Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education

The Qatar University Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education (HPE) is the result of a joint effort of the QU Health Sector, namely the Colleges of Dental Medicine, Health Sciences, Medicine, and Pharmacy, with input from the College of Education and external stakeholders including Hamad International Training Center and the Medical Education Department at Hamad Medical Corporation.

To stay updated about this program, check this space regularly.

Our Mission

We aim to deliver a high-quality, progressive co-educational graduate program that prepares competent graduates with the knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes to improve health professional education and associated research that actively contributes to the needs and aspirations of society.

The Program ▶

The Graduate Certificate consists of : 3 x 4 credit courses (total 12 credits) without a thesis over 1 year.

The certificate program is a transitional platform to the MSc degree in Health Professions Education. Students who enter the certificate track may transfer into the MSc program, pending meeting the requirements for admission: GPA of 3.2 at least, and supervisor availability. Students who enter the MSc track are expected to continue through the entire MSc program.

Courses

Each course in this program has been expertly curated and designed as a blended curriculum. You can expect purposeful asynchronous activities to be blended with meaningful face-to-face activities using the best available evidence to inform our content.

The program is designed with you in mind. The courses are designed to be flexible to fit the needs of the busy calendar of a healthcare professional. Each course will provide the necessary underpinning of theories, principles, models and frameworks of design, delivery, assessment and evaluation to improve your teaching practices, whether it be at the bedside or in a classroom.

You may find additional information under the Study Plan page.

Who Should Apply?

If you have a passion to learn more about health professional education, how to teach your learners more effectively, how to better collaborate within your teams, or are seeking how to better design and study educational research questions, then this is the program for you.

You may find additional information under the

Admission Requirements ▶

The application process is coordinated by university admissions on an annual basis. Applications are to be submitted online.

Before You Apply

The prerequisites for admission to the certificate and Master’s in Science programs are provided below. Only complete applications and applicants who meet all of the criteria will be considered for acceptance.

Criteria	Certificate
Education	Baccalaureate degree in a health professional field from a University of College accredited by an International Accrediting Association or by the Qatar Ministry of Higher Education (examples: B.Sc.(Pharm), Pharm.D., MD, MBBS, B.Sc.(Nursing), etc)
GPA (4.0 scale)	2.0
English Proficiency Exam a (within the past 2 years)	IELTS (academic) score of at least 6.5 TOEFL iBT score of at least 68
Workplace Letter of Support	Applicant must provide a signed letter of support from their current line manager and department supervisor
Letters of Recommendation	2 confidential letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
Curriculum Vitae	Complete curriculum vitae
Personal Statement	A description of why you wish to pursue this program (300 words maximum, English only)

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have graduated from an accredited institution where English was the primary language of instruction and the institution is in a country considered English speaking.

Letter of support should state that the applicant has permission and will be able to commit at least 8 hours per week to their studies for the duration of the program : certificate = 1 year.

When You Apply

After your application is processed and all the above criteria are met, prospective candidates will be invited for an interview by the program admissions committee. The admissions process is competitive.

The most qualified candidates will be invited for an interview (may be face-to-face, or online).

After you Apply

Successful applicants will be informed by email by the admissions committee approximately in May each year. Offers of admission may be conditional.

Study Plan ▶

Educational Objectives

The program educational objectives are to prepare graduates who are:

Competent in health professional education to advance practice thus meeting current and future needs.
Creative and solution focused, with leadership qualities to further health professional education.
Highly professional, articulate and reflective in relation to health professional education.

Student Learning Outcomes

This is a competency focused program, which aligns to the strategic direction of Qatar University, healthcare in Qatar and Qatar society.

The learning outcomes are to demonstrate competence in the following:

Design, delivery, assessment, and evaluation of teaching and learning activities, including interprofessional education for collaborative practice.
Application of evidence-informed methodologies, methods and the outcomes from research and innovations in practice.
All principles, concepts and stages of curriculum design and assessment at different educational levels.
Planning, constructing, and communicating a health professional education related research proposal.
Application of aspects of evaluation and accreditation, simulation, technology, and leadership to health professional education.
Execution and reporting of a health professional education related project.

Certificate in Health Professions Education: Courses

Fall/Spring	Course ID	Course Title	Credit Hours
Fall	QHPE601	Evidence-based Teaching and Learning	4
Fall	QHPE615	Innovation in Curriculum Planning and Design	4
Spring	QHPE6xx	One elective course	4

QHPE601 is a requirement for all other courses.

Elective courses will be offered on an as-available basis.

Elective courses:

QHPE615: Assessment and Evaluation
QHPE602: Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Practice
QHPE614: Advances in Technology Enhanced Learning
QHPE612: Simulation in Professional Practice

Supervisors and Research Team ▶

Applicants are encouraged to connect with potential supervisors to help generate ideas for research topics or for you to approach with ideas for further refinement. Applicants are encouraged to connect with potential supervisors to help generate ideas for research topics or for you to approach with ideas for further refinement. Reaching out to faculty members can help ensure alignment between your interests and their expertise. It is also an opportunity to discuss available resources and potential funding avenues for your research.