PhD thesis and obtain a pass grade in the thesis examination in order to be awarded a PhD degree.

Areas of Research

The School has a dedicated team of Supervisors with expertise in areas of research including (but not limited to):

• Aging and Geriatrics
• Cardiovascular Research
• Communicable Diseases
• Eco-health
• Genomics and Precision Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Non-communicable Diseases
• Oncology
• Pharmacy
• Public Health and Organisational Health