An Overview of the Doctoral Education in Health Sciences in Turkey

Growing interest in Turkish science is an evidence of the increased visibility of the country in the global arena. Turkey has increased its global share of scientific output from 0.7% in 2000 to 1.9% in 2009. Since 1990s, universities have adopted promotion rules that require academics to publish in ISI-indexed journals. Biomedical research dominates Turkish research, akin to West Europe. Therefore, graduate education in health sciences could serve as a vantage point to monitor the overall research activity. There are more than 60 graduate study institutes in Turkey that are responsible for the administration of MSc and PhD programs in health sciences. The number of universities has grown fast in the last 20 years and there is a considerable gap to fill academic positions. Turkey performs better than average in implementing the Bologna principles, including ECTS. Doctoral education in Turkey was modeled after the US system. A typical study consists of a course period, qualifying exam and followed by the thesis work that lasts overall 4 years (8 semesters) with a possible extension of 2 years (4 semesters). Admission is competitive and transparent. The Higher Education Council (HEC) sets the base admission criteria, rather than universities. Although there is no such a formal distinction, doctorate studies in health sciences could be divided into 2 broad categories: research Doctorates and professional/applied Doctorates. Most graduates who later wish to pursue an academic career publish their thesis works in indexed journals. Publication incentive is low in some fields where overrated professional expectations result in lower quality theses. According to recent HEC rules, at least 5 academics (1 full professor) are needed to start a Doctorate program. However, stringent criteria are needed to assess the institutional research environment.