biological science phd uk

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Biological Sciences PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Biological Sciences

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Research profile

Based in King's Buildings Campus at the University of Edinburgh, our staff and students within the School of Biological Sciences are the modern inheritors of a 400-year-old reputation for excellence with Nobel laureates among our notable alumni.

Currently at the leading edge in teaching, research and innovation, we are ranked top 5 in the UK and top 30 in the world for biological sciences in both the QS and Times Higher Education world university rankings (2024).

Key to our success is the highly dynamic and supportive research environment we offer our postgraduate research community; we offer students the tools and confidence they need to make a lasting, positive impact in our world.

Within the School our research is clustered into six large research institutes:

• Institute of Cell Biology
• Institute of Ecology and Evolution
• Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences
• Institute of Immunology & Infection
• Institute for Stem Cell Research (Centre for Regenerative Medicine)
• Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Join our community and undertake a specialised research project under the guidance of two experienced and well-published supervisors. Our staff have a wide range of research interests and we strongly encourage interdisciplinary research, working closely with physical sciences, engineering, medical and veterinary sciences.

Programme structure

Our PhD programmes are available as full-time or part-time study. The full-time route is 36 months and part-time 72 months, with study normally commencing in October. Both modes of study have an optional additional 12 months, commonly used to write up the final thesis.

The first year of PhD studies is probationary. Your supervisor will identify your training needs and invite you to attend relevant training as appropriate. To successfully progress onto the next year of study students must pass an annual review.

Annual reviews

Students submit a 10-week report and a 10-month report, both assessed by the thesis committee. Each committee comprises of the student's supervisory team, the committee chair, and up to two additional academic staff members.

The 10-week report is a short report outlining the project, with the 10-month report an extended version that includes a literature survey. While meeting their thesis committee, students deliver an oral presentation of their work.

Students complete a presentation during the School’s annual Poster Day. Academic staff and peers review presentations, with feedback discussed with the thesis committee during a 2nd year review meeting.

Students deliver a presentation to academic staff and their peers, traditionally during their Institute’s annual symposium. They also submit a thesis plan for their 3rd year review meeting that contains a timetable for completion, content listings of each chapter, completed work and highlighting outstanding tasks.

To be awarded a PhD, students must submit their final thesis and defend it in an oral examination (assessed according to the University's regulations).

Training and support

We encourage support in a range of academic subjects, transferable skills and personal development. All students who join the programme will have access to our core training and development programme or our specialist cohort-programmes (e.g. EASTBIO).

Our training environment is highly dynamic, with students learning through hands-on, laboratory-based projects as well as guided reading, one-to-one supervision, group seminars, societies and workshops.

The University of Edinburgh Main Library, open to all students, has one of the largest and most important collections in Britain. It has some two million items including the latest publications, key texts, and rare books.

The School of Biological Sciences is based wholly within King's Buildings and in close proximity to the Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library, well stocked with specialist literature, subscription databases and group study rooms and silent study spaces.

Students, dependent on their field of study, will also have access to a range of specialist laboratories and equipment, and state-of-the-art facilities. Examples include:

• imaging facilities including the Central Optical Instrumentation Laboratory (COIL) and Collaborative Optical Spectroscopy Micromanipulation & Imaging Centre (COSMIC)
• advanced flow cytometry facilities, including sorting and analysis
• cutting-edge proteomics facility and automated drug-screening platforms
• Edinburgh Genomics, a University-based sequencing and bioinformatics facility
• multiomics facilities
• the Edinburgh Genome Foundry
• cell culture facilities
• expertise in genomic editing (animal and plant)
• animal and plant facilities

The School also has strong collaborative links to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to give access to an even broader range of facilities and expertise.

Postgraduate students are given their own desk space in shared student offices and have similar access to facilities available to academic and support staff. Wireless network access is available in many parts of the University campus.

Career opportunities

The School of Biological Sciences offers training events and support for all our postgraduate research students in both academic and key life skills. In collaboration with the University’s Institute of Academic Development (IAD), we also provide a supportive training programme for students hired as tutors and demonstrators.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or international equivalent, in a relevant subject. You should have some research experience and be able to demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the field you propose to study.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

• Academic Technology Approval Scheme

If you are not an EU , EEA or Swiss national, you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance certificate in order to study this programme.

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding

School of Biological Sciences PhD funding

Research scholarships for international students

Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Postgraduate Research Administrator
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 5525
• Contact: [email protected]
• Graduate School of Biological Sciences
• Mary Brück Building
• Colin Maclaurin Road
• The King's Buildings Campus
• Programme: Biological Sciences
• School: Biological Sciences
• College: Science & Engineering

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Biological Sciences - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd biological sciences - 4 years (full-time), phd biological sciences - 8 years (part-time), application deadlines.

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible, and before the funding deadline.

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

You should submit two references with your application. Before applying you should identify potential supervisors from the School of Biological Sciences and discuss your proposal.

You can find more information on how to apply at our website:

• Postgraduate research at the School of Biological Sciences

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

UCL Division of Biosciences

• Benedetto De Martino
• Jason Rihel
• John Greenwood
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Neuroscience - Andrew Copp
• Neuroscience - Gipi Schiavo
• Paola Vergani
• Trevor G. Smart

Research interests span the scales from molecules to organisms, including humans. We have particular Research strengths in structural and molecular biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, ecology, cell biology, development and neuroscience.  

Doctoral Training Programmes for new student applications

    PhD programmes

• BBSRC London Interdisciplinary Biosciences PhD Consortium
• Cell and Developmental Biology PhD
• Genetics, Evolution and Environment PhD
• UCL Birkbeck MRC Doctoral Training Programme
• London NERC DTP
• Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology PhD
• Structural and Molecular Biology PhD
• UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training

Find out more about PhD programmes offered by UCL Biosciences research departments

Cell and Developmental Biology PhDs

Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology PhDs

Genetics, Evolution and Environment PhDs

Structural and Molecular Biology PhDs

Thinking about studying for a phd.

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Frequently asked questions

Find out more about studying for a PhD at UCL Division of Biosciences.

Study Postgraduate

Phd in life sciences (2025 entry).

Course code

6 October 2025

3-4 years full-time; 5-7 years part-time

Qualification

Life Sciences

University of Warwick

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Virtual tour

Explore our Life Sciences PhD degree at Warwick

Study your PhD in the vibrant community of Warwick's School of Life Sciences, with 90% of our research rated as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the REF 2021 assessment. Pursue both subject-specific and general research expertise on the practical-based PhD in Life Sciences.

Course overview

This is a practical course based on a single research project, carried out under the training and supervision of one of our Research Leaders. Assessment is by dissertation and oral examination. All students also participate in a programme of transferrable and research skills training.

Being funded for your studies from one of our Doctoral Training Programmes means that certain bespoke training activities are required under that programme. Our  School of Life Sciences website  offers further information on Postgraduate Research courses and funding.

General entry requirements

Minimum requirements.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a Life Sciences related subject.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirements Link opens in a new window . This course requires the following:

• IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page Link opens in a new window .

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Our research

• Cells & Development
• Environment & Ecology
• Microbiology & Infectious Disease
• Neuroscience
• Plant & Agricultural Biosciences
• Quantitative, Systems & Engineering Biology

Full details of our research interests are listed on the School of Life Sciences website Link opens in a new window .

Find a supervisor

You can identify potential supervisors in the area(s) that are of interest you via the Research pages on the School of Life Sciences website. The academic staff in the School welcome enquiries from potential research students, so you are advised to contact them directly. Send your research proposal or explain that you would like to discuss possible research projects with them and detail how you plan to fund your studies.

For further information, see How to Apply.

Research proposals

A research proposal is a document explaining what you would like to research for your doctorate.

If you are applying for an advertised project, you will not be required to submit a research proposal as the broad aims and objectives of your PhD will already be defined. When applying for an advertised project, you will need to clearly list the title of the project on your application.

If you are not applying for an advertised project, you will be required to develop a research proposal in consultation with a potential supervisor.

A good PhD proposal outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it. See how to write a great PhD research proposal on the Find a PhD website Link opens in a new window .

See our research degree application checklist Link opens in a new window .

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your research course fees

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our  Module Catalogue  (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and financial support.

Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

Life Sciences at Warwick

The School of Life Sciences is a cohesive, enthusiastic community producing world-class, high-impact bioscience research and teaching within a friendly and collaborative environment. Our internationally recognised academics are engaged in innovative bioscience research, working to investigate solutions to major global challenges. With 90% of research in the School of Life Sciences rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in REF 2021, the school is a dynamic and growing place for biological sciences research.

Our range of postgraduate programmes cover key global priorities and include interdisciplinary courses with modules delivered from colleagues across the Warwick community, including the renowned Warwick Business School. Study a postgraduate degree with us to hone your subject knowledge and enable you to gain the scientific skills and business acumen to develop your future career.

As part of our postgraduate degrees, you will be taught vital transferable skills such as research techniques and management, personal effectiveness, communication, networking, teamworking and careers management, enhancing your employability. You will be supported during your studies by a dedicated Postgraduate support team and a personal tutor who work within the School of Life Sciences, and additional support is offered, if needed, for English language and data handling skills.

Find out more about us on our website Link opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate Taught courses

• Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management (MSc)
• Environmental Bioscience in a Changing Climate (MSc)
• Food Security (MSc)
• Medical Biotechnology and Business Management (MSc)
• Sustainable Crop Production: Agronomy for the 21st Century (MSc)

Our Postgraduate Research courses

• MSc by Research in Life Sciences
• PhD in Life Sciences

How to apply

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 will open on 2 October 2024.

For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course  

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We understand how important it is to visit and explore your future university before you apply. That's why we have put together a range of online and in-person options to help you discover more about your course, visit campus, and get a sense of postgraduate life at Warwick. Our events offer includes:

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Why Warwick

Discover why Warwick is one of the best universities in the UK and renowned globally.

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out of 1,500 institutions across 104 locations (QS World University Rankings 2025.)

10th in the UK

for our 'Graduate Prospects' score. (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.)

Gold Standard Teaching

Gold, the highest possible rating across all three categories (student experience, student outcomes, and overall) (Teaching Excellence Framework 2023)

Page updates

We may have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history .

About the information on this page

This information is applicable for 2025 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.

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Biological Sciences

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Key information.

Duration: 4 years full time

Institution code: R72

Campus: Egham

UK fees * : £4,786

International/EU fees ** : £26,300

Internationally recognised for the quality of teaching and world-leading research, the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway is a dynamic and friendly place to study. We currently admit around 180 undergraduate students each year and about 50-60 postgraduate research students across a wide variety of laboratory and field-based research training courses. As a vibrant scientific community, our research is grouped into three major areas: Biomedical Sciences , Plant Molecular Sciences , and Ecology Evolution and Behaviour . The department is also host to the Institute of Cardiovascular Research and Centre for Systems and Synthetic Biology and the Centre of Gene and Cell Therapy .

Our research is funded by Research Councils, charities, government agencies, a wide range of other commercial, environmental and research organisations. Research collaborations take place through projects right across the department. Our widely published research teams are well known for pioneering work in molecular genetics, gene and cell therapy, our research into bipolar disorder, evolutionary and conservation ecology, biodiversity, mathematical epidemiology, plant biotechnology and seed biology. Our postgraduate research students regularly report their research findings, both nationally and internationally in symposia and publications .

To learn more about the postgraduate degree opportunities offered by the Biological Sciences department, please visit the department's Postgraduate research page .

From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Research facilities and environment

The research centre for Biomedical Sciences focuses on fundamental and applied research into the molecular mechanisms of disease and addresses biological hypotheses that are relevant for a wide range of human and animal diseases. The research centre for Plant Molecular Sciences focuses on fundamental research related to plant development, stress to the environment and pathogens,  seed biology  to address major issues for producing healthy seeds and food for the world, using innovative yet simple solutions, making an impact on what people eat; while exploring new state of the art molecular and analytical approaches.  In the Ecology Evolution and Behaviour we study the way that organisms react, adapt and interact. We work with a range of living systems, from microbes to mammals, addressing long-standing and emergent biological problems. The department has established a reputation for fundamental field-based research. Our research is supported with the state-of-the-art molecular and mathematical techniques.

Research groups in the department have active interdisciplinary collaborations with numerous industrial partners in NHS, pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies and with many academic institutions and universities in UK and worldwide. Explore our research centres and Institutes here .

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) involves two calendar years of full-time period study or the part-time equivalent. Assessment for the award is on the basis of a written thesis consisting of the candidate's own account of his/her investigations and an oral examination. The length of the Thesis shall not exceed 60,000 words.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) involves between two and three calendar years of full-time period study or the part-time equivalent. Assessment for the award is on the basis of a written thesis consisting of the candidate's own account of his/her investigations and an oral examination. The length of the Thesis shall not exceed 100,000 words.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have, or expect to be awarded, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree or MSc in an appropriate biological discipline. All members of academic staff can accept suitably qualified PhD students who we select for our studentships, or who have alternative means of support. To learn more about the research interests and activities of our staff, please visit relevant research group pages Biomedical Sciences; Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; and Plant Molecular Sciences. Once you have identified a potential supervisor, please email the relevant group contact to discuss available projects, your qualifications and skills and if spaces are available to accommodate you. Contact details can be found in the staff directory on our website.

English language requirements

All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.

The scores we require

• IELTS: 6.5 overall. Writing 7.0. No other subscore lower than 5.5.
• Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 69. No other subscore lower than 51.
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
• TOEFL ib: 88 overall, with Reading 18 Listening 17 Speaking 20 Writing 26.

Country-specific requirements

For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see  here .

Your future career

Our graduates have entered into a wide range of interesting careers, within academia and beyond, including Post-Doctoral and Lecturer positions in Academia in the UK and abroad, staff scientist positions in pharmaceutical and other private sector companies, biopharmaceutical consultancy, a range of managerial and marketing positions, Clinical trials coordinators, Editorial positions with science publishers to name a few.

Fees & funding

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £4,786

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £26,300

Other essential costs***: Lab based projects attract additional Lab fees (Bench fees) and other projects may also incur similar fees. These are in addition to the standard tuition fees. Such Lab fees are project-dependent and applicants should ask the project leader/supervisor for further details.

…How do I pay for it? Find out more about   funding options,   including loans, grants,   scholarships   and bursaries. 

* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2024/25.

* Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home   tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry.   For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the   UKRI website.

** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2024/25.   

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually, based on the UK’s Retail Price Index (RPI). Please therefore be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. For further information, please see our  terms and conditions .

***   These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2024/25 academic year and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included. 

Please note that this course fee is the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Council (2022 fee rate subject to change for 2023).

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School of Biological and Marine Sciences

PhD Biological Sciences

Conduct research at the cutting edge of the discipline, working alongside a team of specialist academic advisors. Our staff work in a wide range of fields, including ecology and evolution, marine biology, ecophysiology, developmental biology, animal behaviour, conservation biology and biological responses to global change. See our research group and staff pages for details.

Entry requirements

Fees, costs and funding, how to apply.

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The Doctoral College is able to answer any questions you may have about applying for or undertaking a postgraduate research degree at the University of Plymouth: [email protected]  or +44 1752 587640 .  

Course details

Explore our research groups and specialisms.

Research group leads

Dr Chiara Boschetti

Lecturer in biological sciences.

Dr Sarah Collins

Associate head of school for marketing, recruitment and outreach.

Professor John Spicer

Professor Awadhesh Jha

Professor in genetic toxicology and ecotoxicology.

Dr Sian Rees

Associate head of school - research.

Dr Andrew Manning

Associate professor in coastal and shelf physical oceanography, meet our school technical staff    , our research environment.

Funding for postgraduate research students

Doctoral College

Find out more about the Doctoral College and the support it offers students, supervisors and examiners of postgraduate research at the University of Plymouth.

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The Wellcome Sanger Institute is one of the world's premier genomics research institutes and is at the forefront of this fast-developing field. We use large-scale DNA sequencing, informatics and analysis of genome variation to further our understanding of gene function in health and disease, and the genomic diversity of complex organisms. The Institute's PhD programme is open to UK and overseas applicants, and we aim to attract the brightest and best young scientists worldwide.

The PhD programme aims to provide training and research opportunities in genomic science that reflect the unique nature of Sanger Institute science. It emphasises large-scale, high-throughput approaches, and the development of a blend of wet-lab and computational skills. The Institute also aims to provide students with general research and transferable skills training in addition to training in their specific research area. Applicants will generally have a bioscience background, but applicants with a computational or mathematical background are also encouraged to apply.

During the first eight months, full-time students on our PhD programme undertake rotations in three different research groups. This ensures exposure to different disciplines in genomics and allows the students to gain an understanding of the full range of science being carried out at the Institute and the different technologies that are available. In particular, all students are required to carry out at least one informatics rotation and one experimental laboratory rotation. This helps students to develop wide-ranging skills both at the bench and in data analysis. The final PhD project is chosen towards the end of the third rotation period, and students start their PhD project on 1 June. Students are expected to submit their PhD thesis within four years of starting the programme.

