PhD Islamic Studies Scope in Pakistan: Universities and Fees

Quick Facts

Degree Level	PhD
Discipline	Arts
Offered By	35 universities in our directory

A PhD in Islamic Studies is a research doctorate in Islamic scholarship — Quranic and Hadith sciences, jurisprudence, theology, history and contemporary Islamic thought.

What the Programme Involves

Doctoral study typically runs three to five years: coursework, a comprehensive or qualifying examination, several years of original research under a supervisor, and a dissertation defence. Supervisor and research group choice matter more than almost any other factor — they determine the research problem, the resources available and the publication record you finish with.

Research Areas

Common areas include Quranic exegesis and hermeneutics, Hadith methodology and criticism, Islamic jurisprudence and contemporary legal questions, Islamic philosophy and theology, Islamic history and civilisation, and Islamic finance and economics.

Career Scope in Pakistan

The primary destination for a PhD in Pakistan is university faculty employment — HEC requires a doctorate for permanent appointment at most ranks, and the higher education sector has expanded substantially.

Islamic Studies is taught across Pakistani higher education, sustaining consistent faculty demand and making this one of the more reliably employable humanities doctorates. Other destinations include research institutes, Shariah advisory roles in Islamic banking — a sector requiring genuine jurisprudential expertise — curriculum and textbook development, religious publishing, and media and public commentary.

Funding

Doctoral study in Pakistan is normally funded rather than self-financed. HEC schemes include the Indigenous PhD Fellowship, providing a monthly stipend in the region of PKR 30,000-50,000 for study at Pakistani universities, alongside overseas PhD scholarships and the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor. Some universities also fund their own candidates. Terms change between cycles — confirm current figures on hec.gov.pk and with the university.

Admission Requirements

A relevant 18-year qualification (MSc/MS/MPhil) with a strong academic record, plus the doctoral admission test, an interview and normally a research proposal aligned with an available supervisor.

Where You Can Study This

35 universities
17 cities
21 public
14 private

Fees are not shown here: we hold a published figure for 10 of these 35 universities, and comparing one against a blank column would be misleading rather than informative. Each university page carries its own fee where we have it.

University	City	Sector	Duration
Allama Iqbal Open University	Islamabad	Public	—
Bahauddin Zakariya University	Multan	Public	—
Bahria University	Islamabad	Public	3-5 years
Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan	Dera Ghazi Khan	Public	—
Government College for Women University, Sialkot	Sialkot	Public	—
Government College University, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Public	3 Years
Government College University, Hyderabad	Hyderabad	Public	3 Years
Government College University, Lahore	Lahore	Public	—
Government Sadiq College Women University	Bahawalpur	Public	—
Kohat University of Science and Technology	Kohat	Public	—
Lahore College for Women University	Lahore	Public	—
National University of Modern Languages	Islamabad	Public	—
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University	Peshawar	Public	—
The Women University	Multan	Public	3 Years
University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir	Muzaffarabad	Public	3 Years
University of Education	Lahore	Public	—
University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore	Lahore	Public	3-5 years
University of Kotli	Kotli	Public	3 Years
University of Sargodha	Sargodha	Public	—
University of Science & Technology	Bannu	Public	—
University of the Punjab	Lahore	Public	—
Al-Hamd Islamic University	Quetta	Private	3 Years
Grand Asian University, Sialkot	Sialkot	Private	—
HITEC University	Rawalpindi	Private	—
Imperial College of Business Studies	Lahore	Private	3 years
Lahore Garrison University	Lahore	Private	—
Lahore Leads University	Lahore	Private	—
Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University	Nerian Sharif	Private	3 years
MY University	Islamabad	Private	—
National College of Business Administration & Economics	Lahore	Private	—
Riphah International University	Islamabad	Private	3-8 Years / 52 Credit Hours
The Green International University, Lahore	Lahore	Private	—
The University of Faisalabad	Faisalabad	Private	—
University of Lahore	Lahore	Private	3 years
University of Sialkot, Sialkot	Sialkot	Private	—

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a PhD in Islamic Studies employable in Pakistan?

Comparatively reliably so — Islamic Studies is taught across Pakistani higher education, sustaining consistent faculty demand, and Shariah advisory roles in the growing Islamic banking sector require genuine jurisprudential expertise.

How is a PhD funded in Pakistan?

Most doctoral students are funded rather than self-financing. HEC's Indigenous PhD Fellowship provides roughly PKR 30,000-50,000 per month for study in Pakistan, with overseas scholarships also available, and some universities fund their own candidates. Confirm current terms on hec.gov.pk.