phd medical education cambridge

Study at Cambridge

About the university, research at cambridge.

Undergraduate courses
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
How the University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
A global university
Public engagement
Give to Cambridge
For Cambridge students
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Museums & collections
Course Directory
Department directory

Faculty of Clinical Medicine

Postgraduate Study

Why Cambridge overview
Chat with our students
Cambridge explained overview
The supervision system
Student life overview
In and around Cambridge
Leisure activities
Student union
Music awards
Student support overview
Mental health and wellbeing
Disabled students
Language tuition
Skills training
Support for refugees
Courses overview
Qualification types
Funded studentships
Part-time study
Research degrees
Visiting students
Finance overview
Fees overview
What is my fee status?
Part-time fees
Application fee
Living costs
Funding overview
Applying for University funding
Doctoral training programmes
External funding and loans
Colleges overview
College listing overview
Accommodation
Applying overview
Application deadlines
Entry requirements
International qualifications
English language requirements
Find a supervisor
Widening access and participation
Supporting documents overview
Writing a research proposal
Preparing a personal statement
Application fee overview
Application fee waiver
International applications
Disabled applicants
AI and postgraduate applications
Admissions fraud
How we assess your application
Outcome of your application overview
Appeals and complaints
Your offer overview
Visas and immigration
Declaring criminal convictions
Defer your application
Prepare to arrive
Track your application
International overview
International events
International student views overview
Akhila’s story
Alex’s story
Huijie’s story
Kelsey’s story
Nilesh’s story
Get in touch!
Events overview
Upcoming events
Postgraduate Open Days overview
Discover Cambridge webinars
Virtual tour
Research Internships
How we use participant data
Postgraduate Newsletter

5 courses offered in the Faculty of Clinical Medicine

Clinical mbphd - phd.

The MB/PhD Programme leads to the MB, BChir and PhD degrees and is designed for medical students who are interested in academic or research careers by enabling them to integrate a three-year period of research with their clinical education.

The clinical component of the curriculum is designed to equip students for a lifetime of medical practice in a changing world with an emphasis on the acquisition of clinical skills by direct patient contact. At the start of the programme, students follow the Standard Course Year 4 curriculum up to and including the Year 4 Student Selected Component (SSC). (More information on the new clinical teaching programme can be found on the Standard Course website.) In general this SSC will be conducted in the prospective PhD host laboratory. After Part 1 of the Final MB examinations, and subject to satisfactory progress, a three-year period of full-time research follows, combined with regular clinical education, including weekly clinical supervisions and monthly clinical seminars. It concludes with students rejoining the clinical course to complete their studies.

During the research component, students are based mainly in the laboratory or department of their choice at the Addenbrooke’s complex or at one of the University sites in central Cambridge, or at a University-affiliated research institute.

More Information

Clinical Medicine Wellcome Trust - PhD - Closed

We provide high-quality research training to clinical health professionals with an aptitude for research to enable them to become future leaders in medical and healthcare science. We offer training in an outstanding environment, spanning basic science, translational medicine, interdisciplinary, behavioural and applied health research.

We take great pride in our track record of successfully training health professionals to undertake the highest quality research across Cambridge and Norwich. We offer one of the most rewarding environments in which you could pursue your research training with world-leading researchers in The Schools of Clinical Medicine and Biological Sciences at the Universities of Cambridge, Wellcome Sanger Institute and other MRC, Wellcome & Cancer Research UK funded Institutes, Centres & Units in the wider Cambridge area, as well as the School of Health Sciences and Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia with other partners on the Norwich Research Park. The most important criteria we are looking for are the pursuit of research excellence, hard work and the will to make a difference to health.

The programme faculty provides mentoring and guidance on opportunities to undertake pre-doctoral research placements, enabling successful candidates to make an informed choice of PhD project and supervisor. Bespoke training and support for career development for fellows, together with support to supervisors, ensures a successful research experience. Post-doctorally, we will guide fellows based on their individual progress, to make the transition into higher research fellowships and clinical pathways, enabling ongoing training with continuance of research momentum.

MD (Doctor of Medicine) - MD

The MD degree is a doctorate, specific to the University of Cambridge, awarded to clinicians who undertake an extended period of scientific research into the science, art, or history of medicine. It provides an opportunity for doctors to receive recognition of research achievement within an approved academic programme.

The MD programme, on a par academically with the PhD, spans a maximum of six years on a part-time basis, allowing candidates to undertake their research alongside clinical or other responsibilities, at the end of which their thesis is examined by Viva. Any candidate working in a Cambridge University Health Partner institution will be assigned a University supervisor and will become a registered student of the University and a member of one of the Colleges. Any candidate intending to work at an institution outside Cambridge must already hold a Cambridge primary degree and must apply to take the MD by Special Regulations.

Medicine MRC DTP iCASE - PhD

The Cambridge Medical Research Council's Doctoral Training Programme will be offering five Industrial MRC CASE (iCASE) studentships for doctoral study, to start in October 2025, and these can be based in either the School of Clinical Medicine, or the School of Biological Sciences.

Each studentship is fully-funded for four years, to include a stipend, all course fees, plus a research training support grant.

Medicine DTP-MR - PhD

The Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Doctoral Training Programme in Medical Research (SCM DTP-MR) is offering at least 10 fully funded PhD studentships commencing in October 2025.

Projects must be based in a department, unit or Institute of the School of Clinical Medicine. Please refer to: http:.// www.medschl.cam.auk/about/departments-institutes-units/ .

This is an application to a funding programme, successful applicants will be transferred to the department or unit where their project is based.

Applicants will be able to apply to advertised projects focused on the following research themes:

Neurosciences and Mental Health

Infections and Immunity

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Disease

Data Science for Health

The programme is structured as 0.5 + 3.5, and in the first 6 months students will undertake two 3-month rotation projects in different laboratories. These projects will be in different disciplinary areas related to your field of research, and will allow refinement of your PhD project in line with your emerging research interests as the programme progresses.

Towards the end of the second project, students will confirm their preferred project and supervisor for the full PhD, which will commence after Easter in year 1 and last for 3.5 years. The first year assessment will take place 1 year after joining the PhD lab (ie 18 months after joining the programme).

You will need to successfully complete the first year to be able to progress into your second year of studies.

Each studentship, is fully-funded for four years, to include a stipend, all course fees, plus a research training support grant.

In addition, the SCM DTP-MR will also provide funding for an internship of up to 3 months.

Department Members

Https://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/, postgraduate admissions office.

Admissions statistics
Start an application
Applicant Self-Service

At a glance

Bringing a family
Current Postgraduates
Cambridge Students' Union (SU)

University Policy and Guidelines

Information compliance

Equality and Diversity

Terms of Study

About this site

About our website

Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Spotlight on...