Students are also expected to attend a number of training courses in transferable and general research skills, the postgraduate student lecture series and the students' journal club. There is an active seminar programme on site and at the University of Cambridge, and students are encouraged to present their work at both national and international scientific meetings, as well as to the Institute. Since our students are registered with the University of Cambridge and are members of a Cambridge college, they are able to take an active part in the University's academic and social life. They have access to events and courses run by the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences, and University facilities such as the library and the careers service. For further details, visit the PhD Programme page on our website.

To apply for a place funded by the Sanger Institute, please apply directly to the Institute. F ollow this  link for further information.

Please note that applications submitted directly to the Sanger Institute are not applications to the course through the University of Cambridge. Students who are successful in gaining a funded place through the Sanger Institute will also subsequently be required to submit an application through the University's Applicant Portal.

If you are applying for funding from the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme, you will need to submit an application directly through the University's Applicant Portal, and you will need to name a Sanger Institute Faculty member in your application who has agreed to supervise your proposed project.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students should have:

• a comprehensive understanding of techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their own research
• demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field
• shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies
• demonstrated some self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages .

Candidates shortlisted for the Wellcome Sanger Institute PhD programme will be invited to attend an in person PhD Interview Day, which is being held on the 27 January 2025. Candidates will have two or three interviews with individual Sanger Institute Faculty members and one panel interview with three Sanger Institute Faculty members. They will also have the chance to meet current PhD students and have a tour around the campus. Any shortlisted applicants unavailable for the PhD Interview Day can be interviewed via videoconference during the two weeks prior to the Interview Day.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, wellcome sanger institute, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2025.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• Biological Science (Sanger Institute) by thesis MPhil

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Biological Sciences

Course content.

• Projects (30)
• Entry Requirements
• Fees and Funding

The School of Biological Sciences provides PhD and MPhil (research degree) programmes in subjects ranging from basic biochemistry, molecular genetics and cancer research, to agricultural science, marine ecology and the economic evaluation of ecosystem services and food retailing. If you have a topic or research question in mind, please use the Find a Supervisor link (see Apply tab) to identify the most appropriate member of staff to support your idea. If not, don't worry, we regularly advertise funded projects and there is no harm in browsing our academic staff profiles for inspiration and then contacting whoever seems best: we are very open to applications from suitably qualified people interested in scientific research. In every case, a PhD or MPhil course provides the means of being part of a cutting edge scientific research team and contributing to genuine new discoveries or the development of new methods for practical use. If you cannot study full time, we offer pro-rata part time research degree programmes as well. There are three broad themes to research at the School: - Agri-Food Systems and Human Nutrition - Understanding Health and Disease - Sustaining Ecosystems and Biodiversity Agri-Food Systems and Human Nutrition: This theme focuses on how Agri-Food systems can be better positioned to provide safe, authentic and healthy diets with high-quality plant, livestock, and aquaculture products, whilst supporting human and animal health in a way that is sustainable and resilient to climactic changes. Underpinning these goals, the disciplinary expertise of the theme integrates basic and applied research from animal health and welfare, nutrition, performance, and environmental and social impact (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions from livestock) to chemical contaminant and natural toxin detection, food microbiology, food fraud detection, and food systems traceability and transparency, integrated into a holistic total systems approach. Supporting by underpinning expertise in cutting-edge molecular, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic technologies, artificial intelligence and simulation modelling, the goal of the theme is to support the transformation of global Agri-Food systems. This is with the purpose of maximising the benefits both to animal and human nutrition and health, while simultaneously reducing environmental impact, protecting ecological resources, supporting livelihoods and access to affordable safe foods, and upholding social, cultural, and ethical values. A system based on the principles of measurable integrity and impact. Understanding Health and Disease: The Understanding Health and Disease research theme covers humans, plants, and animals with research strengths in prevention, diagnostics, surveillance, epidemiology, and treatments. We study how health can be improved through food and nutrition and how diseases can be tackled by understanding their fundamental molecular mechanisms, including those underpinning the biology of pathogens and parasites. Our researchers work in human cancer and genetic diseases, in infections caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, and in how global health and disease will be affected by global warming and climate change. We recognize that the only way to tackle the problems we face as a society is to take an interdisciplinary approach to our research. This means we have expertise in broad areas including molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, genomics, transcriptomics, modelling, bioanalytical chemistry, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiology, parasitology, and plant biology. We work internationally with researchers and partners in universities, charities, non-governmental organisations, industry, and government agencies to tackle local and global challenges. Sustaining Ecosystems and Biodiversity: This theme covers research in biodiversity and ecosystem services for environments ranging from tropical forests to deep oceans, using field techniques and skills such as wildlife tracking, taxonomy, geostatistics, molecular and genetic ecology, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, food web analysis, microcosm and mesocosm experiments, and mathematical/computational methods. Within this theme we also study the behaviour and temperament of wild, agricultural or domestic animals and their implications for welfare and ability to respond to environmental change. Potential research projects include phylogenetic analysis of rare and newly discovered species, examination of ecological interactions in tropical systems, agricultural soils, or marine communities, using state-of-the-art genetic analysis, surveys using drones or satellite tagging, or experiments in tanks and field plots, including careful and ethical examinations of animal behaviour. Projects range from theoretical analysis of stability in ecosystems, through discovery of new species and mechanisms of interaction, or responses to climate change, to the assessment of agri-environment schemes, development of new methods for commercial fisheries management and economic evaluations of conservation measures. Projects very often have an international dimension and include collaboration with other researchers worldwide.

Biological Sciences Highlights

Industry links.

• The School has a wide range of strong, international links with governments, academia and industry, into which postgraduate research students are integrated.

World Class Facilities

• Research students will have access to laboratory space as required (in our state-of-the-art research laboratories) and where relevant, also a range of field study sites and equipment (e.g. remote sensing drone equipment). They also have access to local and campus-wide high performance computing facilities and the full strength of our world-class library. Many students also benefit from the strong collaboration network maintained by our academic staff, which could result in working in the laboratories of partner organisations in industry and government as well as in the University, under specific arrangements.
• Students studying in the Food Safety and Nutrition programme will gain excellent practical experience of advanced technology and bioanalytical techniques for food safety analysis and monitoring, including: 1. GC, HPLC and UPLC separation platforms; 2. ICP, IR, qToF and QqQ mass spectrometers; 3. Microbiological research facilities; 4. Antibody production and biomolecule binder development; 5. Cell culture suite and bioanalytical assay detection systems; 6. NMR, NIR and Raman spectrometers; 7. Proteomic and metabolomic profiling tools RT-PCR; 8. Transcriptomic profiling; 9. Next-generation sequencing; 10. Multiplex biosensor platforms and LFD development.

Internationally Renowned Experts

• Research at Institute for Global Food Security and the School of Biological Sciences was rated 1st in the UK in the latest Research Exercise Framework (REF) – an independent assessment of research quality, impact and environment at UK universities. IGFS/Biological Sciences topped the national league table for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science, with 94% of research in those areas deemed “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”. Additionally, the research environment at IGFS/SBS scored a phenomenal 100%.
• Most of the critical problems facing humanity - disease, climate change and food security - require biological understanding to solve them.

Student Testimonials

I can honesty say that studying a PhD was the right choice for me. It has enabled me to improve my self-management, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In today's competitive job market, having a PhD does open doors for you both academically and in the industry sector. I was previously working in the financial sector and wanted to pursue a more fulfilling career where I wasn't just counting down the days until the weekend or payday. The friends and networking opportunities I have made while studying a PhD made it even more worthwhile. A PhD means you are your own boss and you are the one who decides in which direction to take your work. Dr Eileen Mitchell, Biological Sciences PhD

My collaborative PhD with the Institute for Global Food Security and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute has given me opportunities to teach, attend seminars and conferences, and to develop a range of skills. I have enjoyed my PhD and my supervisors and funding body (DAERA) have been welcoming, supportive and encouraging of my research. Dr Rebekah McMurray, Biological Sciences PhD

Research Information

PhD Supervisors Information on the research interests and activities of academics in Biological Sciences can be accessed via the School website and the Find a Supervisor facility (see Apply tab).

Career Prospects

Introduction Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally. Career prospects in the biological sciences are exceptionally good. To some extent it depends on the specific topic, of course, but laboratory-based and especially quantitative skills and the proven innovation of a PhD or MPhil are highly sought after. Degrees are very much in demand, both in commercial science and public sector research and development (e.g. drug discovery and development, crop and animal improvements and welfare, sustainable agriculture and resource use, human nutrition and health, animal health, ecological management, food safety and technology, scientific communications, regulation, and many more fields).

Employment after the Course Graduates have gone on to be professional research scientists, consultants, or hold technical and junior executive positions in commerce and government.

People teaching you

Dr Gareth Arnott Postgraduate Research Director School of Biological Sciences For a PhD you will have a principal and second supervisor who advise your independent studies and will be supported by a wider team from the academic staff - who they are, of course, depends on your project. For further details on any aspect of postgraduate research degrees within the School of Biological Sciences, contact: [email protected]. Research degrees are overseen by the School of Biological Sciences Director of Postgraduate Research, who currently is Dr Gareth Arnott.

Learning Outcomes

A postgraduate research degree involves the undertaking of independent research under the guidance of a professional academic supervisory team, typically using the laboratory facilities on offer in one or more of the teams' labs. The student will be expected to develop their own ideas and learn the methods needed to test them empirically and theoretically. This usually involves learning and practising both laboratory (and or field) skills as well as developing a strong theoretical background in the relevant subject. As well as practical work, all the activities of independent academic scholarship, such as literature searching and critical appraisal, written and verbal communications and academic networking will be developed during a research degree. Independence and innovation will be strongly encouraged, but the student will be supported by regular supervisory guidance and a wide range of courses will also be on offer, both in subject specific skills and generic skills, especially supported by the Graduate School (https://www.qub.ac.uk/graduate-school/). Students are encouraged to interact with one another and with members of academic staff and postdoctoral scientists to build confidence and informal learning, through a range of ‘research culture’ activities, including peer groups where students get together to discuss topical research papers, or methods, or just chat about their interests.

Course structure

Research degrees vary in length, but typically for a PhD they are three or four years long (full-time) and double that for part-time studies. They follow an annual cycle of progress with formal panel-based appraisals of the progress, the outcome of which is typically practical and academic advice about how to overcome problems encountered and how to move to the next stage. During each year, students are expected to supplement their studies with some tailored courses, ranging from highly specific (e.g. learning to use a piece of apparatus or technique) to generic (e.g. developing oral presentation or leadership skills). Every stage is supported by the supervisory team, augmented by an independent panel of progress monitors as well as the full support of the Graduate School.

Assessment processes for the Research Degree differ from taught degrees. Students will be expected to present drafts of their work at regular intervals to their supervisor who will provide written and oral feedback; a formal assessment process takes place annually. This Annual Progress Review requires students to present their work in writing and orally to a panel of academics from within the School. Successful completion of this process will allow students to register for the next academic year. The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their thesis to an internal and external examining team who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

Supervisors will offer feedback on draft work at regular intervals throughout the period of registration on the degree.

Full-time research students will have access to a desk in a shared office space.

Learning and Teaching

Entrance requirements

Graduate The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant subject from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School.

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country .

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs .

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled or pre-settled status, are expected to be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB are expected to be charged the GB fee, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

2 It is expected that EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI will be eligible for NI tuition fees. The tuition fee set out above is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.

All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. All fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

More information on postgraduate tuition fees .

Biological Sciences costs

Students may incur additional costs for small items of clothing and/or equipment necessary for lab or field work

Additional course costs

All students.

Depending on the programme of study, there may also be other extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies . Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £100 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges. Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen. There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, and library fines. In undertaking a research project students may incur costs associated with transport and/or materials, and there will also be additional costs for printing and binding the thesis. There may also be individually tailored research project expenses and students should consult directly with the School for further information.

Some research programmes incur an additional annual charge on top of the tuition fees, often referred to as a bench fee. Bench fees are charged when a programme (or a specific project) incurs extra costs such as those involved with specialist laboratory or field work. If you are required to pay bench fees they will be detailed on your offer letter. If you have any questions about Bench Fees these should be raised with your School at the application stage. Please note that, if you are being funded you will need to ensure your sponsor is aware of and has agreed to fund these additional costs before accepting your place.

How do I fund my study?

Find PhD opportunities and funded studentships by subject area.

We offer numerous opportunities for funded doctoral study in a world-class research environment. Our centres and partnerships, aim to seek out and nurture outstanding postgraduate research students, and provide targeted training and skills development.

The Government offers doctoral loans of up to £26,445 for PhDs and equivalent postgraduate research programmes for English- or Welsh-resident UK and EU students.

Information on Postgraduate Research scholarships for international students .

Funding and Scholarships

The Funding & Scholarship Finder helps prospective and current students find funding to help cover costs towards a whole range of study related expenses.

How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply .

Find a supervisor

If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.

To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here .

You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.

Download Postgraduate Prospectus

• Postgraduate Research

Biological Sciences (Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour) PhD / MPhil

• Part time available: yes

Studying in:

• institute-of-infection-veterinary-and-ecological-sciences
• Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

We study patterns in the natural environment, from the behaviour of individual organisms to dynamics of populations and the diversity of communities. Our aim is to go beyond description of these patterns - we wish to understand the ecological and evolutionary factors that drive them.

Why study with us?

research grant funding awarded in a two year period.

PhD and masters students.

We work with viruses, bacteria, fungi, animals, insects, plants and humans using state-of-the-art technologies and mathematical models to understand the principles that underlie biological diversity.

As an institute devoted to integrative biology, we span the range of biosciences from the fine-scale resolution of biomolecular structure through the genome-wide analysis of cells and organisms, to the evolution and ecology of organisms in their natural environment.

Underpinning this diversity, we offer world-class facilities and infrastructure for research, and superb links to internationally excellent partners in both the academic and industrial sectors.

Our research seeks to answer fundamental questions, and to address key issues of contemporary concern. We were awarded a prize in the UK-wide BBSRC 2011 ‘Excellence with Impact’ competition, which commended the work of our graduate students in impact activities.

Our PhD completion rates are ranked amongst the highest in the UK by the Times Higher Education Supplement, one of only two universities to have repeatedly ranked in the top four institutions. Furthermore, our complementary training programme was awarded the highest grade in the QAA review of all higher education institution postgraduate research training. In addition, the institute is one of only 10 organisations in UK universities in 2017 to hold a gold AthenaSWAN award for gender equality in science education and research.

Our PhD programme is financed by substantial training grants from the main UK government research councils, including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council and The Medical Research Council, as well as charitable trusts, overseas governments and industrial collaborators.

Research themes

Ecology and evolution of infectious disease.

We seek to understand the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of disease in wildlife populations. Our study systems are diverse, from microbes and their phage, through interactions in insects, wild rodent communities in the UK and abroad, to the microbes in the cystic fibrosis lung.

To better understand the ecological and evolutionary behaviour of these systems, we employ field, genetic, genomic and mathematical approaches.

Evolution: Phenotype to Genome

Evolution has traditionally been studied at the level of the phenotype. With the emergence of new genomic technologies, we have an increasing ability to also examine how evolution is reflected in the genome, and to use techniques of molecular ecology to give insights into evolutionary processes.

Current research is trying to understand the molecular basis of adaptation in the peppered moth, and in host-parasite interactions, and what these details tell us about the process of evolution. We are also employing molecular ecology tools to understand how geography and history have combined to structure current species.

Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution

We investigate mammalian behaviour, commonly working from molecules through to behaviour. We are particularly interested in:

• Chemical communication
• Reproductive strategies (with particular focus on mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of pre and post-copulatory sexual selection)
• Reproductive cooperation and conflict
• The drivers of social structure and dispersion
• Interactions between behaviour and disease.

We have an applied interest in the epidemiology of infections in domestic animals and in using ideas from evolution and behaviour to improve animal welfare.

Ecology: Phenotype to Ecosystem

We are interested in how individuals, species and communities respond to change, and how to mitigate risk.

We have particular interest in conservation biology, especially with regard to:

• The metapopulation dynamics of threatened odonates
• Thermal ecology, particularly effects of warming on organism size and ecological rates
• Using protists as model organisms to study population dynamics, ecophysiology, distributional patterns, food web structure and the flow of energy and biomass through aquatic food webs
• Phenotypic plasticity, especially maternal effects and developmental thresholds and their effects on population dynamics.
• The Henry Wellcome Laboratory of Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution
• The Centre for Genomic Research
• The Computational Biology Facility
• The Centre for Cell Imaging
• The Centre for Proteome Research

Study options and fees

The fees below reflect one year of study during the 2024/25 academic year

The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.

* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.

^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.

Entry requirements

A good (2:1 or above) honours first degree in an appropriate science subject is required as a minimum, which, preferably, will be relevant to the area of interest.

English language requirements

How to apply

Research degree applications can be made online.  You'll also need to ensure that you have funding to cover all fees.

Applications are  open all year round .

