Al-Quds University Holds Workshop to Discuss Doctoral Programme Governance and Develop Its Academic Frameworks

Al-Quds University, represented by the Deanship of Graduate Studies, held a workshop for the coordinators of its graduate programmes to discuss the governance of doctoral programmes under the EU-funded Erasmus+ project "PHD GOV". The session was attended by the Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Maysa Al-Nabulsi; Ms. Mai Hammash, a member of the Palestine Archive team at the Palestinian National Library; coordinators of the Master's and PhD programmes; and a number of academics and supervisors.

The workshop set out to examine the mechanisms for organising and advancing doctoral programmes — both academically and administratively — in line with international standards, and to strengthen the quality of scientific research and foster an academic environment that supports students and researchers.

Dr. Maysa Al-Nabulsi affirmed that "the workshop comes as part of efforts to develop the governance and organisation of doctoral programmes across all academic and administrative dimensions, including academic supervision, dissertation-writing procedures, and the regulation of the supervisor–student relationship and communication."

She added that "the workshop aims to produce practical, actionable recommendations that contribute to developing the doctoral programmes, with the work later extending to the Master's programmes as well," stressing the importance of these steps in organising scholarly work and raising the quality of graduate studies at the university.

Dr. Rashid Al-Jayyousi spoke about the experience of the university's PhD programme in Information Technology, recalling the programme's beginnings and the challenges encountered during its establishment — particularly those related to putting in place appropriate academic regulations and procedures, and engaging with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to arrive at a clear regulatory framework that the programme could rely on.

Dr. Al-Jayyousi emphasised the importance of developing the regulatory frameworks of doctoral programmes in Palestine in a way that aligns with the standards adopted at international universities, and of building a network of communication and cooperation between Palestinian universities and international academic institutions — strengthening joint research, modernising doctoral programmes, and improving their scientific outputs.

Ms. Mai Hammash spoke about the legal-deposit system in place at the National Library, which safeguards the legal and intellectual rights of the authors of Master's and doctoral dissertations through the mandatory deposit of copies of scholarly theses at the Palestinian National Library.

She explained that deposited theses are assigned a national identifier that guarantees the protection of their authors' rights, while also contributing to a comprehensive national database that gives researchers access to published academic works and supports the further development of scientific research.

She praised the joint efforts of the University Library and the Said Khoury Center, together with the National Library, to organise, archive and digitise academic work — efforts that have advanced the mechanisms for preserving, organising and improving access to scholarly theses.

Academic Exchange Coordinator Ms. Asma Badr reviewed international funding opportunities for research and academic mobility for PhD students, underlining the importance of engaging with international support and funding programmes that contribute to advancing scientific research and strengthening academic cooperation.

She pointed to the importance of international relations with partner universities and research centres for the Master's and doctoral programmes, as well as the role of academic-exchange programmes and cooperation with the DAAD in supporting students and researchers and expanding their academic and research opportunities internationally.

The workshop concluded with several recommendations, most notably: developing the governance frameworks for doctoral programmes; strengthening communication between students and supervisors; setting clear standards for supervision and study plans; broadening academic and research cooperation with Palestinian and international universities; promoting a culture of legal deposit for scholarly theses; and developing specialised databases and digital archives that serve researchers and graduate students.

The workshop featured an extensive discussion among the participating programme coordinators and supervisors, covering the main challenges of organising and developing doctoral programmes alongside an exchange of experiences and ideas on improving the quality of the academic and research process.