Title of the Education Program

Doctoral Program "Public Health”

Stage of Higher Education

Third

Qualification upon successful completion

Doctor of Public Health

Program Volume

45 Credits  / minimum 3 year

Language of Instruction

Georgian

Program Aims

Doctorate in public health prepares students with a systematic understanding of the field of public health, who will have fundamental and systematic knowledge, appropriate qualifications in terms of possessing scientific research methods, and competence for successful research/academic work in this field.

To train academic doctors who are competitive in the field of public health and work effectively in different links/levels of public health, who will be able to competently develop, plan, and implement preventive and health promotion, environmental medicine, epidemiological surveillance, occupational medicine, health administration and management, safe nutrition, maternal and child health programs,

Also, manage curation programs, etc. The spirit of the doctoral program in public health is in line with the mission and values of Tbilisi State Medical University, it echoes the defining principles of protecting and improving the quality of human life, protecting and serving the principles of social responsibility, and respecting human rights and freedoms. When training academic staff in the field of public health, the current legislation and public health requirements are taken into account. 

Program objectives and learning outcomes are focused on the employment market, taking into account the interests of both graduates and potential employers, as well as professional standards established by research.

Prerequisites of the study program

The procedure for admission to the doctoral program/admission to the doctoral research program is determined by the regulations of the Faculty of Public Health of TS​MU on the doctoral program and is by the Law on Higher Education of Georgia. Citizens of Georgia and foreign countries will be admitted to doctoral study/doctoral research programs. The admission procedure is determined by the law of Georgia on higher education and by the regulations of the Faculty of Public Health on doctoral studies.
For citizens of Georgia, the prerequisites for admission to the educational program are the possession of a master's degree in public health (or a related detailed field) or an academic degree equivalent to a master's degree and winning the competition for admission to the doctorate.
a) evaluation of the presented documentation;

b) Successfully passing exams in the main specialty and foreign language.

(in English - B2 level).

Teaching methods

The educational and research components of the doctoral program, which are based on modern scientific knowledge, ensure the achievement of learning outcomes. This implies the full and adequate incorporation of accumulated and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge and methodology in the field of public health into the learning process, ensuring the achievement of the learning outcomes of the program. 

Teaching is based on student-oriented methods, which, in addition to the  research work, involves the active involvement of the doctoral student in the educational process, including practical activities (group work, situational analysis, analysis of specific cases (Case study), thesis preparation/presentation), discussions, empirical teaching, advocacy, seminars, and projects. 

The doctoral student is the direct performer of the scientific component. 

The methods of the academic program separately and their combination ensure the achievement of the results envisaged by the program.

The doctoral program consists of courses/modules and includes scientific research, with statistical analysis, the results of which are of essential importance for public health. The combination of program components, content, scope, and teaching methods ensures the achievement of the program's goal and outcomes that correspond to the results of the eighth level of the Higher Education Qualifications Framework/the third level of academic education. Training courses/modules are structured within the framework of the Law on Higher Education and other related regulations.

The teaching methods correspond to the modern methodology, including specific, requirements of training a doctoral student. The program is built according to the European credit transfer system. Achieving the results envisaged by the doctoral program is ensured by a separate method of academic activity and a combination of these methods, along with the direct implementation of the scientific component of the doctoral program by the doctoral candidate.

Learning outcomes

After completion of the Ph.D. program, the Academic doctor possesses/has Knowledge and Understanding

-        Knowledge based on the newest knowledge of public health and adjacent fields, which gives the possibility to expand existing knowledge and using innovative methods gives bases to generate new field knowledge Deep and systemic knowledge about modern methodologies and methods of teaching and research of public health, including - within interdisciplinary format;

-        Competence to fully, multidisciplinary, complex, and critically assess public health and scientific-practical information related to it.

Ability

-        To develop, implement, manage, and introduce original research and analytical approaches oriented on generating and transmitting new knowledge;

-        Independent planning, implementing, and management of innovative, original field research by fully adhering to academic honesty principles;

-        Development, implementation, and management of epidemiological, public health, preventive, avoiding negative effects on environment and professional factors focused on the protection of human health, disease prevention, and improvement of life quality and/or field academic, professional, research activities/programs aimed at those goals and also making and implementing effective decisions to solve complex problems;

-        Description, systematization, analysis, and formalizing of research results of scientific research implemented by himself and/or with his/her co-participation, by scientific information standards preset in international circulation, also presenting and discussion of results of scientific research with the professional and non-professional community at local and international meetings.

Responsibility and Autonomy

The graduate will be able to perform:

-        Independent search for/research of new professional values and develop new methods for their introduction;

-        Description/explaining the research ethics principles in the field of public health, use and evaluation of those principles in innovative, independent, and specific scientific projects;

-        Protection and evaluation of own and colleague’s professionalism, teamwork skills, relations between people, professional honesty, human rights, and freedom values;

-        Constant update of learning and knowledge, planning and management of teaching others.

Fields of Graduate Employment 

§  Establishing, determining and regulating the field policy and strategy of the national healthcare agencies;

§  Relevant and adjacent academic and research institutions;

§  the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health;

§  Public Health Institutions (Medical, Prophylactic, Rehabilitation Centers, Primary Healthcare);

§  Social services;

§  Sociological and epidemiological research agencies;

§  Insurance companies;

§  State and grant programs of public health;

§  Local and regional officers of WHO and UN;

§  Medical Business Administration;

§  Medical statistics centers.

№

Module

Number of Credits

Major specialization

1

Main Specialty

15

2

Scientific Research Methodology and Biostatistics

7

3

The Higher Education Pedagogy and Psychology

5

4

Biomedical Sciences Ethics

4

5

Foreign Language - Professional Medical English language (Precondition for admission B2 Level)

10

Electives

1

An adjacent specialty determined by the specifics of the research

2

2

Methodology for Drafting a Scientific Project -elective

2

3

Evidence-based Medicine in Public Health Practice - elective

2

4

Evidence Base Medicine in Medical Practice - elective

2

5

Academic Writing in English language - Elective

2

6

German Language (Precondition for admission is B2 Level) -Elective

2

7

French Language (Precondition for admission is B2 Level) -Elective

2

8

Russian Language (Precondition for admission is B2 Level) -Elective

2