More about applying for research degrees

Apply online

Before you apply, we recommend that you identify a supervisor and develop a research proposal

Find a supervisor

• Begon, Prof Michael
• Atkinson, Prof David 
• Barribeau, Dr Seth
• Berenbrink, Dr Michael
• Betancourt, Dr Andrea
• Chantrey, Prof Julian
• Cornell, Dr Stephen
• Fenton, Prof Andy
• Hodgson, Dr Jenny
• Hurst, Prof Greg
• Hurst, Prof Jane
• Montagnes, Dr David
• Paterson, Prof Steve
• Plaistow, Dr Stewart
• Price, Dr Thomas 
• Saccheri, Prof Ilik
• Speed, Dr Mike
• Stockley, Prof Paula
• Whitlock, Dr Raj

View staff list

Need help finding a supervisor? Contact us

• IVES PGR Administrator
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +44 (0)151 795 5121

Related studentships: self-funded and funded PhD projects

Related doctoral training partnerships.

Doctoral Training Partnerships support future researchers with funding and a rewarding learning environment where you can collaborate with leading researchers.

• MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership
• Newcastle-Liverpool-Durham BBSRC DTP
• NERC DTP in Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment (ACCE)

Find a scholarship

We offer a range of scholarships to help you meet the costs of studying a research degree.

See scholarships

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Biological Sciences (PhD)

2024-25 (also available for 2023-24 , 2025-26 )

1 October 2024

6 January 2025

21 April 2025

The maximum duration for a PhD is 3 years (36 months) full-time or 6 years (72 months) part-time with an optional submission pending (writing-up) period of 12 months.

Sometimes it may be possible to mix periods of both full-time and part-time study.

If studying on a part-time basis, you must establish close links with the University and spend normally not less than an average of 10 working days per year in the university, excluding participation in activities associated with enrolment, re-registration and progression monitoring. You are also expected to dedicate 17.5 hours per week to the research.

Application deadlines

For September 2024

07 June 2024 for International and Scholarship Students

28 June 2024 for Home Students

For October 2024

For January 2025

18 October 2024 for International and Scholarship Students

15 November 2024 for Home Students

For April 2025

24 January 2025 for International and Scholarship Students

21 February 2025 for Home Students

Send us your research enquiry

To ask a question about this course or being a research student at the University of Huddersfield, please complete the form below. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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About the research degree

A PhD is the highest academic award for which a student can be registered. This programme allows you to explore and pursue a research project built around a substantial piece of work, which has to show evidence of original contribution to knowledge.

Completing a PhD can give you a great sense of personal achievement and help you develop a high level of transferable skills which will be useful in your subsequent career, as well as contributing to the development of knowledge in your chosen field.

Our research degrees are available as full-time, part-time and some are offered distance learning.

You are expected to work to an approved programme of work including appropriate programmes of postgraduate study (which may be drawn from parts of existing postgraduate courses, final year degree programmes, conferences, seminars, masterclasses, guided reading or a combination of study methods).

This programme of research culminates in the production of a large-scale piece of written work in the form of a research thesis that should not normally exceed 80,000 words.

You will be appointed a main supervisor who will normally be part of a supervisory team, comprising of up to three members to advise and support you on your project.

Entry requirements

The normal level of attainment required for entry is:

• a Master's degree from a UK University or equivalent, normally with a classification of merit or distinction, in a discipline appropriate to the proposed programme to be followed, or
• an upper second class honours degree (2:1) from a UK university in a discipline appropriate to that of the proposed programme to be followed, or
• appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level, which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Why choose Huddersfield?

There are many reasons to choose the University of Huddersfield and here are just five of them:

• We were named University of the Year by Times Higher Education in 2013.
• Huddersfield is the only University where 100% of permanent teaching staff are Fellows of the Higher Education Authority.
• Our courses have been accredited by 41 professional bodies.
• 94.6% of our postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within six months of graduating.
• We have world-leading applied research groups in Biomedical Sciences, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities.

What can I research?

There are several research topics available for this degree. See below examples of research areas including an outline of the topics, the supervisor, funding information and eligibility criteria:

An investigation of the evolution of the post-translational gamma-carboxylation of proteins

The project will explore the evolution of vitamin K dependent proteins that are involved in coagulation and bone development in higher animals in evolutionary diverse organisms. This will be achieved using bioinformatics, immunochemical and spectroscopy methodologies.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £3000 per annum are required for this project.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more

Supervisors

• Dr Douglas Clarke

An investigation of the post-translational gamma-carboxylation of vitamin K dependent proteins in normal and cancer cells

Vitamin K is associated with cancer incidence and mortality suggesting that vitamin K dependent (VKD) post-translational gamma-carboxylation of proteins are involved in pathological outcomes. This project will identify post-translational gamma-carboxylation of proteins in normal and cancer cells using immunochemical and mass spectrometry analysis to understand vitamin Ks role in cancer.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £6000 per annum are required for this project.

Cancer Research: Could cannabinoids provide new hope for cancer patients?

Cannabinoids have an established role in the exertion of palliative effects in cancer patients. They have been used in cancer patients to relieve nausea, vomiting, pain, and to help stimulate appetite. Standard treatment strategies for cancer patients may involve surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, patients experience many adverse effects associated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Some patients also show resistance to the treatments. Therefore, novel treatment methods are unmet clinical needs. We and others have shown that cannabinoids can also induce cytotoxicity in various cancers such as gynaecological and gastrointestinal cancers. The aim of the project is to continue the investigation and test non-psychoactive cannabinoids such as CBD (cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol) on human carcinoma cells. In our projects, we are interested in investigating the mechanism of action of cannabinoids to induce cytotoxicity in tumours and whether treatment with cannabinoids can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The results of the pre-clinical project will inform clinical colleagues in designing clinical trials. Our ultimate aim will be: (1) whether cannabinoids can be used as adjunct treatment with the current treatment regimens for cancer patients to reduce the side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, (2) whether the life expectancy of cancer patients can be increased if cannabinoids are added to the treatment strategy, (3) whether patients’ quality of life can be improved.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of between £7-£10,000 per annum are required depending on the nature of the project.

• Dr Farideh Javid

Characterisation of a Glioblastoma migratome for novel drug discovery

Cell migration and invasion are drivers of tumour dissemination in high grade tumours such as Glioblastoma (GBM). Recurrence of tumours after initial treatment is the cause of death in brain tumour patients. Our research focus has been on the prevention of cancer cell dissemination and therefore improving survival by targeting cell migration using a panel of migrastatic inhibitors. Our results have indicated that there are specific migratory signatures in GBM cells which need to be considered when designing or developing anti-migratory drugs. This study will investigate the migratory signatures of the three subtypes in adult GBM, pro-neural, mesenchymal and classical, with the use of a panel of characterised migrastatic drugs. We will profile cell lines using Western blotting, immunofluorescence, gene silencing, immunohistochemistry in where applicable 2D and 3D migration and invasion models. The establishment of distinct migratory signatures will allow to pre-select patients for combination treatments with migrastatic drugs based on their migratory profile for enhanced drug activity in these patients.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £10,000 per annum are required for the project.

• Dr Anke Bruning-richardson

Creating non-natural variants of the biotechnologically important enzyme P450 BM3

P450 BM3 (CYP102A1) is a bacterial CYP which is one of the most widely biotechnologically exploited CYP enzymes. It has been studied and utilised by many researchers with key pieces of our fundamental understanding of the CYP enzyme superfamily coming from work of the research group we were previously associated with. This project looks to make non-natural modifications to the enzyme, pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved by Nature, allowing us to modify the scope of the enzyme towards novel chemistries outside of the constraints of what can currently be achieved. The project will use a series of molecular biology and synthetic biology techniques followed by protein overexpression, purification and subsequent spectroscopic, analytical and structural biology applications.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £5,000 per annum are required for this project.

• Dr Hazel Girvan
• Dr Kirsty Mclean

Evolutionary Biology of Transposable Elements in Unicellular Eukaryotes

Transposable elements (TEs) are genetic parasites that drive their own replication within their host’s genome. Their replication results in genomic conflict with their hosts – with elements attempting to proliferate in the genome, while hosts attempt to suppress this increase. To date TEs have mainly been studied in the multicellular animals, plants and fungi, however a small number of studies in unicellular eukaryotes indicate that TEs evolve under different evolutionary pressures in single celled organisms. This project aims to uncover evolutionary traits in TEs from unicellular eukaryotes. There will be a focus of the horizontal transfer of TEs between species, as well as the role of codon choice in the translation of TE proteins.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of between £3-£15,000 per annum are required depending on the nature of the project.

• Dr Martin Carr

Evolutionary Cell Biology of Metabolism in Unicellular Eukaryotes

Our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology and metabolism has predominantly been informed by studies on mammalian, yeast, and plant cells. Yet, protists by far and away account for the majority of evolutionary diversity in eukaryotes. During the last 15 years as a consequence of whole genome sequencing, surprisingly rich variations in central metabolism, metabolic compartmentalisation and organelle biogenesis have been glimpsed within protists, and thus within eukaryotes generally. Using molecular genetics, biochemical, structural biology and/or computational approaches projects studying the evolutionary cell biology of organellar metabolism in trypanosomatids and other evolutionarily divergent protists are available.

There is currently no studentship or scholarship available to support this project. Enquiries from eligible self-funding or sponsored students are welcome. In addition to the tuition fee, a bench fee of £8000 per annum will also be required.

Home/EU -June 30th/October 31st and Overseas May 31st/September 30th

• Professor Michael Ginger

Exploring orphan CYPs and redox partner interactions in the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Several CYP enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of the disease tuberculosis, have essential roles in viability, infection, and immunomodulation of the human host and are therefore potential drug targets. These enzymes require electrons from accessory protein partners for function and there are a variety of iron-sulfur containing ferredoxin redox partners in the genome. Part of this project would explore the development and use of our in-house Neo 600 NMR instrument to study these protein-protein interactions and gain a better understanding of the physiological role of these enzyme systems. In addition, there are Mtb ‘orphan’ CYPs that remain completely uncharacterised but have been identified as important for growth by genetic studies. The second part of these studies would be the production and characterisation of the orphan gene products with their potential as new drug targets.

Exploring the CYP 4 enzymes as drug targets

A number of CYP4 enzymes are responsible for the endogenous ω-hydroxylation of fatty acids as part of eicosanoid pathways, an energetically unfavourable reaction. Studies have shown that various members of the family are differentially expressed in disease states including cardiovascular disease, bowel and breast cancer and others have been shown have roles in rare genetic disorders. This gives the enzymes much scope as drug targets. The project will explore key enzyme family members, gaining an understanding of their enzymatic mechanism, structure and function.

Glycosylation as a regulator of development, metabolic physiology and disease

The research in my lab is aimed at understanding normal development, metabolic physiology and aging-related diseases at molecular, cellular and physiological level. My lab is particularly interested on how glycosylation of membrane proteins regulates cell signalling in 1) neural development and regeneration and 2) metabolic physiology related to obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and aging-related disorders. To this end we apply molecular and developmental genetic approaches in the nematode C. elegans in vivo and C. elegans models for human diseases (such as neuroendocrine disorders, osteo- and chondrodysplasia syndromes, metabolic disorders).

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £8,000 per annum are required.

• Dr Tarja Kinnunen

Hypoxia and necrosis as drivers of brain tumour dissemination and opportunities for targeted improved treatments

High grade brain tumours or glioblastomas (GBM) rank amongst the most aggressive tumour types due to their heterogeneity, diffuse and infiltrative nature and low survival. Recurrence of these tumours after initial treatment ultimately leads to the death of patients. One characteristic of GBM is the presence of hypoxic and necrotic regions. It is now believed that hypoxia and necrosis in these tumours drive the dissemination of tumour cells into healthy tissue within the brain and allows reseeding of a new tumour. We will investigate the role of Hif1alpha in this process in view of drug development to target hypoxia-associated pathways. We have recently identified members of the ARHGAP gene family to be involved in cell migration and invasion with some of these upregulated in hypoxic conditions and under the regulatory control of Hif1alpha. We will utilise patient derived cell lines representing the three different subtypes of GBM for 2D and 3D in vitro studies to expose to a panel of inhibitors under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. We will use tissue culturing, Western blotting, immunofluorescence microscopy, and gene silencing to assess the effect of targeting Hif1alpha and downstream effectors on cell migration/invasion and dissemination of tumour cells. The outcome of this project will be a characterisation of regulatory events involved in tumour dissemination as a result of hypoxia for targeted treatment in this cancer type.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees £10,000 per annum are required for this project.

• Professor Roger Phillips

Identification of the molecular mechanisms of longevity in long-lived mutants of insulin and Klotho signalling

Klotho/beta-Klotho (KLB) are transmembrane proteins that act as co-receptors for endocrine fibroblast growth factors (FGF19, -21 and -23) to activate their cognate FGF receptors (FGFRs). Klotho was originally identified as ageing-related gene when disruption of Klotho gene in mice led to phenotypes resembling ageing and shortened life-span1. We have previously shown that the function of Klotho/KLB in ageing is evolutionarily conserved in the nematode C. elegans2, which has two Klotho/KLB orthologs. C. elegans also has evolutionarily conserved insulin signalling and the role of insulin signalling in longevity and the effects of glucose on shortening lifespan were first discovered in C. elegans3. These effects are mediated via the forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor DAF-163. The long-lived C. elegans mutants in insulin signalling remain healthy and mobile after wild type worms look old, suggesting that the mutations not only prolong lifespan but also enhance healthspan of the aged. Aim and hypothesis The aim of this project is to understand at molecular level the cellular changes that are regulated by insulin signalling and Klotho in longevity. Specifically we will identify the FOXO/DAF-16 target genes up- or down regulated in long-lived C. elegans mutants.

Home/EU – for September- June 30th, for January-October 31st and Overseas for September- May 31st, for January- September 30th

Investigation of the evolution and polymorphic variation of molybdoflavoenzymes

The project will explore the evolution and polymorphic variation of molybdoflavoenzymes, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase involved in drug and xenobiotic metabolism in diverse species using genetically engineered cell lines / organisms, bioinformatics, structural biology and enzyme kinetics.

There is currently no funding for this project and we encourage interested self-funding students to apply. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £8,000 per annum are required.

Investigation of the evolution and polymorphic variation of vitamin K epoxide reductases

The project will explore the evolution and polymorphic variation of vitamin K epoxide reductases involved in coagulation, bone development and protection against oxidative stress in diverse species using genetically engineered cell lines and organisms, bioinformatics, structural biology and enzyme kinetics.

Molecular Evolution Of The Unicellular Relatives of Animals

The choanoflagellates are a group of unicellular eukaryotes known to be the closest relative of animals. Gene sequences from RNA-Seq transcriptome data are over-turning our views on how different groups of choanoflagellate species are related to each other. Through comparative genomics we can also gain a better understanding on the evolution of important traits such as multicellularity, protein translation, RNAi and virus-like genetic parasites. This project aims to generate robust and reliable evolutionary trees to test current ideas on choanoflagellate evolution. The use of reliable trees will allow a more accurate reconstruction of trait evolution in choanoflagellates and in the last common ancestor of choanoflagellates and animals.

Museomics approaches to uncover long-term temporal changes in genetic diversity and population structure of yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis)

Rodents from the genus Apodemus are the most common mammals of the Paleoarctic region. They occupy environments as different as Spain and Siberia, contribute to spread of human diseases like Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis; some apparently separate species, A. flavicolis and A. sylvaticus, live in sympatry in the forests and fields of the European Plains. Apodemus are a rich target for evolutionary studies on hybridisation, host–pathogen interactions and adaptations. However, they are very underdeveloped in terms of their genomic and genetic resources. For example, most of the published work use short fragments of mtDNA and around 10 microsatellites to study phylogeogaphic relationships between populations of Apodemus in Europe and Asia. Thanks to several collaborations with researchers in UK and Europe, we have developed whole-genome sets of SNP markers to study Apodemus phylogeography and metabolic biology. We have also recently developed a RAD-seq pull-down protocol to facilitate extraction of a common set of loci from samples with degraded DNA.

In this project, we will use this newly developed protocol to access DNA from an extensive collection of local Apodemus samples from Białowieża forest in Poland, dating back to the second World War, to recover spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity of the Apodemus population across 50+ years of observations. This unique time-travel approach will provide an unprecedented insight into evolutionary forces shaping a wild rodent population in one of the last few primeval ecosystems in Europe.

• Dr Jarek Bryk

Pre-clinical biological and pharmacological screening and evaluation of novel compounds for potential anti-cancer activity.

The focus of this PhD is the pre-clinical screening and evaluation of different classes of novel compounds for potential anti-cancer activity. These compounds are available to test as part of a number of continuing and new collaborations with international chemistry research groups (in the UK and overseas). Key objectives are:- 1) phenotypic screening for toxicity against a range of cancer cell lines 2) analysis of selectivity towards cancer cells versus non-cancer cells and selection of lead compounds for further investigation. 3) analysis of activity against hypoxic cancer cells and other typically resistant cancer cells that are priority targets. 3) mechanism of action studies and target deconvolution of lead compounds.

