The doctoral studies program is the most extensive of its kind in the Gulf region, it is embedded in an institute that is totally dedicated to the humanities and social and administrative sciences – a fact that gives the program a sense of focus in identity terms and in resource provision. This sense of focus will be enhanced by the fact that at the DI, there is an 'ethos' which has already started to emerge, of a scholarly community capable of sustaining intensive cross-disciplinary engagement on some of the major issues affecting the Arab region and beyond. This ethos and its associated ambience of openness to new ideas and approaches, its nurturing attitude towards discussion and debate/dialogue, its immersion in the cut and thrust of critical enquiry, its intercultural reach and its pursuit of originality are the very conditions that successful doctoral studies need in order to prosper.
The DI's vision is sustained by a keen awareness that theory and practice do not stand in a dichotomous relation to each other but are part of a continuum in which two parts intersect in real time, and mutually enrich each other in terms of scope and knowledge production. It is therefore to be expected that doctoral studies at the DI will respond to the problems of development in Arab societies with analysis and appropriate solutions.
The DI emphasizes discipline/subject-based learning as the backbone for producing qualified graduates in their fields, but it further combines this with an interdisciplinary perspective. This is achieved through well-articulated curricular structures to ensure that learning does not take place in disciplinary silos but traverses disciplinary boundaries to create an enriching and inter-connected learning experience. This interest in quality education is fundamental to the DI's mission of graduating highly qualified, top-notch students in the humanities and social and administrative sciences.
Doctoral studies at the DI adopt a composite approach that combines elements of the North American and European, mainly UK, traditions, consisting, respectively, of foundational courses, a comprehensive exam and independent in-depth research culminating in a substantial dissertation.
The program relies on the experiences of faculty members coming from prestigious North American, European & Arab universities.
Doctoral studies at the DI focus on providing students with advanced in-depth training in theory, methodology, critical thinking, data collection, and data analysis and synthesis in their chosen fields of specialization with the support of research-active faculty with a proven record of producing up-to-date knowledge in their fields of study.
