Doctor of Philosophy in Health Data Science
Doctoral research at the intersection of medicine, biology and computation, anchored in African clinical and population data. The programme requires peer reviewed publication before submission, a translation statement, and evidence that the...
The four facts
What you actually need to compare
- Award and entry
- PhD
- A
- Duration and mode
- 3 to 5 years
- Hybrid. Includes 12 months of paid, assessed cooperative education.
- Cost
- UGX 6,000,000 per year
- Tier 1 + seminar laboratory classification. Includes UGX 600,000 annual laboratory premium.
- Outcome targeted
- University academic, principal investigator, clinical research lead
- Reviewed by 2031. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed.
Pricing Model 5.1 · The Forward Standard
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Data Science fee
UGX 6,000,000 per year
- Laboratory tier
- Tier 1 + seminar
- Annual premium
- UGX 600,000
- Per semester
- UGX 3,000,000
- Whole programme
- Priced per year
- Approximate USD
- ≈ USD 1,579/year
What this fee includes
- Teaching, practice tutoring, assessment and competency verification
- The Amagezi platform and AI tutor around the clock
- All learning materials
- Every examination, including first resits
- Identity card, library, guild, sports and basic wellbeing
- Co-op placement matching and the Capability Passport
- Graduation and the statutory NCHE fee
- Online application
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- University academic
- principal investigator
- clinical research lead
- national health data or genomics leader
- scientific founder.
Employer types
- Universities and research institutes
- ministries and public health institutes
- hospitals with research functions
- global health funders
- and health technology ventures.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Designed to build African clinical research leadership and supervision capacity.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Doctor of Philosophy in Health Data Science. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| HLB 110 | Doctoral Research Methods and Advanced Study Design Both | 8 | 6-2-2 |
| HLB 111 | Advanced Topics in Health Data Science Objective | 8 | 7-2-0 |
| HLB 112 | Research Ethics, Governance and Community Engagement Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| HLB 113 | Academic Writing and Peer Review Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| HLB 130 | Specialist Reading and Literature Synthesis Objective | 8 | 7-2-0 |
| HLB 131 | Teaching Practice and Supervision Apprenticeship Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| HLB 132 | Translation to Practice, Policy and Regulation Objective | 6 | 5-2-0 |
| HLB 133 | Thesis Proposal and Public Defence Performance | 16 | 0-2-30 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| HLB 610 | Doctoral Thesis Research and Supervision (continuous registration) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| HLB 611 | Doctoral Colloquium and Publication Performanc | 0 | 0-0-0 |
Total credit units: 60
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Doctor of Philosophy in Health Data Science
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1: DOCTORAL COURSEWORK
Year 1 · this step is worth 24 CU
Cumulative
24
Programme total
60
24 CU of 60 CU completed by the end of this step (40%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning · Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Make an original contribution to knowledge in health data science.
- PLO 2Design and execute rigorous research using human health data.
- PLO 3Publish in peer reviewed venues and withstand expert scrutiny.
- PLO 4Translate findings into clinical practice, policy or deployed systems.
- PLO 5Teach and supervise under mentorship.
- PLO 6Exercise research ethics, governance and community engagement to international standard.
Why this programme exists
Doctoral research at the intersection of medicine, biology and computation, anchored in African clinical and population data. The programme requires peer reviewed publication before submission, a translation statement, and evidence that the...
Admission requirements
A Master's degree in a health, biological, computational or quantitative discipline; a defensible proposal; ethics feasibility assessment; and a supervisor with capacity. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.