Please see our Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

• Dr Simon Allison

Preclinical evaluation of novel putative anti-cancer agents and their anti-cancer activity in the context of the hypoxic tumour microenvironment

This MSc by Research is focused on the phenotypic approach to anti-cancer drug discovery. Key objectives are:- 1) phenotypic screening of novel compounds for activity against cancer cells, 2) analysis of selectivity towards cancer cells versus non-cancer cells, 3) analysis of activity against hypoxic cancer cells that are typically chemoresistant and a priority clinical target, 4) mechanism of action and target deconvolution studies. Depending on progress and interests, there is also the possibility of in ovo studies of ‘leads’ for ‘proof of concept’ in vivo evaluation.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £5000 per annum are required for this project.

Structural Studies of Borrelia Outer Membrane Proteins

Lyme disease and Relapsing Fever are vector-borne diseases resulting from infection by bacteria of the Borrelia genus. Borrelia burgdorferi, an obligate parasite, has evolved complex immune-evasion strategies to survive extended periods of time in the mammalian host. The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of this unusual pathogen by studying a range of bacterial surface proteins and how they interact with a range of molecules in human blood.

Self-funding applicants are welcome. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £6,000 per annum are required.

• Dr Richard Bingham

Targeting cancer’s metabolic re-wiring - potential opportunities to selectively kill cancer cells?

The focus of this PhD is on the metabolic re-wiring of cancer cells which is now recognised as one of the hallmarks of cancer and is a potential rich source of new therapeutic targets. Specific aims are:- 1) to investigate cancer cell response to targeting specific molecular targets associated with metabolic re-wiring 2) to investigate heterogeneity in cellular response and potential biomarkers of response 3) to perform metabolic profiling of cancer and non-cancer cells and analyse how they respond to specific molecular targeting to provide insight into metabolic adaptability and dependency.

The project is for self-funding students from home or overseas. In addition to tuition fees, bench fees of £8,000 per annum are required.

Browse our listed funded opportunities . To find out more about the research we conduct, take a look at our Research, Innovation and Skills webpages, where you will find information on each research area. To find out about our staff visit ‘Our experts’ which features profiles of all our academic staff.

You should enter the project title and supervisor in the online application form.

No research proposal is necessary for your application.

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services .

Researcher Environment

Our postgraduate researchers contribute to our thriving research [culture] community at Huddersfield, in return, we provide an experience that enhances your potential and inspires you to think big and become a globally competitive researcher.

Join our community of like-minded people who are passionate about research and gain access to world-leading facilities, advanced research skills training, and expert career advice.

Reduced inequalities

• We recently ranked 6 out of 796 global institutions for reduced inequalities in the Times Higher Impact ratings – this recognises our research on social inequalities, policies on discrimination and commitment to recruitment staff and students from underrepresented groups.**

World-leading

• We are in the top 50 UK universities for research power, and nearly two-thirds of our research environment is classified as world-leading and internationally excellent.***

As a researcher, you’ll gain access to our Researcher Skills Development Programme through The Graduate School , to help broaden your knowledge and access tools and skills to improve your employability. The programme is mapped against Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework (RDF), you’ll benefit from Vitae’s career support as well as our own programme. We also have a team dedicated to improving the academic English needed for research by our international PGRs.

Our training is delivered in a variety of ways to take advantage of online platforms as well as face-to-face workshops and courses. You can access a range of bespoke training opportunities and in-person events that are tailored to each stage of your journey;

Sessions on PhD thesis writing, publications and journals, post-doctoral opportunities, poster and conference presentations, networking, and international travel opportunities

opportunity to work and study abroad via the Turing Scheme through The Graduate School

Externally accredited training programme with Advance HE (HEA) and CMI

Online research training support accessed through a dedicated researcher module in Brightspace, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment

We also hold a series of PGR focussed events such as 3 Minute Thesis PGR led research conference informal events throughout the year.

**THE Impact Rankings 2022

*** REF2021

Fees and Finance

Tuition fees - full-time, tuition fees - part-time.

In 2024/25 the full-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £4,900.

Tuition fees for UK researchers will cover the cost of your study at the University. For more information about funding, fees and finance for UK students, including what your tuition fee covers, please see our Fees and Finance . Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years of study may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X).

If you are interested in studying with us on a part-time basis, please visit our Fees and Finance pages for part-time fee information.

If you are an EU or international student coming to study at the University of Huddersfield, please visit the International Fees and Finance pages for full details of tuition fees and support available.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

In 2024/25 the part-time tuition fee for UK postgraduate researchers will be £2,450.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

When you are offered a place on a research degree, your offer will include confirmation of your supervisory team, and the topic you will be researching and will be governed by our terms & Conditions, student handbook and relevant policies. You will find a guide to the key terms here , along with the Student Protection Plan .

Whilst the University will use reasonable efforts to ensure your supervisory team remains the same, sometimes it may be necessary to make changes to your team for reasons outside the University’s control, for example if your supervisor leaves the University, or suffers from long term illness. Where this is the case, we will discuss these difficulties with you and seek to either put in place a new supervisory team, or help you to transfer to another research facility, in accordance with our Student Protection Plan.

Changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, for example the University being unable to access it’s buildings due to fire, flood or pandemic, or the University no longer being able to provide specialist equipment. Where this is the case, we will discuss these issues with you and agree any necessary changes.

Your research project is likely to evolve as you work on it and these minor changes are a natural and expected part of your study. However, we may need to make more significant changes to your topic of research during the course of your studies, either because your area of interest has changed, or because we can no longer support your research for reasons outside the University’s control. If this is the case, we will discuss any changes in topic with you and agree these in writing. If you are an international student, changing topics may affect your visa or ATAS clearance and if this is the case we will discuss this with you before any changes are made.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

Find a programme

Accounting and finance.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Accounting and Finance, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Advanced Quantitative Methods

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Advanced Quantitative Methods, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Aerosol Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Aerosol Science, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Aerospace Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Aerospace Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Anthropology and Archaeology

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Anthropology and Archaeology, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Biochemistry

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Biochemistry, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Biological Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Biological Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Chemistry, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Civil Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Civil Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Classics and Ancient History

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Classics and Ancient History, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Clinical Conscious Sedation and Anxiety Management

Comparative literatures and cultures.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD and MPhil in Comparative Literatures and Cultures, including structure and supervisors.

Computer Science

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Computer Science, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Creative Writing

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Creative Writing, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

Cyber Security (Cyber Secure Everywhere)

Dds orthodontics.

Find out about the University of Bristol's Orthodontics Doctorate in Dental Surgery (DDS) research degree, including career prospects and supervisors.

DEdPsy Educational Psychology

Find out about the University of Bristol's Doctor of Educational Psychology (DEdPsy) research degree, including career prospects and supervisors.

Disability Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Disability Studies, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Dynamic Molecular Cell Biology (Wellcome Trust)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Dynamic Molecular Cell Biology, fully funded by the Wellcome Trust for UK students.

Earth Sciences

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Earth Sciences, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

East Asian Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in East Asian Studies, including entry requirements and key themes.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Economics, including entry requirements, supervisiors and research groups.

EdD Education: Learning, Leadership and Policy

Find out about the University of Bristol's EdD in Education: Learning, Leadership and Policy, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Education, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, including entry requirements and research groups.

Engineering Biology

Engineering mathematics.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Engineering Mathematics, including entry requirements, career prospects and research groups.

English Literature

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in English Literature, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Exercise, Nutrition and Health

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Exercise, Nutrition and Health, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Film and Television, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in French, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Geographical Sciences (Human Geography)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Geographical Sciences (Human Geography), including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Geographical Sciences (Physical Geography)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Geographical Sciences (Physical Geography), including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in German, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Global Challenges and Transformations

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Global Challenges and Transformations, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (NERC)

Find out about the Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership, a multidisciplinary training environment for postgraduate students in NERC sciences.

Health and Wellbeing

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Health and Wellbeing, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, including supervisors and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in History, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

History of Art

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in History of Art, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Integrative Cardiovascular Science (BHF)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Integrative Cardiovascular Science (BHF), including entry requirements, funding and structure.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Italian, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Law, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Linguistics

Llm law - banking and finance law.

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Banking and Finance Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Commercial Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Commercial Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Company Law and Corporate Governance

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Company Law and Corporate Governance, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Employment, Work and Equality

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Employment, Work and Equality Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - General Legal Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in General Legal Studies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Health, Law and Society

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Health, Law and Society, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - Human Rights Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Human Rights Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Commercial Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Commercial Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Law

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law - International Law and International Relations

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in International Law and International Relations, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law, Environment, Sustainability & Business

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Law, Environment, Sustainability and Business, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

LLM Law, Innovation & Technology

Find out about the University of Bristol's LLM in Law, Innovation and Technology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Anthropology

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Anthropology, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Black Humanities

Ma chinese-english audiovisual translation.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Chinese-English Audiovisual Translation, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Chinese-English Translation

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Chinese-English Translation, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Comparative Literatures and Cultures

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Comparative Literatures and Cultures, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Composition of Music for Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Composition of Music for Film and Television, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Creative Writing

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Creative Writing, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA English Literature

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in English Literature, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Environmental Humanities

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Environmental Humanities, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Film and Television

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Film and Television, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in History, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA History of Art

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in History of Art, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Immersive Arts (Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Find out about the University of Bristol's MSc, PGCert and PGDip in Immersive Arts (Virtual and Augmented Reality) including structure and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Law, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Medieval Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Medieval Studies, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

Find out about the University of Bristol's MA in Music, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MA Philosophy

Ma translation (online).

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Management, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Mathematics

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Mathematics, including entry requirements, structure and research groups.

Mechanical Engineering

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Mechanical Engineering, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Medieval Studies

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Medieval Studies, including entry requirements, supervisors and research groups.

Molecular, Genetic and Lifecourse Epidemiology (Wellcome)

Find out about the University of Bristol's PhD in Molecular, Genetic and Lifecourse Epidemiology, fully funded by the Wellcome Trust for UK students.

MRes Advanced Quantitative Methods

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Advanced Quantitative Methods, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Economics

Find out about the University of Bristol's MRes in Economics, including structure, entry requirements and career prospects.

MRes Education

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PhD by Distance Learning

Tom Hampton of the USA recently completed his PhD by Distance Learning. In the video above, Tom talks about his experiences.

Not all projects within Biosciences are suitable for a PhD by Distance Learning, but the following research staff have indicated they may be able to offer a project appropriate for the distance learning programme. Clicking on the name below will take you to their research profile. If the option of a PhD by Distance Learning is one that appeals to you, please contact the relevant member of staff to discuss further.

• Dr Juliet Coates
• Professor John Colbourne
• Dr Aditi Kanhere
• Dr Lindsey Leach
• Dr Nigel Maxted
• Dr Jim Reynolds
• Dr Eugenio Sanchez-Moran

This list is not exhaustive and is subject to change.

Why study by distance learning? 

The main advantage of studying by distance learning is the flexibility. Financial and practical implications of moving closer to the campus make distance learning a more feasible option and could allow you to combine study with other commitments, including work and family.  Similarly, your research could be related to your area of residence and therefore moving would be detrimental to your capacity to carry out the research.

Is the distance learning route for you? 

The distance learning route to PhD study is not for everyone.  You have to have a very clear idea of your project and be able to motivate yourself.  Undertaking PhD study off campus can sometimes be quite isolating, so the ability to proactively seek out connections from within relevant research communities is important.  This route is well-suited to those who have a research project associated with their work or particular interests and where resources are available locally, over via the internet, to support your research e.g. appropriate archives and data collections.

How will I be supported? 

You will receive the same level of support and supervision as on-campus students.  The only difference is that supervisory sessions will take place via audio and visual communication services such as Skype or Facetime, rather than in person.

What is the cost?

We charge an annual tuition fee which is the same as our standard on-campus PhD but includes:

• Economy class flights to and from Birmingham for the compulsory two-week campus visit in September
• Accommodation at the University for the compulsory two-week campus visit in September
• Economy class flights to and from Birmingham at the end of the study period for the three-day PhD viva examination
• Accommodation at the University for the three-day viva examination

How often will I need to be on campus?

Although you may be able to undertake the majority of your study at an off campus location, you will be fully funded to make one compulsory visit to the University per year of study.  This will enable you to meet your supervisory team, undertake intensive research skills training and make a start on your doctoral studies. You will then be invited to attend the University for annual ‘in-person’ meetings which give you the opportunity to interact with other doctoral students both socially and academically, undertake important progress meetings and carry out necessary training. You will also generally be required to be present on campus for your viva voce.

Am I eligible?

Before we can offer you a place it is important that you have agreement from your potential supervisor and that they are satisfied that you will be able to undertake the PhD on an off campus basis. This may mean that slightly different entry requirements apply, such as English language and more extensive research skills training. Agreements will also need to be reached regarding some of the more practical aspects of undertaking the PhD in this way (for example attendance requirements, suitability of the chosen residency etc). It is important that arrangements are discussed early so that all parties involved know what to expect and to ensure you are able to successfully complete your studies. 

Can I study by distance learning anywhere?

Distance Learning courses can be undertaken from anywhere in the world, including the UK. 

However, it is worth noting that supervisory sessions for Distance Learning students will take place via audiovisual communications, such as Skype or Facetime, rather than in person. 

While we have found that these 21st Century methods have proved popular, for those applicants who would prefer to visit the campus for face-to-face meetings with their supervisor, the traditional part-time study option may be more appropriate. 

How to apply?

Find the programme that you wish to apply for in our course finder and click on the 'Apply' button. 

As part of the application process, we will ask you to provide evidence to demonstrate that you have the time, commitment, facilities and experience to study for a PhD by Distance Learning. Please be prepared to provide evidence, and details, of the following:

• Examples of your postgraduate research experience and ability to work independently e.g. papers/presentations at professional and academic conferences or publications in professional journals or previous completion of an independent research project, etc. 
• Full reasons (academic and personal) for registering for the distance learning mode of study rather than by standard full or part-time on-campus options. In particular, how you will be able to carry out your project in your chosen location. 
• Access to local library facilities (where needed)
• Access to IT facilities
• Access to communications, including e-mail, and audiovisual communication media e.g. Skype and Facetime
• Access to facilities to support any study-related disability (where appropriate)

Please visit the course finder for a full list of subject areas available to study via distance mode.

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Key Course Details

Course Overview

This is a Distance Learning PhD. The content of this PhD is identical to the on-campus offering, with the exception of being provided mostly online with some presence on campus if/when required.

This course enables people who are doing research in industry and other settings to study towards a PhD degree. In order to be considered for the course, evidence of access to research facilities required to undertake the research programme must be provided. A multipartite agreement between the Host Organisation, Student and Swansea University will be necessary prior to enrolment.

Start dates: PhD/MPhil - 1st October, 1st January, 1st April & 1st July.

You will undertake an individual biological sciences research project over two years (MPhil) or three years (PhD), supported by our internationally renowned researchers.

The project will be shaped by your participation in research activities such as seminars, workshops, laboratory activity and fieldwork, as well as your involvement in one of our established research groups. We are currently involved with several major research initiatives, including:

• The investment in the Sustainable Expansion of the Applied Coastal and Marine Sectors (SEACAMS) – a project to expand the commercial marine sector in Wales by increasing collaborative research projects between business and universities.
• Algal Biotechnology for Wales Knowledge Transfer Centre – an initiative providing businesses with advice on microalgal biotechnologies and access to industry-focused research.
• EnAlgae – aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and dependency on unsustainable energy sources in North-West Europe.
• Ecojel – managing the opportunities and detrimental impacts of jellyfish in the Irish Sea.
• LRCI Marine, Low Carbon Research Institute – a collaboration of leading academic marine institutions in Wales, undertaking research to underpin the creation of a sustainable marine sector in Wales.
• The WISE programme (Welsh Institutes for Sustainable Environments) – making the impact of their products and processes more environmentally sustainable.

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

MPhil:  Applicants for MPhil must normally hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level in Biosciences or a related subject (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University). See -  Country-specific Information for European Applicants 2019  and  Country-specific Information for International Applicants 2019 .

PhD:  Applicants for PhD must normally hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level in Biosciences or a related subject, or a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’ (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University).See -  Country-specific Information for European Applicants 2019  and  Country-specific Information for International Applicants 2019 . 

  English Language:  IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.0) or Swansea University recognised equivalent.  Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

As well as academic qualifications, Admissions decisions may be based on other factors, including (but not limited to): the standard of the research synopsis/proposal, performance at interview, intensity of competition for limited places, and relevant professional experience.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Requirement

Non UK/EU applicants are required to obtain ATAS clearance for this programme of study. Successful applicants are sent ATAS application details by the University PGR Admissions team. Further details on the ATAS scheme can be found at on the government Academic Technology Approval Scheme webpage .

Reference Requirement

As standard, two references are required before we can progress applications to the College/School research programme Admissions Tutor for consideration.

