Overview

The Medical Studies degree at the University of Plymouth is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is the most appropriate research degree to undertake.

Key facts

If you do not already have a masters degree, you may be interested in one of our masters level research degrees – for instance, the ResM Medical Studies (which enables a transfer directly into the PhD programme if you are making excellent progress), or else an MPhil degree.

Programme Structure

Curriculum:

You will be guided by a small supervisory team of academic experts under the direction of a Director of Studies.

You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts.

Your PhD will be assessed via submission of either a written thesis (approximately 80,000 words), and a viva voce (an oral examination).

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months
Part-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-15 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-07-15 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-01-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-15 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-10-15 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-04-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-15 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2027-01-15 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

90

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

59

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Plymouth, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Medicine View 218 other PhDs in Medicine in United Kingdom

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

90

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

59

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

You will usually need a 2:1 degree from a UK University or equivalent. If English isn't your first language, you'll need to show evidence of your English language ability. The minimum IELTS test score for entry to a research programme is 6.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in each element of the test. However, some postgraduate research degree programmes are linguistically more demanding, and higher command of the English language and/or higher IELTS scores are required. This will be indicated upon advertisement of that specific research degree study opportunity, upon contact and/or following interview with the applicant.

Two satisfactory academic references

Evidence of funding for the duration of your course.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

19315 GBP / year

≈ 19315 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

5238 GBP / year

≈ 5238 GBP / year

Additional Details

Part-time:

National: £2,619 per year
International: £9,655 per year

Living costs

Plymouth

United Kingdom

731 - 1387 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Loading

Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Medical Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Key facts

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Plymouth

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners