Khalifa University of Science and Technology has received the approval of the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) to admit students with only bachelor's degrees directly to doctorate programmes offered by the university.
The approval provides high-performing bachelor's graduates the opportunity to directly pursue a doctoral degree in approximately five years. The CAA has approved Khalifa University's application to introduce this fast-track option for bachelor's graduates with a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.5. The new offering builds on previous accelerated educational programmes, including allowing high-performing high school students to take bachelor's level courses for credit, and enabling top-performing bachelor's students to take master's level courses.
Dr Bayan Sharif, Provost, Khalifa University, said: "We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic and research excellence and this direct BSc to PhD programme, which is well aligned with the practice in leading international universities, represents our continued effort to further strengthen our research focus. By empowering our top bachelor's degree graduates to expedite their path to a doctoral degree in critical fields, we are facilitating professional advancement through our innovative programmes and enabling our most talented students to realise their full potential through a streamlined educational journey.”
Students admitted to a PhD programme directly after a bachelor’s degree typically require one additional year of study to complete the PhD compared with those who already have a master’s degree. Students will have the opportunity to pursue PhD degrees and conduct research in various areas within the broad fields of Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Mathematics, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Life Sciences, and Public Health.