Applications received without two references attached are placed on hold, pending receipt of the outstanding reference(s). Please note that any protracted delay in receiving the outstanding reference(s) may result in the need to defer your application to a later potential start point/entry month, than what you initially listed as your preferred start option.

You may wish to consider contacting your referee(s) to assist in the process of obtaining the outstanding reference(s) or alternatively, hold submission of application until references are sourced. Please note that it is not the responsibility of the University Admissions Office to obtain missing reference(s) after our initial email is sent to your nominated referee(s), requesting a reference(s) on your behalf.

The reference can take the form of a letter on official headed paper, or via the University’s standard reference form. Click this link to download the university reference form .

Alternatively, referees can email a reference from their employment email account, please note that references received via private email accounts, (i.e. Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail) cannot be accepted.

References can be submitted to [email protected] .

How you are Supervised

Our staff are actively involved in biodiversity conservation. They work closely with conservation organisations and government bodies to conserve habitats and species throughout Britain and abroad.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranked Biosciences at Swansea seventh in the UK and first in Wales.

Biosciences at Swansea had the highest percentage of publications judged ‘world-leading’ in the sector, while 93.8% of our research outputs were regarded as world-leading or internationally excellent.

We have strong connections with a range of external partners, including SMEs, government agencies, local government and other research institutes and universities in the UK and overseas. These connections offer your career the widest possible scope when you complete the programme.

Welsh Provision

Tuition fees.

Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3%.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page .

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page .

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page .

Funding and Scholarships

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

Government funding is now available for Welsh, English and EU students starting eligible postgraduate research programmes at Swansea University. To find out more, please visit our postgraduate loans page.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up .

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

How to Apply

Please make contact with a potential Supervisor by browsing our 

Once you have identified a research topic or an area, please complete a Research Proposal Form  

Contact  Dr Jim Bull , or   Dr Ines Füertbauer ,  with any queries. 

Once you have identified a project and supervisor, you can submit your  application online .

For further guidance please visit our  pages.

Suggested Application Timings

In order to allow sufficient time for consideration of your application by an academic, for potential offer conditions to be met and travel / relocation, we recommend that applications are made before the dates outlined below. Please note that applications can still be submitted outside of the suggested dates below but there is the potential that your application/potential offer may need to be moved to the next appropriate intake window.

October Enrolment

UK Applicants – 15th August

EU/International applicants – 15th July

January Enrolment

UK applicants – 15th November

EU/International applicants – 15th October

April Enrolment

UK applicants – 15th February

EU/International applicants – 15th January

July Enrolment

UK applicants – 15th May

EU/International applicants – 15th April

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

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Biological Science

• Entry year 2024
• Duration Full time 3 - 4 years, Part time 4 - 7 years

A great strength of LEC is its ability to share expertise and ideas from many disciplines in order to provide a flexible approach, which is so important in the dynamic, rapidly developing discipline of environmental science. Although the work is often organised within themes and research groups, there is much collaborative activity transcending these boundaries.

Your department

• Lancaster Environment Centre Faculty of Science and Technology
• Telephone +44 (0)1524 592032

Entry requirements

Academic requirements.

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a relevant subject, appropriate to the proposed research project.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you will also need to provide a viable research proposal. Guidance can be found on our writing a research proposal webpage.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications .

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes .

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email [email protected]

Fees and funding

General fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.

Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.

College fees

Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.

For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.

Computer equipment and internet access

To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.

The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.

For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.

For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.

The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status .

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years .

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities .

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries .

Similar courses

Biological sciences.

• Food Challenges for the 21st Century (Distance Learning) PgCert
• Food Security (Distance Learning) MSc
• Food Security (Distance Learning) PgDip
• Plant Sciences MSc by Research

How to apply for a PhD

We offer a number of different routes to beginning your PhD study.

Develop your own self-funded PhD proposal

If you have your own research idea, we can help you to develop it. To begin this process you will need to find a PhD Supervisor from one of our research groups, whose research interests align with your own.

Apply for a funded PhD position

Every year we offer a range of PhDs funded by a number of different sources, including research councils, industries or charities. Browse the list of latest funded opportunities here.

Doctoral Training Centres

You can also apply for a PhD from one of the Doctoral Training Centres and Partnerships that work with the Graduate School for the Environment. Details of each of the Training Centres are provided here.

PhD Student Stories

Our PhD students are engaged in cutting-edge research, in locations across the globe. Take inspiration from some of our current PhD students.

Research Groups

Atmosphere, climate & pollution.

Critical Geographies

Earth Science

Ecology & Conservation

Environmental & Biogeochemistry

Geospatial Data Science

Plant & Crop Science

Political Ecology

Soil, Plant & Land Systems

Water Science

Laboratories

You will find yourself taking advantage of several laboratory facilities at Lancaster Environment Centre. There are our £4.4 million Teaching Labs, for example, as well as specialist facilities for Environmental Chemistry, Noble Gas, and Plant and Soil Ecology.

Research Facilities

There are no fewer than 15 purpose-built glasshouse modules, 16 controlled environment plant growth rooms, 4 solar domes based at the Hazelrigg Weather Station and a suite of ultraviolet radiation research facilities that can truly claim to be world-class.

Field Sites

You could find yourself working at a range of catchment science sites across England and Wales, including the local River Eden Valley, or they can travel much further afield to the tropical forests of the Amazon and Borneo.

Cutting-Edge Technologies

You can be trained to use a range of equipment, such as our Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer Facility, X-ray CT Scanner, Magnetometer or the LI-COR Portable Photosynthesis System, which has the capacity to measure plant gas exchange with exceptional speed and precision.

Rich Data Resources

Dedicated support staff with expertise in GIS, statistics, modelling, information technology and programming are available to provide specialist training in all aspects of data acquisition, processing and analysis.

Postgraduate study is carried out in the Graduate School for the Environment. This is a collaboration between Lancaster University's Environment Centre, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and Rothamsted Research.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information .

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies .

Why Lancaster?

League tables and reputation

A highly-ranked university with a global reputation.

Colleges and community

Your college will be your home away from home.

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Career support for our students through university and beyond.

Student life

Lancaster has so much to offer. On our campus, in our city and in our community, you’ll find your place – whoever you are.

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster is easy to get to and surrounded by natural beauty.

The campus and the city

Our campus and the surrounding area is a great place to call home.

Your global experience

Build your global community on campus and around the world.

Wellbeing and support

Services to help you fulfil your potential at Lancaster.

Imperial College London Imperial College London

Latest news.

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Imperial joins European discussion on accelerating innovation

Imperial to strengthen Transatlantic tech cooperation with new hub

• Department of Life Sciences
• Faculty of Natural Sciences
• Departments, institutes and centres
• Postgraduate

PhD Opportunities

Available Studentships

Leverhulme funded phd position on plant-pollinator holobionts.

Supervisor: Dr Richard Gill , Dept. of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London (ICL)

Co-supervisors & collaborators: Prof. Ian Barnes (NHM London), Dr Gavin Broad (NHM London), Dr Alan Buddie (CABI), Dr Peter Graystock (ICL)

Project Title: Fungal disease risks under landscape homogenisation: tracking fungal transmission across plant-pollinator networks using contemporary and historic museum specimens

Project Description: Mapping how microbial pathogens are vectored through ecological networks is important to understand how direct and indirect species interactions contribute to transmission dynamics. In the case of plant-pollinator networks, however, we understand little about how flowers act as pathogen transmission hubs and how pollinators act as pathogen vectors through complex networks. Furthermore, we know little about how fungal pathogens are transmitted through networks despite fungi posing significant risks to plant crop, wildflower, and insect pollinator brood health.

How landscape context can increase fungal transmission across modules of plant-pollinator networks is an important outstanding question. For example, landscape homogenisation now epitomises widespread habitat change driven primarily by agricultural intensification. This can lead to functional homogenisation across plant and pollinator communities, increasing the likelihood of pollinators sharing plant hosts and vice versa that may not have occurred historically (Fig. 1). This project will first ask whether transmission of fungal species previously restricted within specific pollinator taxonomic clades has become more prevalent across more distant evolutionary related clades. For instance, could fungal pathogens normally restricted to transmission between beetle pollinators hypothetically spill-over to bee clades? Second, could such an increased ‘reach’ of fungal pathogens across the pollinator community increase transmission risk to wildflowers and important flowering food crops?

This PhD will assess how fungal species are associated with plants and pollinators in contemporary networks when sampled across a landscape homogenisation gradient (varying levels of agricultural intensification). Then, through targeted sampling of museum specimens, we will determine historic fungal species prevalence in populations before major land-use transitions in agricultural intensification occurred (i.e., early 1900s). Evolutionary relationships between hosts will be considered to develop a more predictive framework and lay the foundation for exploring how fungal species that have evolved to increase transmission under increasingly functionally homogenised communities.

The student will be able to learn a variety of skills, including employing modern DNA sequencing approaches and ancient DNA-techniques, handling big data, script writing and developing bioinformatic pipelines, conduct fieldwork sampling and surveys of plant-pollinator networks, and working with museum collections. The student would join the Leverhulme Centre for the Holobiont (www.imperial.ac.uk/holobiont/), a multi-institutional research centre devoted to understanding interactions between microbes and their multicellular hosts.

The student would join the Leverhulme Centre for the Holobiont ( www.imperial.ac.uk/holobiont/ ), a multi-institutional research centre devoted to understanding interactions between multicellular hosts and their microbial symbionts.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be sent to Dr Richard Gill ( [email protected] )

How to apply:

Please email Dr Richard Gill ([email protected]) and include in your application:

• - Statement of purpose (max. 2 pages A4, Arial/Calibri font size 11)
• - Please arrange for two academic reference letters to be sent directly to Dr Gill.

Full applications made before 30th April 2024 will be considered at any time.

Funding and eligibility:

A fully funded 4 years Leverhulme Studentship, including tuition fees and a standard research council stipend (£19,668). The fees and stipend cover UK home applicants and standard research council eligibility criteria apply: https://www.ukri.org/what-we-offer/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/

The successful applicant must hold or be expected to complete a Masters (MRes or MSc) or a four-year MSci with a grade of at least 2:1 level (or equivalent experience) in a relevant subject area, e.g., ecology, evolution, genetics, or microbiology.

4 year PhD Studentship funded by Defense Science and Technology Laboratory

Development of Novel Binding Partners for the Identification and Quantification of Small Molecules: Differentiable protein design for small molecule binding.

Dr James Murray and Prof Geoff Baldwin have been awarded a Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 4-year PhD to start in Oct 2024. This studentship includes stipend and tuition fees for UK students paid at the UKRI level.

The project is to design protein-based small molecule binding partners, for the purposes of detection, identification and quantitation of small molecules. We will create de novo protein binders with computational protein design, using a diffusion deep-learning generative models, and then synthesise and test them. There has recently been a quantum leap in the capabilities of protein design, due to the development of deep-learning based tools, kick-started by the release of AlphaFold2 in 2021. An important application of protein design is to bind small molecules for detection. Such proteins have usually been raised as antibodies or produced by screening libraries, but these processes are unreliable and labour-intensive. Here we propose to put together an entirely differentiable pipeline, where the binding energy of the ligand is another parameter to be optimised in a deep-learning protein design pathway. The student will design ligand binding proteins, then express and purify them.  We will then characterise the designs for binding to the target ligand, and then optimise the designs in an iterative process. Ligand binding will be tested via biochemical assays, including tryptophan based fluorescence and ELISAs.

Training will be gained in computational protein design, protein generative models, protein expression, purification and characterization. The project would suit a computationally oriented biochemist, or someone with a computational/physical science background and an interest in protein design.

Funding Notes and Eligibility: 

This project is funded by Dstl. Funding includes payment of college fees and a tax-free stipend for four years starting from October 2024.Please note that the nature of the sponsor means that only UK nationals, UK dual nationals, EU nationals with settled status, or foreign nationals with indefinite leave to remain are eligible. You will have an appropriate undergraduate  degree with a 2:1 result or better. Additionally, a Masters degree with Merit or better in a relevant topic will be preferred.

Informal enquires can be made to Dr James Murray ([email protected])

Please email Dr James Murray ([email protected] and include in your application:

- Personal Statement (max. 2 pages A4, Arial/Calibri font size 11)

- Please arrange for two academic reference letters to be sent directly to Dr James Murray

Full applications made before 30 th June 2024 will be considered at any time.

Follow the linked pages below to find further funded PhD opportunities. 

PhD Programmes

Bbsrc dtp programme.

4-year PhD studentship opportunities in the Biological Sciences

NERC CDT in Quantitative and Modelling Skills

Solve real-world ecological and evolutionary problems by connecting theory, data, and practice

Departmental Studentships

Recruitment for 2024/25 is now closed.

Cancer Science CDT (Biological background)

• Entry Requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

This Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) course provides a solid grounding in the study of oncology and cancer biology through the provision of advanced level seminars in the first year and subject specific training in your host department.

This course is for non-clinical scientists who want to undertake advanced study in the field of cancer research. Applications are accepted from finalists or graduates in biological, medical, or chemical science, as appropriate for the project(s) selected (see Entry requirements for further details).

As a doctoral student on this course, you will carry out research for four years on a full-time basis. All students are admitted directly to work under the supervision of a Principal Investigator who is formally appointed as the doctoral supervisor.

Your first year will consist of two six-month periods in different research groups. This provides students with a broad base of experience and the opportunity to explore different aspects of research prior to selecting a single project to focus on in years two to four. In your second, third and fourth years, you will undertake a selected research project from the list advertised in the course's "Non-clinical Rotations" project booklet. 

For details of potential projects, please consult the project booklet on the department's website.

All doctoral students develop their skills through a range of research training and skills development in their first year of full-time study, by attending compulsory and optional courses and lectures in laboratory techniques and generic skills, including scientific writing and statistics, while also carrying out your research project.

You will be encouraged to attend lectures and seminars related to your programme of research and make the most of the doctoral training and research methods provision available across the University. The aim is to tailor this training to individual needs and bring all students up to an advanced level in background knowledge. Later training is focused on the skills required for a successful career in independent research and for clinicians, to successful re-integration into clinical training.

The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.

You will be based in various units, buildings and campuses around Oxford with the department supporting a wide range of clinical services located in Oxford’s John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals.

Provision exists for students on some courses to undertake their research in a ‘well-founded laboratory’ outside of the University. This may require travel to and attendance at a site that is not located in Oxford. Where known, existing collaborations will be outlined on this page. Please read the course information carefully, including the additional information about course fees and costs. 

Resources to support your study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.

The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.

The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.

As a student on this course you will have access to experimental facilities, as appropriate to your research. IT support will be provided from both the department hosting your research and University IT Services. You will also have access to library services such as the Radcliffe Science Library and the Cairns Library.

The provision of project-specific resources will be agreed with the relevant supervisor and host department during the planning stages for the research project. 

Workspace will be allocated according to individual circumstances. If undertaking experimental work, you will be provided with bench space in a laboratory. If undertaking theoretical research, you will have shared office space.

This course also provides an opportunity to join the  Oxford Cancer community .

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre.

Students on this course are likely to be from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, and study an assortment of subjects across many different departments and institutes. As such, every student-supervisor relationship is tailored to the specific needs of each.

Students can expect to meet with their supervisors between every one to four weeks for input and guidance, although this may change throughout the course as students accumulate more experience.

Independent mentorship and supervision will be provided centrally from the course and will meet one to two times per year.

All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of six terms as a PRS student you will be expected to apply for transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status.

A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require the submission of a report on progress to date on research and future plans. Students who are successful at transfer will also be expected to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status within ten terms of admission, to show that your work continues to be on track.

Both milestones normally involve an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination. You will be expected to submit an original thesis of up to 50,000 words within a maximum of four years from the date of admission. To be successfully awarded a DPhil you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.

Graduate destinations

The DPhil in Cancer Science (the previous version of this course) was a new course for entry in 2020, but historically, postgraduate cancer research students follow a wide variety of career paths, including all branches of biomedical research, clinical medicine, teaching, health administration and commerce.

Further information about alumni destinations for cancer research students can be found on the Oxford Cancer website.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

We know that factors such as socio-economic circumstances and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. This course is taking part in an initiative to use contextual data to help us to better understand your achievements in the context of your individual background. For further details, please refer to the information about improving access to graduate study in the How to apply section of this page.

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. Contextual data may also be used in the assessment of studentships. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a biological, medical, or chemical science, as appropriate for the project(s) selected in your application.  

Entrance is expected to be very competitive and it is anticipated that most successful applicants will have a first-class degree or the equivalent.

For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.5 out of 4.0. However, entrance is expected to be very competitive and it is anticipated that most successful applicants will have a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

A previous master's degree is not required.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

• Evidence of a prior interest in the area of research proposed is likely to advantage your application.
• Prior publications are not required, but research experience and a track record demonstrating an interest in research may be an advantage.
• It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
• Commitment to and passion for a career in cancer research.
• Reasoning ability and academic curiosity.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  standard level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's standard level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.  

