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Postgraduate Study

5 courses offered in the Faculty of Clinical Medicine

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.

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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.

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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, 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.

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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 2024, 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. 

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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 2024.

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/.

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.

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https://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/