Admission for international applicants for Fall 2021 is now closed. For information about applications for Fall 2022, please check back in November. We will contact all applicants once the admissions decisions are made.
Residents and Nationals of Qatar may apply until March 15, 2021.
Applicants seeking admission to the CHLS graduate programs at HBKU should have a strong academic record (minimum 3.0 GPA out of 4) from a recognized university. Applicants to the Master of Science programs should have a bachelor’s degree, while applicants to the PhD programs should have a master’s degree.
Applicants to the MS or PhD programs in genomics and precision medicine or biological and biomedical sciences should have a strong background in science and evidence of coursework in biological or medical sciences. Applicants seeking admission to the MS in Exercise Science program should have a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or a related field (e.g. biological/biomedical sciences) as well as previous coursework in human anatomy and physiology.
Applicants are required to submit a valid IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 79 to demonstrate their proficiency in English. Applicants can be exempt from this requirement if they meet one of the conditions listed below:
Applicants to the Master of Science in Exercise Science are required to submit an IELTS score of 6.5 or a TOEFL score of 80 to demonstrate their proficiency in English. Applicants may be exempt from this requirement if their native language is English or if they have received a degree from a university in the United States.
Applicants to the PhD programs and the MS in Exercise Science program are required to submit a valid GRE General Test score at the time of application.
Applicants with prior research experience are preferred, especially for the PhD programs.
The completed online application form can be accessed here.
Please note that this application is for admissions only, information on how to apply for funding (where this is an option) is provided to students who have been admitted to the program.
It is the applicant's responsibility to submit all required documents at the time of application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Official electronic copies of transcripts should be submitted as part of the online application. Final transcript and graduation statements are required for all previous university studies. All transcripts submitted should include an explanation of the grading system.
For those who have not completed their current studies, transcripts must include results from the last completed semester of coursework. Transcripts in languages other than English or Arabic must be accompanied with an official translation.
Applicants who are admitted to the program based on copies of or incomplete transcripts will be required to provide original transcripts upon enrollment in order to register for courses.
Official copies (where required) must be sent directly to HBKU. Please refer to the institutional codes below:
Applicants should also submit copies of their test scores with the online application.
Applicants should submit letters of recommendation preferably from academic referees:
The referees should email their recommendation letter from their professional email to: and mention the name of the applicant and program they are applying to in the subject line of the email.
Letters which are not directly written for this program or which are incomplete will not be accepted.
Click here to download the recommendation form.
Applicants should submit a personal statement as part of the online application. The personal statement should explain why the candidate is applying to the program and how their studies will contribute to the achievement of their personal objectives including information about the applicant’s research interests and achievements (minimum of 300 words, maximum of 500 words). Personal statements that are incomplete or below the minimum word count will not be accepted.
Applicants should submit a copy of their current resume or curriculum vitae as part of the online application. This should include the following information:
All applicants should submit an electronic copy of their passport as part of the online application. Nationals and residents of Qatar should also submit their valid Qatari ID.
The College of Health and Life Sciences provides opportunities for scholarships/ funding on a competitive basis. Further information will be provided to applicants who are admitted to the program.