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Postgraduate Study

Expected Academic Standard

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Good II.i Honours Degree.

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

All PhD applicants are expected to have undertaken training or had experience in epidemiology, biostatistics or another subject relevant to their proposed topic of study. Students without such a background are encouraged to do the MPhil in Population Health Sciences before undertaking their doctoral studies. It is unlikely that students without this level of training will be accepted for a PhD.

If you are contemplating a PhD in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care you need to identify a researcher who is working in an area of research of mutual interest and is willing to be your supervisor. We, therefore, encourage you to find out about the research programmes within the department by background reading and looking at our website. You should then contact potential supervisors to find out about the possibility of working with them or someone in their group. Applications for a PhD in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care are rarely accepted without a named supervisor.

Continuing students

Students studying for the MPhil who wish to continue to a PhD, are required to achieve a high standard across modules and the dissertation.

University Minimum Academic Requirements


Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score
Listening 7.0
Writing 7.0
Reading 6.5
Speaking 7.0
Total 7.0

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score
Listening 25
Writing 25
Reading 25
Speaking 25
Total 100

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

CPE

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).


Visa Information

No ATAS required

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Key Information


3-4 years full-time

4-7 years part-time

Study Mode : Research

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Public Health and Primary Care

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.