Candidates who are shortlisted are interviewed as part of the admissions process. Shortlisting will be based solely on the criteria given above. There will be a minimum of two to three academics on the interview panel. By preference, interviews will be conducted in person, but when this is not possible we will use telephone or video link such as Zoom (with video) and ensure that applicants are not disadvantaged by using these forms of communication.  Normally the interview will consist of a five-minute presentation of previous project work by the applicant, followed by 15-25 minutes of questioning from the panel.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Some postgraduate research students in science, engineering and technology subjects will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a  Student visa (under the Student Route) . For some courses, the requirement to apply for an ATAS certificate may depend on your research area.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre

The Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre (MSDTC) accommodates the interdisciplinary, cross-departmental DPhil programmes in medical sciences.

Several are structured DPhil programmes, which provide students with the opportunity to undertake two or three 'rotation' projects and relevant course work in their first year of each four-year structured programme. The main doctoral project starts in the second year of such programmes. Other programmes are wholly research based, allowing students to take a research project from the initial proposal through to submitting their thesis. Most of our programmes receive external core-funding, for example from Cancer Research UK and EPSRC.

The MSDTC also accommodates the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars’ Programme, the DPhil in Cancer Science programme funded by CRUK which welcomes applications from clinicians, basic scientists, and medical undergraduates, and the DPhil in Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease which is funded by the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research and is open to medical students wishing to undertake DPhils in the fields of musculoskeletal disease, inflammation and immunology.

Each programme has a distinctive intellectual flavour, designed to nurture independent and creative scientists. Students are supported in their development through:

• supervision and mentoring by world-class academics training in a wide range of research techniques;
• a nurturing research culture with development of student resilience and maintenance of mental health and wellbeing from the start and throughout each programme; and
• being part of a supportive community within individual programmes and across the multi-disciplinary MSDTC.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

If you apply by the December deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible,  use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool  to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including  a range of external funding ,  loan schemes for postgraduate study  and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the December deadline as listed on  our fees, funding and scholarship search tool .

Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:

Select from the list:

Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.

For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2025-26

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

Living costs for full-time study

For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the  costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs , which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . 

If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide. 

The following colleges accept students on the Cancer Science (Biological background) CDT:

• Balliol College
• Green Templeton College
• Hertford College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• New College
• Reuben College
• St Anne's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Hilda's College
• St Hugh's College
• St John's College
• University College
• Wycliffe Hall

Before you apply

We strongly recommend you consult the Medical Sciences Graduate School's research themes to identify the most suitable course and supervisor .

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application.  You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the December deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses

If you apply to this course and up to two eligible courses during the same application cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee. We recommend that you use your application fee waiver to apply only for eligible courses that are closely related in research area  to this one.

To be considered eligible for an application fee waiver, each additional course must be:

• doctoral level eg a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) course; and
• offered by one of the departments in the MPLS Division or one of the departments in the Medical Sciences Division .

If this is the first eligible course that you are applying to, you can request an application fee waiver for an additional course after you have submitted your application for this course. If you have already applied to another course that the meets the eligibility criteria shown above, you should request an application fee waiver before starting an application to this course.

Remember to state clearly in your request which course(s) you intend to apply to. If your request is successful, you will receive an application fee waiver code that is valid for this admission cycle (ie for entry in the 2025-26 academic year). Our Application Guide provides instructions for entering your application fee waiver code.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

It is strongly recommended that you contact potential supervisors directly to discuss the advertised project(s) in the  Projects Book  (which can be accessed via the course page on the Oxford Cancer website) before you apply. 

If you have any general course enquiries, these can be directed to the course administrator using the contact details provided on this page. 

Improving access to graduate study

This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.

Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Proposed supervisor.

Under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) whom you would like to supervise your research. 

You may name up to three proposed supervisors and rank these in order of preference.

Referees: Three overall, academic preferred

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Academic references are strongly encouraged, though you may use up to one professional reference provided that it is relevant to the course.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation and ability to work in a group.

Official transcript(s): Required for all applications

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Statement of purpose/personal statement: A maximum of 500 words

You should provide a statement of your research interests, in English, describing how your background and research interests relate to the programme. If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

It will be normal for students’ ideas and goals to change in some ways as they undertake their studies, but your personal statement will enable you to demonstrate your current interests and aspirations.

The statement should focus on academic or research-related achievements and interests rather than personal achievements and interests.

This will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying;
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study;
• the ability to present a reasoned case in English;
• capacity for sustained and focused work; and
• understanding of problems in the area and ability to construct and defend an argument.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice .

Apply Continue application

After you've submitted your application

Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will  not  be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can  find out more about our shortlisting and selection process  in our detailed guide to what happens next.

Find out how to manage your application after submission , using our Applicant Self-Service tool.

ADMISSION STATUS

Open to applications for entry in 2025-26

12:00 midday UK time on:

Tuesday 3 December 2024

Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2025-26

† Combined figure for Cancer Science doctorates (R26_RP1, R26_RS1, RD_RF1 and RD_RG1) *Three-year average for the previous version of this course, R26_1 DPhil in Cancer Science (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre

• Course page on the Oxford Cancer website
• Course page on the Medical Sciences website
• Funding information from Medical Sciences
• Research staff
• Divisional research
• Medical Sciences Graduate School
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 289548

Application-process enquiries

Application guide

We have 542 Biological Sciences PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for UK Students

Biological Sciences

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Biological Sciences PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for UK Students

Suffolk Doctoral College

The University of Suffolk is a distinctive, thriving academic community which makes a clear and immediate impact on the world around us. The student experience is at the heart of what we do and the partnership between students and staff is central to the ambitions of our growing PhD community. We have a dynamic and vibrant research culture where our researchers collaborate to produce high impact research and each student is recognised for their contribution to our institution. The University of Suffolk scores highly for our sustainability agenda in national surveys and received great results from our first institutional Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission. We are located in Ipswich, just over an hour from London by train in a beautiful rural county in the East of England. Our compact campus is situated on the Ipswich Waterfront with good transport links and services nearby.

Use of fragmented, agricultural landscapes by koalas

Phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Koala population health and management in agricultural landscapes

Elucidating the correlation of gut microbiota dysbiosis in patients with disorders of gut brain-interactions, funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Multi-modal spatial data integration to predict breast cancer treatment response

Mapping cellular trajectories in the senescence spectrum, immune hedgehog signalling dynamics in health and disease, delineating pirna-guided silencing of transposable elements, unlocking the role of environmental cues in phenological change, government of ireland phd scholarship award, four-year phd doctoral fellow positions in computational psychiatry and ageing at ucl., funded phd programme (students worldwide).

Some or all of the PhD opportunities in this programme have funding attached. Applications for this programme are welcome from suitably qualified candidates worldwide. Funding may only be available to a limited set of nationalities and you should read the full programme details for further information.

Max Planck Research Programme

Max Planck Research Programmes are structured PhD opportunities set up by the Max Planck Society, an independent non-profit German research organisation. Max Planck Institutes and universities collaborate to offer interdisciplinary and international PhD opportunities providing high standards of training and support as well as generous funding.

Rapid Diagnostics for Antimicrobial Resistance

Competition funded phd project (european/uk students only).

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, IDIBAPS is offering up to 5 fully funded PhD fellowships in biomedicine for young scientists

Spain phd programme.

A Spanish PhD takes 3 years (this is usually the maximum length of time students can enrol). You will focus on independent research towards your thesis, but some programmes may also require you to complete additional classes and courses. Your doctoral thesis will eventually be examined at a public defence. Most programmes are delivered in Spanish, but some universities offer English-language teaching.

GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP PhD project: Can young people’s cognitive style explain associations between social media use and mental health?

Gw4 biomed2 mrc dtp phd project: neuroimaging brain reward systems to stratify patients across the psychosis spectrum, innovative approaches to valorise oats processing side streams wd_2024_04_spons.

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Biology (BSc)

Biology (BSc) starting September 2023 for 3 years

About this course

Learn about life at all levels, from molecules and cells to whole organisms. On this biology degree you'll explore species, communities and entire ecosystems. This broad view will give you the skills you'll need to work around the world in the areas of biology that interest you most.

Each year you'll improve your skills and knowledge and use our wide range of expertise in biological science. This includes:

• microbiology
• neuroscience

This biology course will help develop your practical skills and experience. You'll also have many opportunities for field trips and laboratory work.

Southampton is a research university. We're home to the UK's first  Cancer Immunology Research Centre , and we're a lead university of the  Biofilms Institute . Our research feeds directly into what you'll learn on our biology courses.

With this biological science course you can:

• carry out fieldwork in the New Forest, Exmoor, Spain and Belize
• work alongside our active research staff on an independent research project 
• choose from a selection of optional modules to tailor your degree to your interests
• spend a semester studying at a university in Europe or Australasia
• take a year out to  work in industry
• develop transferable skills that employers look for

Practicals which use animals or their tissues are an important part of the course. These practicals follow ethical policies and we'll make adjustments for you if you have valid concerns about taking part.

Foundation year

If you have not studied the required Science subjects for this course, you may be eligible to apply for and enter through our Science Foundation Year .

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes .

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Accreditations

Royal Society of Biology (RSB)

Learn more about this subject area.

Biological sciences

Student stories.

The practicals helped me learn the basics of lab skills which provided me with a solid foundation as I stayed here to pursue my master’s and PhD.

Course location

This course is based at Highfield .

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.

Entry requirements

For academic year 202526.

AAB including Biology and one further science subject.

A-levels additional information

Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking. A level science subjects considered include Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology. Where this offer is satisfied by including grades achieved in either Biology, Chemistry or Physics, a Pass in the practical science assessment is additionally required.

A-levels with Extended Project Qualification

If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer: ABB including Biology and one further science subject, and grade A in the EPQ

A-levels contextual offer

We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Pass with overall score of 34 points, with 17 points at Higher Level, including 5 and 6 points at Higher Level in Biology and one further science subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma additional information

Science subjects considered include Chemistry, Physics, Maths (Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretation) , Psychology, Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology.

International Baccalaureate contextual offer

We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.

International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement

Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.

D in the BTEC Extended Certificate plus AA in A Level Biology and one further science subject We do not accept the BTEC National Diploma/ BTEC National Extended Diploma without two AA grades in A Level Biology and one further science subject.

Additional information

Acceptable science subjects are Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology. Where this offer is satisfied by including grades achieved in either Biology, Chemistry or Physics, a Pass in the practical science assessment is additionally required. Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.

D in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AA in A Level Biology and one further science subject. We do not accept the BTEC Diploma/BTEC Extended Diploma without two AA grades in A Level Biology and one further science subject.

Access to HE Diploma

60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3 of which 39 credits must be at Distinction and 6 credits at Merit.

Access to HE additional information

A core science Access to HE Diploma must be studied.

Irish Leaving Certificate

Irish leaving certificate (first awarded 2017).

H1, H2, H2, H2, H2, H2 to include Biology and one further science subject.

Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)

AAAABB to include Biology and one further science subject

Irish certificate additional information

Acceptable science subjects considered include Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology. Applicants will be required to have achieved a pass in Mathematics and English at ILC Grade C or O4, the equivalent of GCSE grade C/grade 4.

Scottish Qualification

Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.

Please see the  University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF)  for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.

Cambridge Pre-U

D3, D3, M2 to include Biology and one further science subject

Cambridge Pre-U additional information

Science subjects considered include Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Psychology and Geography. Cambridge Pre-U's can be used in combination with other qualifications such as A Levels to achieve the equivalent of the typical offer, where D3 can be used in lieu of A Level grade A or grade M2 can be used in lieu of grade B.

Welsh Baccalaureate

AAB from 3 A levels including Biology and one further science subject or AA from two A levels including Biology and one further a science subject and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate

Welsh Baccalaureate additional information

A level science subjects considered include Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology. Where this offer is satisfied by including grades achieved in either Biology, Chemistry or Physics, a Pass in the practical science assessment is additionally required. General Studies, Critical Thinking are excluded for entry.

Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer

Not accepted for this course. Applicants with a T Level in a relevant subject should apply for the Science Foundation Year

Other requirements

• UK students
• Other ways to qualify

GCSE requirements

Applicants must hold GCSE English Language (or GCSE English), Mathematics and Science at minimum grade C/4.

Find the  equivalent international qualifications  for our entry requirements.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

IELTS score requirements

We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.

You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:

• our Ignite your Journey scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
• skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning )

Find out more about our Admissions Policy .

Science Foundation Year

The Science Foundation Year will give you the skills and knowledge to progress to this course if you don't have the right qualifications for direct entry.

It could be the right option if you:

are studying for A levels in subjects other than those we normally ask for

are a mature applicant with skills and experience from employment and can show recent study

you come from a part of the world where the education system is different from the British A level system

Find full details on our Science Foundation Year page .

For Academic year 202425

We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows: ABB including Biology and one further science subject.

60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3 of which 45 credits must be at Distinction.

Got a question?

Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email:  [email protected] Tel:  +44(0)23 8059 5000

Course structure

You'll study a number of compulsory modules each year. In years 2 and 3, you'll also choose from a range of optional modules. These will help you develop your interests as you progress through the course.

Every year you'll have opportunities to take laboratory sessions, workshops and field trips.

This course is part of our  Innovation Curriculum , so you can choose modules from other subject areas, such as social enterprise or ethics.

You do not need to select your modules when you apply. Your academic tutor will help you to customise your course.

Year 1 overview

You'll gain a deep understanding of living things, including microbes, plants and animals.

Modules in the first year will introduce the major concepts and principles behind the biological sciences. You'll study topics such as:

• biochemistry
• cell biology
• biodiversity

Year 2 overview

You'll take a number of compulsory modules. These will explore areas such as

• plant development and function
• quantitative methods

Optional modules allow you to further develop your personal interests. These include:

• pharmacology
• genetic information flow
• animal behaviour

You can take our  New Forest field course  on conservation, and enhance your fieldwork experience.

Year 3 overview

You'll choose an independent research project from a range of types, including:

• in-silico (computer-based)
• bioscience business
• science communication

You can also develop the skills you've learned so far through a broad range of optional modules, including:

• evolution and genetics
• neurodegenerative disease

You'll also have the chance to take a  tropical ecology field course  in Belize.

Want more detail?  See all the modules in the course.

The modules outlined provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our course to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand. Find out why, when and how we might make changes .

Year 1 modules

You must study the following modules in year 1:

Chemistry of Life Semester 1 only

Outline Syllabus: The topics will be taught in two parallel strands with one hour lectures in each strand each week. Strand 1 could be broadly identified as organic chemistry while strand 2 deals with physical Chemistry. Semester 1: 1) Understand th...

Fundamentals of Biochemistry

The aim of this module is initially to explain the characteristics and roles of molecules that constitute living cells, including DNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Subsequently, the fundamental metabolic pathways will be explored, along with the co...

Fundamentals of Cell Biology and Physiology

This module develops understanding of the components important for cell function and looks at how cells function in organs and whole organisms. Lectures will be accompanied by practicals, some of which involve the use of animal tissue, with alternative...

How to Think Like a Scientist

The module teaches how to formulate hypotheses and structure an experimental proposal, ultimately leading to data dissemination in form of a presentation / report / scientific paper. The module connects to real problems, where success in own experiment...

Introduction to Chemistry

Origins of biodiversity.

In this module you will explore and explain patterns of global biodiversity over space and time, affecting a wide variety of lineages. We will begin as 18th century natural historians, considering the impact of new discoveries, due to the invention of the...

Year 2 modules

You must study the following modules in year 2:

The module seeks to: - explore the main evolutionary processes - consider evolution at the phenotypic as well as the molecular level - consider evolutionary processes occurring at different time scales

Plant Development and Function

This module provides an understanding of plant function and development at a molecular, cellular and whole organism level.

Quantitative Methods in Biological and Environmental Science

This module develops analytical skills required for the final year Honours Project, scientific research in general, and your future career. The major skills are computer literacy and graphical presentation, understanding of scientific method and hypothes...

You must also choose from the following modules in year 2:

Adaptive Physiology

This module provides insight in various aspects of adaptive animal physiology including the regulation of immunity, circulation, osmotic state, respiration, body temperature, feeding and metabolism, and developmental transitions. The way that these system...

Animal Behaviour

This module provides an introduction to the study of animal behaviour taking an integrative approach that addresses animal behaviour from ethological, ecological and evolutionary angles and to review the basic concepts of behaviour as a science.

Behaviour and Ecology Field Course

A 5 day field course held in Bolonia on the Andalucian coast of Southern Spain, within the Estrecho natural park. The field course will take place during the Easter holidays, when there is a large diversity of flora and fauna to survey. As a residential f...

Bioinformatics

The module includes an introduction to bioinformatics and its role in modern 'Omics' technologies; developments in DNA sequencing technologies; bioinformatic analyses of DNA; sequence alignment and biological databases.

Cell Biology

This module develops the basic concepts of protein structure and function within the overall context of their roles within the cell. Major themes in the course are intracellular cell signalling and extracellular communication, protein and vesicle targetin...

Conservation management field course

This module will provide you with valuable ecological surveying and species identification techniques within the context of conservation priorities for a local and unique national park, the New Forest, through a series of day trips in order to complete a ...

Engineering Replacement Body Parts

Do you want to find out how stem cells are being used to help treat disease and allow us to live better, for longer? And are you interested in the controversy surrounding them? Do you want to find out what tissue engineering is, and how scientists are ...

Environmental Biochemistry

This module will outline fundamental biochemistry of plants, microbes and environmental processes.

Environmental Microbiology

Exploring proteins: structure and function.

The module will revise and extend the study of protein architecture, interactions and enzyme function. During the module we explain common concepts using specific systems. The case studies include studies of membrane ion channels, enzymes such as protease...

Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

The module will introduce the concepts and techniques underpinning geographic information systems.

Global Sustainability Challenges

The global challenge that is 'sustainability' impacts every dimension of all of our lives. Regardless of your degree, the social, cultural, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability have important implications for your studies, your daily ...

Immunology, Infection and Inflammation

The course will give students an introduction to basic immune mechanisms and emphasizes the basic principles of immunology, including the cells and molecules that make up the innate and adaptive immune system. This first part will show how the immune syst...

Marine Benthic Ecology

Palaeobiology, phytoplankton and primary production, pure and applied population ecology.

This module builds on the basic principles of population ecology introduced in year 1, to achieve a broad appreciation of current theory and practice in population and community ecology. Lectures and practicals will explore the processes involved in the d...

Vertebrate Development

This module provides the second year student with the basic concepts of human and other vertebrate animal development. Students will come to understand the main mechanisms behind both animal development and organised cellular differentiation and how these...

Vertebrate Zoology

Vertebrates are amongst the most successful animal groups. From fish, amphibians, lizards, crocodiles, birds and mammals, you will gain an understanding how the basal members of the clade have diversified and evolved to fill every imaginable niche on land...

Year 3 modules

You must choose your modules from the following modules in year 3:

Adapting to Climate Change and Weather Hazards

GGES3019 is a multidisciplinary unit designed for students with an interest in how individuals and societies understand and respond to environmental shocks and stresses, and their different capacities for adaptation. The focus of the module is on climate ...

Advanced Geographical Information Systems

The module will look at the conceptual, practical and methodological issues associated with geospatial analysis for environmental and socio-economic applications.

Air Quality and Environmental Pollution

The module has been designed to impart the scientific knowledge required to tackle the many problems associated with air and other types of environmental pollution, including how to identify and assess the nature, sources and effects of pollutants, how to...

Applied Plant Biology

This module provides a broad introduction to the applied use of plants in the modern world. The module will cover the production of transgenic (GM) plants and their applications in a variety of areas including medical biotechnology, nutrition, phytoremedi...

Behavioural Ecology

Behavioural ecology considers the evolutionary pressures that shape behaviour. This module will explore animal behaviours from evolutionary biology and population ecological perspectives. Each week, lectures will consider a different behavioural ecology t...

Biodiversity and Conservation

This module concerns global biodiversity, what we understand by it and why it is in crisis, and current efforts to conserve and manage it. We begin with an appraisal of different values of diversity at scales from genetic to species, communities and ecosy...

Bioethics Project

While scientific discovery may be ethically neutral, its application can raise profound ethical questions, in which there is often disagreement and misunderstanding in both the scientific community and the general public. It is therefore important to unde...

Biofilms and Microbial Communities

This module aims to provide an understanding of bacterial biofilms and the environmental, industrial and health care problems related to complex microbial consortia of societal importance. Students will learn to describe and explain the basis for biofilm ...

Bioinformatics and Systems Biology

Large-scale approaches at the molecular, cellular, organismal and ecological level are revolutionizing biology by enabling systems-level questions to be addressed. In many cases, these approaches are driven by technologies that allow the components of bio...

Biomedical Parasitology

This module will introduce the main issues in parasitology, the host parasite interaction and how it drives evolutionary changes, the disease burden caused by parasites and how parasite infections can be treated/minimised. Lectures will be accompanied ...

Biomedical Technology

This course is designed to illustrate the ways in which the theoretical principles of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology presented in previous courses can be applied to yield important commercial or therapeutic products or processes.

Bioscience Business

The aim of this module is to provide third year students with an introduction to commercialization of biosciences. The current focus is on the process of drug discovery, the subsequent management of clinical trials and marketing of commercial drug product...

Bioscience Education

The students will be expected to carry out an in-depth literature review into a biological concept or topic in semester 1, and to then design an innovative educational activity to convey their research to groups of people in semester 2.

Cancer Chromosome Biology

This module will deliver a comprehensive analysis of selected topics associated with the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cancer development and lead to tumour progression. This will involve exploring the genetic drivers of disease, the mechan...

Cell Signalling in Health and Disease

This module comprises an introduction/revision to inflammatory mediators and a detailed survey of the way that they interact in different diseases. This information is integrated in the context of a number of inflammatory diseases affecting a range of dif...

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of brain function. We will use examples of specific molecules and cell-cell interactions to provide explicit details of such function to highlight core principles of...

Current Topics in Cell and Developmental Biology

This module provides a detailed and up-to-date study of a small number of topics in modern cell biology

Environmental Law and Management

This module will enable students to apply their understanding of environmental problems and assess potential solutions through the application of law, policy, and management. The lecture sessions will introduce and analyse the theoretical development and ...

Evolution and Development

This module will deliver a comprehensive analysis of the topics associated with evolutionary developmental biology. This will involve exploring the theory of evolution; embryology and molecular pathways of development; what the fossil record tells us abou...

Evolution and Genetics

Evolution typically happens over long time periods, with organisms being selected based on their environments. But climate change and human factors can also increase the rate of evolution. In this module we show how organisms evolve in terms of their envi...

External Research Project

Each student undertakes an independent research investigation using, for example, a collection at a museum, or similar. The research includes both literature survey and practical components. The literature component will consist of a critical review of w...

Field Research Project

Each student undertakes an investigation which includes both practical and theoretical components. The theory component will consist of a critical review of the literature relating to the proposed experimental component of the project. The fieldwork is re...

Fluxes, Cycles and Microbial Communities

Microorganisms are key players in all the major biogeochemical cycles on Earth. Fluxes, Cycles, and Microbial Communities explores the microbial influence on the biological, chemical, and geological processes that shape natural environments on our planet....

Global Challenges in Biology

This module will consider human-caused global challenges and their impact on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. We will discuss the main causes of global change, including greenhouse gases, changes in temperature and rainfall, and human land use, as well ...

This module covers the major topics in cellular and molecular immunology, including antigen recognition, antigen processing and presentation to B and T cells, the molecular events leading to the generation of antibody and T cell receptor diversity, antibo...

In-Silico Research Project

Each student undertakes an investigation which includes both practical and theoretical components. The theory component will consist of a critical review of the literature relating to the proposed experimental/analytical component of the project. The topi...

Laboratory Research Project

Each student undertakes an investigation which includes both practical and theoretical components. The theory component will consist of a critical review of the literature relating to the proposed experimental component of the project. The laboratory work...

Microbiomes and Health

Humans are holobionts: we harbour and live in close association with unique microbial populations of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. These microbial communities that inhabit our mouth, skin or gut are vital for maintaining a robust immune system, a...

Molecular Cell Biology

The organisation of the eukaryotic cell has always fascinated researchers. This module illustrates the upkeep of cellular structure and function.

Molecular Pharmacology

The module is concerned with a detailed study of the mechanisms of drug action at the molecular level by application of biochemical and molecular biological techniques. Receptor binding, isolation and the application of molecular cloning methods are surve...

Molecular Recognition

Most biological processes involve interactions between macromolecules. The module discusses selected examples and explains techniques used to study molecular interactions.

Molecular and Structural Basis of Disease

The course provides an insight into how molecular studies can be employed to further medical research and aid in the development of novel treatments and therapeutics. The course will cover a number of areas including the analysis of genetic diseases, amyl...

Neurodegenerative Disease

The neurobiology that underpins the aetiology and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease has been a focus of intense and exciting research activity over the last several decades. The module is largely a research-led module whereby the contributing staf...

Neuropharmacology of CNS Disorders

The module provides an introduction to functional brain anatomy and important neurotransmitter signalling pathways. This is used as a framework on which to describe the symptoms and treatment of brain disorders with a particular focus on a subset of psych...

Plant Cell Biology

This module explores, in depth, selected topics in plant cell biology that are basic to our understanding of the way in which plant cells develop, function and interact with each other and with their surroundings. Areas covered include: vacuole and chlor...

Science Communication

Science Communication involves the dissemination of science to a lay audience. Equally as important; a good scientist is a good communicator. Science Communication is essential as an aid for governmental and industrial policy making. It is needed to count...

Selective Toxicity

This module is concerned with the mechanism of action of several chemotherapeutic agents, targeted at various disease states. Topics covered include anticancer agents, anthelmintics, antimalarials, antisense oligonucleotides and antiviral compounds. The m...

Short Field Research Project

Systems neuroscience.

The aim of this module is to expose students to research level studies in a number of areas related to the function of the nervous system, necessary to understand the pathophysiology of neurological conditions. The course will describe CNS development, a...

Tropical Ecology Field Course

This module will provide first-hand experience of ecology and conservation in a tropical environment and give you a foundation in a range of topics including biodiversity, community ecology, ecosystem processes, anthropogenic impacts, in-situ and ex-situ ...

Learning and assessment

The learning activities for this course include the following:

• classes and tutorials
• individual and group projects
• independent learning (studying on your own)

Course time

How you'll spend your course time:

Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:

How we'll assess you

• coursework, laboratory reports and essays
• oral presentations
• written exams

Your assessment breakdown

Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:

Academic support

You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.

Course leader

Mark Chapman is the course leader.

Skilled biologists are in demand throughout the world. Biology scientists tackle climate change and disease, and help policy makers understand how humans, animals and plants can co-exist.

You'll graduate with the specialist skills and knowledge needed to embark on biology careers in a number of sectors. These are a few examples of what you can do with a biology degree:

• biotechnology
• conservation and the environment
• agriculture

Transferable skills in analysis, research, problem solving and teamwork make you ideally suited to work in many other areas.

Alternatively, many of our graduates choose to continue their research by taking a master's or a PhD.

Careers services at Southampton

We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV and interview skills and workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds , is open to every student.

Work in industry

You'll have the chance to complete a paid year in employment between the second and third years of the course. You can try out a potential future career and apply the skills and knowledge you have learned in the real world. You'll gain vital professional experience and get a head start in the graduate market.

We have links to a number of local conservation organisations, such as Marwell Wildlife Park . Work placements are available with these organisations for ambitious and talented students.

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees.

Fees for a year's study:

• UK students pay £9,250.
• EU and international students pay £27,400.

Your fees will remain the same each year from when you start studying this course. This includes if you suspend and return.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.

Find out how to:

• pay your tuition fees
• calculate your student finances

You'll need to consider extra costs for the following:

• approved calculators
• costs linked to the semester abroad
• costs linked to optional field courses
• printing and photocopying
• computer disks or usb drives
• computer hardware

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. There may also be extra costs for retake and professional exams.

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice
• fees, charges, and expenses regulations  

Bursaries, scholarships and other funding

If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.

If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary .

Get in touch for advice about student money matters .

Scholarships and grants

You may be able to get a  scholarship  or grant to help fund your studies.

We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from under-represented backgrounds.

Support during your course

The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

When you apply use:

• UCAS course code: C100
• UCAS institution code: S27

Apply for this course

What happens after you apply?

We will assess your application on the strength of your:

• predicted grades
• academic achievements
• personal statement
• academic reference

We'll aim to process your application within 2 to 6 weeks, but this will depend on when it is submitted. Applications submitted in January, particularly near to the UCAS equal consideration deadline, might take substantially longer to be processed due to the high volume received at that time.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our  Equality and Diversity Statement .

Related courses

Biochemistry

Biology and Marine Biology

Biomedical Sciences

Chemistry with Medicinal Sciences

Neuroscience

Pharmacology

Pharmacology and drug discovery.

