Is there a need for a European doctorate in health promotion and public health?

Abstract

Objectives: This paper summarises the context and rationale behind developing a European doctorate in health promotion and public health and its relevance to the international context. Since no Pan-European doctorate exists to date, a network of universities and higher education institutions across Europe has been working towards the establishment of a European doctorate in health promotion and public health. This paper describes the consensus-building process among this network of core stakeholders, combining key learning outcomes with the results of a scoping study. We critically examine some of the challenges encountered and discuss the potential need for such a doctoral level qualification. Methods: The consensus-building process included several meetings as well as a qualitative scoping study, consisting of nine qualitative interviews with and two written responses from different stakeholders in the area of doctoral education. Results: We describe the different requirements, benefits and challenges linked to the development of a European doctorate in health promotion and public health that were identified within the consensus-building process and in the qualitative data. Conclusion: Overall, the benefits identified suggest that a European doctorate in health promotion and public health would be a positive and progressive initiative. However, the potential added value and the demand for such a doctorate still need to be examined.