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Postgraduate Study

Teaching

A doctorate from the Department of Psychiatry is primarily a research degree based on a research programme developed in conjunction with a supervisor.

One to one supervision

Supervisors or advisers should meet with students at least weekly in term time during the first year, reducing to fortnightly in term time in the second year if the student is functioning in a more independent way, and reducing to monthly in the final (third) year as the student is involved in writing up their thesis. Supervision meetings typically last for one hour to enable adequate depth of conversation, and it helps if the student brings along a written agenda for each meeting and keeps notes from each meeting.

The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision.

Seminars & classes

Students are encouraged to attend relevant seminars and classes as provided by the Department / University and as advised by the supervisor. 

We also strongly recommend that all students engage with the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences’  Researcher Development Programme.

Lectures

Students are encouraged to attend relevant lectures and classes as provided by the Department / University and as advised by the supervisor.

Posters and Presentations

Students are encouraged to present at least once a year, both to their group and at national and international conferences and scientific meetings, to communicate their research findings

Second and third year students will also be expected to present their work at the department's annual Postgraduate Symposium.

Feedback

The student will receive the following feedback on their progress:

  • After starting the course, the principal supervisor will meet with the student to discuss a preliminary thesis plan and to provide direction and constructive input.
  • Throughout the course, the principal supervisor and student should meet regularly to discuss how the research is progressing
  • Principal supervisors will submit supervision reports each term which are available to the student and their faculty or department (or University Partner Institution)’s Director of Postgraduate Education, Degree Committee, and College tutor, all of whom take an interest in the student's progress.
  • Students will be required to produce a final thesis plan and meet with their principal supervisor, who is expected to provide constructive input.
  • Feedback is also provided by the principal supervisor on any work to be published.

There is furthermore oversight of student progress by the departmental Postgraduate Education Committee, which operates within the policies directed by the Faculty Degree Committee.

Assessment

Thesis / Dissertation

Examination for the PhD Degree involves submission of a written thesis which must not exceed 60,000 words (or 80,000 by special permission of the Degree Committee). These limits exclude figures, photographs, tables, appendices and bibliography. An oral examination is conducted by two examiners, usually one from the University of Cambridge and one external to the University of Cambridge, neither of whom may have any direct involvement with the student or the work being examined. Before recommending the award of the PhD Degree, the examiners must satisfy themselves that the thesis:

  • is clearly written;
  • takes due account of previously published work on the subject;
  • represents a significant contribution to learning, for example through the discovery of new knowledge, the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory, or the revision of older views; and
  • amounts to what it is reasonable to expect a student to complete within three years' full-time (five years' part-time) research.

The limitations implied by this advice are intended to apply to the scale and scope of the work presented in the thesis but not to its quality.

Other

Every PhD student is probationary in the first year and is required to submit a first-year report within nine months of commencing study. The student is then examined orally on the content of the report and on their understanding of the wider research field, and their future research plans. Subject to a satisfactory examination, which the student must pass, the student is then fully registered for PhD study.

In addition to this, PhD students are expected to submit a Project Proposal Report within the first 3 months, which should outline: experimental plans, timelines, key questions and expected challenges.  The report should be between 800 – 1000 words in length.  

The report will be reviewed by the Psychiatry Postgraduate Education Committee and is assessed for the feasibility of the proposed project, access to appropriate facilities and resources, and confirmation of a good supervisor/student relationship. 
  

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Key Information


3-4 years full-time

4-7 years part-time

Study Mode : Research

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Psychiatry

Course - related enquiries

Application - related enquiries

Course on Department Website

Dates and deadlines:

Applications open
Sept. 15, 2022
Application deadline
Oct. 4, 2023
Course Starts
Jan. 5, 2024

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

Applications open
Sept. 15, 2022
Application deadline
Jan. 15, 2024
Course Starts
April 17, 2024

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

Michaelmas 2024

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
May 16, 2024
Course Starts
Oct. 1, 2024

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

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
Oct. 2, 2024
Course Starts
Jan. 5, 2025

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

Applications open
Sept. 4, 2023
Application deadline
Jan. 15, 2025
Course Starts
April 17, 2025

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

Course Funding Deadline
Dec. 5, 2023
Gates Cambridge US round only
Oct. 11, 2023

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.


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