• Course modules
• Acoustical engineering
• Biomedical and medical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Every day I’m completely immersed in an environment that’s creative in all aspects
• Everything I learn feels so relevant, even If it’s a subject rooted in the past
• Maritime engineering
• Photonics and optoelectronics
• Social statistics and demography
• A missing link between continental shelves and the deep sea: Have we underestimated the importance of land-detached canyons?
• A seismic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
• A study of rolling contact fatigue in electric vehicles (EVs)
• Acoustic monitoring of forest exploitation to establish community perspectives of sustainable hunting
• Acoustic sensing and characterisation of soil organic matter
• Advancing intersectional geographies of diaspora-led development in times of multiple crises
• Aero engine fan wake turbulence – Simulation and wind tunnel experiments
• Against Climate Change (DACC): improving the estimates of forest fire smoke emissions
• All-in-one Mars in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) system and life-supporting using non-thermal plasma
• An electromagnetic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
• An investigation of the relationship between health, home and law in the context of poor and precarious housing, and complex and advanced illness
• Antibiotic resistance genes in chalk streams
• Being autistic in care: Understanding differences in care experiences including breakdowns in placements for autistic and non-autistic children
• Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sediments
• Bloom and bust: seasonal cycles of phytoplankton and carbon flux
• British Black Lives Matter: The emergence of a modern civil rights movement
• Building physics for low carbon comfort using artificial intelligence
• Building-resolved large-eddy simulations of wind and dispersion over a city scale urban area
• Business studies and management: accounting
• Business studies and management: banking and finance
• Business studies and management: decision analytics and risk
• Business studies and management: digital and data driven marketing
• Business studies and management: human resources (HR) management and organisational behaviour
• Business studies and management: strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship
• Carbon storage in reactive rock systems: determining the coupling of geo-chemo-mechanical processes in reactive transport
• Cascading hazards from the largest volcanic eruption in over a century: What happened when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in January 2022?
• Characterisation of cast austenitic stainless steels using ultrasonic backscatter and artificial intelligence
• Climate Change effects on the developmental physiology of the small-spotted catshark
• Climate at the time of the Human settlement of the Eastern Pacific
• Collaborative privacy in data marketplaces
• Compatibility of climate and biodiversity targets under future land use change
• Cost of living in modern and fossil animals
• Creative clusters in rural, coastal and post-industrial towns
• Deep oceanic convection: the outsized role of small-scale processes
• Defect categories and their realisation in supersymmetric gauge theory
• Defining the Marine Fisheries-Energy-Environment Nexus: Learning from shocks to enhance natural resource resilience
• Design and fabrication of next generation optical fibres
• Developing a practical application of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for conservation research and monitoring of endangered wildlife
• Development and evolution of animal biomineral skeletons
• Development of all-in-one in-situ resource utilisation system for crewed Mars exploration missions
• Ecological role of offshore artificial structures
• Effect of embankment and subgrade weathering on railway track performance
• Efficient ‘whole-life’ anchoring systems for offshore floating renewables
• Electrochemical sensing of the sea surface microlayer
• Engagement with nature among children from minority ethnic backgrounds
• Enhancing UAV manoeuvres and control using distributed sensor arrays
• Ensuring the Safety and Security of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems
• Environmental and genetic determinants of Brassica crop damage by the agricultural pest Diamondback moth
• Estimating marine mammal abundance and distribution from passive acoustic and biotelemetry data
• Evolution of symbiosis in a warmer world
• Examining evolutionary loss of calcification in coccolithophores
• Explainable AI (XAI) for health
• Explaining process, pattern and dynamics of marine predator hotspots in the Southern Ocean
• Exploring dynamics of natural capital in coastal barrier systems
• Exploring the mechanisms of microplastics incorporation and their influence on the functioning of coral holobionts
• Exploring the potential electrical activity of gut for healthcare and wellbeing
• Exploring the trans-local nature of cultural scene
• Facilitating forest restoration sustainability of tropical swidden agriculture
• Faulting, fluids and geohazards within subduction zone forearcs
• Faulting, magmatism and fluid flow during volcanic rifting in East Africa
• Fingerprinting environmental releases from nuclear facilities
• Flexible hybrid thermoelectric materials for wearable energy harvesting
• Floating hydrokinetic power converter
• Glacial sedimentology associated subglacial hydrology
• Green and sustainable Internet of Things
• How do antimicrobial peptides alter T cell cytokine production?
• How do calcifying marine organisms grow? Determining the role of non-classical precipitation processes in biogenic marine calcite formation
• How do neutrophils alter T cell metabolism?
• How well can we predict future changes in biodiversity using machine learning?
• Hydrant dynamics for acoustic leak detection in water pipes
• If ‘Black Lives Matter’, do ‘Asian Lives Matter’ too? Impact trajectories of organisation activism on wellbeing of ethnic minority communities
• Illuminating luciferin bioluminescence in dinoflagellates
• Imaging quantum materials with an XFEL
• Impact of neuromodulating drugs on gut microbiome homeostasis
• Impact of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment in a changing world
• Impacts of environmental change on coastal habitat restoration
• Improving subsea navigation using environment observations for long term autonomy
• Information theoretic methods for sensor management
• Installation effect on the noise of small high speed fans
• Integrated earth observation mapping change land sea
• Interconnections of past greenhouse climates
• Investigating IgG cell depletion mechanisms
• Is ocean mixing upside down? How mixing processes drive upwelling in a deep-ocean basin
• Landing gear aerodynamics and aeroacoustics
• Lightweight gas storage: real-world strategies for the hydrogen economy
• Long-term change in the benthos – creating robust data from varying camera systems
• Machine learning for multi-robot perception
• Marine ecosystem responses to past climate change and its oceanographic impacts
• Mechanical effects in the surf zone - in situ electrochemical sensing
• Microfluidic cell isolation systems for sepsis
• Migrant entrepreneurship, gender and generation: context and family dynamics in small town Britain
• Miniaturisation in fishes: evolutionary and ecological perspectives
• Modelling high-power fibre laser and amplifier stability
• Modelling soil dewatering and recharge for cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure
• Modelling the evolution of adaptive responses to climate change across spatial landscapes
• Nanomaterials sensors for biomedicine and/or the environment
• New high-resolution observations of ocean surface current and winds from innovative airborne and satellite measurements
• New perspectives on ocean photosynthesis
• Novel methods of detecting carbon cycling pathways in lakes and their impact on ecosystem change
• Novel technologies for cyber-physical security
• Novel transparent conducting films with unusual optoelectronic properties
• Novel wavelength fibre lasers for industrial applications
• Ocean circulation and the Southern Ocean carbon sink
• Ocean influence on recent climate extremes
• Ocean methane sensing using novel surface plasmon resonance technology
• Ocean physics and ecology: can robots disentangle the mix?
• Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Assessing the utility of coastal enhanced weathering
• Offshore renewable energy (ORE) foundations on rock seabeds: advancing design through analogue testing and modelling
• Optical fibre sensing for acoustic leak detection in buried pipelines
• Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
• Optimizing machine learning for embedded systems
• Oxidation of fossil organic matter as a source of atmospheric CO2
• Partnership dissolution and re-formation in later life among individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK
• Personalized multimodal human-robot interactions
• Preventing disease by enhancing the cleaning power of domestic water taps using sound
• Quantifying riparian vegetation dynamics and flow interactions for Nature Based Solutions using novel environmental sensing techniques
• Quantifying the response and sensitivity of tropical forest carbon sinks to various drivers
• Quantifying variability in phytoplankton electron requirements for carbon fixation
• Resilient and sustainable steel-framed building structures
• Resolving Antarctic meltwater events in Southern Ocean marine sediments and exploring their significance using climate models
• Robust acoustic leak detection in water pipes using contact sound guides
• Silicon synapses for artificial intelligence hardware
• Smart photon delivery via reconfigurable optical fibres
• The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic carbon sink
• The Mayflower Studentship: a prestigious fully funded PhD studentship in bioscience
• The calming effect of group living in social fishes
• The duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange and its role in global biogeochemical cycles
• The evolution of symmetry in echinoderms
• The impact of early life stress on neuronal enhancer function
• The oceanic fingerprints on changing monsoons over South and Southeast Asia
• The role of iron in nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis in changing polar oceans
• The role of singlet oxygen signaling in plant responses to heat and drought stress
• Time variability on turbulent mixing of heat around melting ice in the West Antarctic
• Triggers and Feedbacks of Climate Tipping Points
• Uncovering the drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression using patient derived organoids
• Understanding recent land-use change in Snowdonia to plan a sustainable future for uplands: integrating palaeoecology and conservation practice
• Understanding the role of cell motility in resource acquisition by marine phytoplankton
• Understanding the structure and engagement of personal networks that support older people with complex care needs in marginalised communities and their ability to adapt to increasingly ‘digitalised’ health and social care
• Unpicking the Anthropocene in the Hawaiian Archipelago
• Unraveling oceanic multi-element cycles using single cell ionomics
• Unravelling southwest Indian Ocean biological productivity and physics: a machine learning approach
• Using acoustics to monitor how small cracks develop into bursts in pipelines
• Using machine learning to improve predictions of ocean carbon storage by marine life
• Vulnerability of low-lying coastal transportation networks to natural hazards
• Wideband fibre optical parametric amplifiers for Space Division Multiplexing technology
• Will it stick? Exploring the role of turbulence and biological glues on ocean carbon storage
• X-ray imaging and property characterisation of porous materials
• Postgraduate Taught Diversity Scholarship (Environmental and Life Sciences)
• Southampton Business School Postgraduate UK Scholarship
• Southampton Genomics Talent Scholarship
• Southampton History Patricia Mather and Helen Patterson Scholarship
• Southampton MA Holocaust scholarships
• Southampton Philosophy David Humphris-Norman Scholarship
• Southampton UK Alumni Music Scholarship
• The National Institute for Health and care Research South Central INSIGHT Programme
• Winchester School of Art Progression Scholarship
• Southampton Physics and Astronomy Achievement Scholarship
• GREAT Scholarships 2024 – Greece
• Engineering Excellence Scholarship
• Winchester School of Art Postgraduate Global Talent Scholarship
• Engineering Global Talent Scholarship
• Southampton University Corporate Civil Engineering Scholarship Scheme
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• Southampton Canadian Prestige Scholarship for Law
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• Advanced Fibre Applications
• Advanced Laser Laboratory
• Advanced Project Management Research Centre
• Antibody and Vaccine Group
• Astronomy Group
• Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS)
• Bioarchaeology and Osteoarchaeology at Southampton (BOS)
• Bladder and Bowel Management
• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Centre for Defence and Security Research
• Centre for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
• Centre for Digital Finance
• Centre for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (CEEES)
• Centre for Empirical Research in Finance and Banking (CERFIB)
• Centre for Geometry, Topology, and Applications
• Centre for Global Englishes
• Centre for Global Health and Policy (GHaP)
• Centre for Health Technologies
• Centre for Healthcare Analytics
• Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration
• Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies
• Centre for Inclusive and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CISEI)
• Centre for International Film Research (CIFR)
• Centre for International Law and Globalisation
• Centre for Internet of Things and Pervasive Systems
• Centre for Justice Studies
• Centre for Linguistics, Language Education and Acquisition Research
• Centre for Machine Intelligence
• Centre for Maritime Archaeology
• Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture (CMRC)
• Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing (CMCW)
• Centre for Music Education and Social Justice
• Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE)
• Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance
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• Departments

Sport and Exercise Medicine MSc

Year of entry 2024, sign up for masters updates.

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Course overview

Are you passionate about Sport and Exercise Medicine?

This flexible Masters course is designed to offer medical doctors, physiotherapists, sport therapists, podiatry or osteopathy healthcare professionals a unique and practitioner-led education in the field of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM). With this Masters, you will be able to apply what you learn to any physical activity, exercise or sporting event that requires qualified SEM cover, with immediate effect. Indeed, there is currently a rapidly growing expectation amongst professional sports clubs that healthcare professionals working in professional sport will have undergone structured training programmes to a Masters level.

Your course will feature three of the UK’s consultants in SEM and a number of the UK’s leading physiotherapists in musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine and elite sport. As the course is based in the Faculty of Biological Sciences, you will also have the opportunity to learn from country-leading sports & exercise scientists. As an added bonus, being based in Yorkshire means you will have access to a range of fantastic professional sports teams and MSK services.

Suitable for full-time or part-time study, this course comprises a mixture of face-to-face learning, placements in clinics and leading sports clubs, alongside online learning, providing a course that’s suitable for applicants in full-time employment as well as those looking to study full time. You will join a small, student-focused cohort of 15-20 healthcare practitioners, offering you the opportunity to network and learn from peers alongside strong tutor support and senior clinician mentorship. This course provides you with the unique ability to learn and work alongside a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, physiotherapists and sports therapists, just as you would in an elite sports setting.

For doctors, SEM is now a recognised training route by the General Medical Council for clinicians. A key deliverable in new government strategies has meant demand for SEM training has increased. with Portfolio doctors and those wishing to work with an extended role in MSK medicine or SEM can now gain formal training through courses such as this MSc in SEM.

Course highlights

• Strong emphasis on the development of technical skills necessary for SEM practice.
• Hands-on training in clinics and pitch-side experience in professional sport (organised around your diary).
• Access to brand new sports facilities and labs.
• Two fixed mandatory teaching days a month on campus (commensurate with NHS study leave allowances), with additional flexible teaching activities, tutor meetings and placements scheduled around this.
• Chance to study a SEM topic in depth for the research project with the opportunity to disseminate the findings at conferences and/or in peer-reviewed journals.
• Allocated SEM mentors to support not only your MSc study but also to provide careers advice and mentorship.
• Extensive employment opportunities subsequently exist within: NHS MSK, private sports medicine clinics and sports clubs.

Below are just a few of our leading academics and clinicians that teach on our programme:

• Dr Dane Vishnubala MBBS PGDip (Med Ed) MRCGP MSc SEM DipSEM(UK) FFSEMFHEA | Clinical Lead | Consultant Physician in SEM.
• Dr Camilla Nykjaer BSc MSc PhD FHEA | Programme Lead | Lecturer in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health.
• Dr Craig Zalecki MBBS MRCGP MSc DipSEM (UK) FFSEM | Clinical Lecturer | Consultant Physician in SEM
• Dr Jon Powers MBBS MRCGP MSc DipSEM (UK) FFSEM | Clinical Tutor | Consultant Physician in SEM.
• Dr Sarah Astill BSc PhD I MSc Research Lead I Associate Professor in Motor Control.
• Dr Scott Bown I Module Lead I Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology

Meet more of our team and find out why they are at the forefront of their fields.

Course details

This Masters is available as both a one-year full-time course and as a two-year part-time course, giving you the flexibility to adapt the course to suit your needs. Course attendance is approximately two full teaching days per month (Wednesdays) on campus plus additional flexible online teaching activities such as tutor meetings and clinical and pitch-side placements.

During your studies you’ll focus on the following areas:

• Functional sports anatomy and clinical assessment.
• Musculoskeletal medicine and sports injuries.
• The sport and exercise medicine practitioner.
• Exercise physiology, health and sports nutrition.
• Clinical exercise prescription.
• Project work and dissertation.

You’ll also attend a University led one-day immediate care in sport course and arrange MSK clinics, SEM Doctor and Physiotherapy led clinics, specialist SEM MDT clinics with the military, as well as club placements to give you the opportunity to apply your knowledge through practical experience.

The course will equip you with strong team working skills through its interdisciplinary approach to learning. You’ll be equipped to work in teams of professionals with complementary expertise such as strength and conditioning, team coaches, physiotherapists sports nutritionist, and acute injury settings.

• This course will enable you to recognise and treat both acute and chronic MSK conditions with hands-on teaching from experienced clinicians.
• This course will cover key topics required to be a practitioner, not just the clinical condition knowledge components.
• Blended delivery including face to face and online delivery will include a mix of pre-recorded material and live interactive support sessions and self-directed learning. On-campus teaching will feature immersive practical workshops.
• Resources range from videos, hands-on patient examination sessions, case based learning, workbooks, and live seminars.
• The course will support career development and professional accreditation.

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions .

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Sport and Exercise Medicine MSc Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Sport and Exercise Medicine MSc Part Time in the course catalogue

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Year 1 compulsory modules

Learning and teaching

• Core course material will be delivered by means of online seminars, interactive workbooks, and tutorials, independent e-learning.
• Private study will be centred around accessible resources completed at a student-appropriate pace, involving practitioner-led material relevant to professional development.

Attendance is compulsory and will include approximately two days a month (Wednesdays) on campus. This will be supplemented by recorded lectures, online resources including workbooks to structure your learning, tutor meetings, and clinical and pitch-side placements.

Placements at appropriate professional clubs and clinics will be organised, with some flexibility to negotiate clinic dates and times. Contacts will be provided for additional self-organised opportunities to further improve our students' experiences and CVs.

In the past, students have worked with high-profile sports teams such as Leeds Rhinos, Leeds United, Huddersfield Giants and GB Basketball amongst others. MSK clinics have included NHS and Private MSK, SEM and Orthopaedic clinics.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

There’ll be a variety of assessments, appropriate for the vocational character of the course and the nature of the subjects studied. These will include:

• Tutor observed assessment (case study presentation).
• Reflective log.
• Summative MCQ.
• Short essay.
• Clinical competency sign-off.
• eLearning completion.
• Infographic.
• OSCE- Observed Structure Clinical Examination.
• Project dissertation.
• Laboratory report.
• Case studies.
• Group and individual presentations.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have at least a 2:1 honours degree (or international equivalent), in a related discipline. Currently, we are accepting candidates with degrees in medicine, physiotherapy, sports therapy, sports rehabilitation/training, podiatry or osteopathy. Appropriate professional registration should also be held with the GMC, Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers. Applicants without professional registration with the GMC, Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers are required to have at least one year of relevant post-graduation clinical experience. All applicants should be able to demonstrate clear potential for benefiting from the programme.

This course is also available as an intercalated option to students studying Medicine who have completed three years of a UK medical degree. In order to apply, you will need to submit evidence of appropriate experience and interest. Find out more about the intercalation application process on the intercalation website.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications .

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks)  and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks) . 

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals.  Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional .

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses .

How to apply

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

The Sport and Exercise Medicine MSc is a competitive programme with limited places so early applications are advised. Please note the deadline for international applicants is on 31 May 2024 , in order to ensure sufficient time to complete all the necessary arrangements for studying at Leeds, e.g. visa and funding applications and securing UK accommodation, etc.

• We process your application.
• Providing you meet the entry requirements, we invite you to an online interview with the programme leads (15 to 20 minutes).
• We inform you of our decision.
• If we make you an offer, you respond by accepting or declining.

Applications without all of the following will not be considered:

• Completed online application form (for Taught Postgraduate Study).
• Examples of your aspirations, and commitment to a specialty career in Sport and Exercise Medicine.
• A plan for completion of the course (your time available/schedule).
• Evidence of your identified funding route.
• Reasons why you wish to study this particular course.
• Transcript of degree examination marks achieved to date.
• Copy of final degree certificate (if completed).
• Evidence of English language qualification (non-native English speakers only).
• Copy of passport (if an overseas student).

Taught postgraduate confirmation

Taught postgraduate applicants are required to submit their results for consideration as soon as possible. Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK are recommended to submit their results no later than 31 July, although they will still be considered if submitted after this date.

It is standard procedure to interview applicants, prior to making a decision on their application, for MRes Neuroscience, MRes Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, MSc Biopharmaceutical Development (Industrial) and MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine. Interviews do not form part of the standard admissions process for other programmes in the Faculty of Biological Sciences.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

Faculty of Biological Sciences postgraduate taught admissions team

Email: [email protected] Telephone:

UK: £15,000 (Total)

International: £31,000 (Total)

Read more about paying fees and charges .

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page .

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview .

Scholarships for Faculty of Biological Sciences students

The Faculty of Biological Sciences offers a number of Masters scholarships to support and reward students from the UK and around the world. Don’t miss out on available support, visit our dedicated faculty scholarship page to check your eligibility.

Government-backed loan = If you are ordinarily resident in England or the Republic of Ireland and planning to start your first full-time, part-time or distance learning taught or research Masters course from September 2023 you may be eligible to apply for a UK government Postgraduate Masters Loan to help towards your study-related costs. Find out more.

Alumni bursary = If you are a former student of the University of Leeds you may be eligible for a 10% alumni tuition fee bursary

You can also search our postgraduate scholarships database or you can also find information on MoneySavingExpert .

Career opportunities

Career opportunities.

Upon completion of this course, students are well-placed for further study, e.g. recent graduates undertaking PhD research in this field. Through support with your clinical mentor on the course, a range of opportunities for career development are available.

Careers support

The Careers Centre and staff in your Faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website . Alongside the support, advice and guidance from the University’s Careers Centre, you will have an academic mentor and a clinical mentor who will meet you regularly. They will help you to plan your career path and identify the experiences, qualifications and people that can help you on your way. Our Sports and Exercise Medicine tutors will continue to support you even after the degree!

Graduate roles and destinations

• Head of Academy Yorkshire Carnegie.
• YSM Clinic Senior Physiotherapist.
• GB Basketball U20 W Physiotherapist.
• York Knights RL Doctor.
• Leeds Rhinos Academy Doctor.
• A&E Registrar ST6.
• GP Registrar, Hull KR Club Doctor.
• Head Physiotherapist, Catalan Dragons.
• Head of Performance Hull KR
• GP Training
• Emergency Medicine Training
• Millwall Football Club
• Crystal Palace Football Club
• Leeds United Football Club
• Hull KR Club Doctor
• PhD, University of LeedsUlster University.
• NHS Physiotherapy Role

Related courses

Neuroscience mres, sport, exercise and rehabilitation mres, musculoskeletal medicine pgcert (part time), student profile: alexandra stead.

The practical sessions and dissections really suited my learning style and enabled me to apply new skills straight into practice. Alexandra Stead, MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine