Research Degrees

The MPhil/PhD and MD(Res) programmes we offer at the Institute for Global Health are relevant to a variety of disciplines relevant to global health.

The postgraduate research degrees programmes we offer at the Institute for Global Health are relevant to a variety of disciplines relevant to global health. Our programmes aim to provide interesting, challenging and excellent training for exceptional students so that they may successfully pursue careers in research, medicine, health services, laboratory science, policy, or public health. MPhil/PhD and MD(Res) research in IGH is varied and may have an international dimension, including field work carried out abroad, setting up a study within the UK, or using data from existing studies working with the respective IGH-based Principal Investigator.
 
The MPhil/PhD programme lasts three years, if taken full-time, or five years if part-time. With the support of their supervisory team, students finalise their research proposal during the first year, informed by the current literature and practice. It may also require collection of preliminary data or pilot questionnaires. Students are initially registered for an MPhil, upgrading to a PhD, subject to satisfactory academic progress. For a successful upgrade to PhD, the student must prepare a written report, give an oral presentation and pass an oral examination.

The MD(Res) programme lasts for 2 years if taken part-time*. Arrangements similar to those for MPhil/PhD apply to those registering for MD(Res) degrees. Students register for an MD(Res) degree but, unlike the MPhil/PhD programme, there is no upgrade process.

Postgraduate research degrees students investigate a relatively narrow topic but may be examined on a broad field of study. Where students need to spend periods of time collecting data from overseas, that will contribute directly to their thesis, they may do so provided their study leave plans are approved in advance.

All postgraduate research students are expected to undertake 10 days of skills training each year over their 2-5 year programme, which is logged and audited electronically. This will include, for example, courses on research design and statistics, ethical and legal issues, presentation skills, thesis production and career planning.

For the MPhil/PhD degree, applicants must have a minimum of an upper second-class (2:1 or better) Bachelor’s degree and a Master's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applications from individuals who do not hold a Master's degree, but who have extensive relevant work experience, may also be considered.

For the MD(Res) degree, applicants must have obtained the MBBS degree, or some other registrable primary qualification in Medicine, and be eligible for full registration or hold limited registration with the General Medical Council (GMC); or have obtained the BDS degree or hold an equivalent dental qualification.

*Please note that international students with Tier 4 visa status are required to take the MD(Res) degree on a full-time basis (also for 2 years).

How to apply

If you would like to apply to undertake a postgraduate research degree at IGH, you first need to identify a suitable supervisor. Information on our research areas and supervisors can be found here. Contact academics whose subject areas align with your project and interests, and include a 3-4 page research proposal. You may also find it helpful to examine the Degree topics section, where you will find examples of the PhD and MD(Res) topics of current and past students. Before making an enquiry or applying, please read this document carefully. Once an academic has agreed to supervise you, please submit a formal online application to UCL for consideration. This must include your research proposal. The Departmental Graduate Tutor will arrange for the proposal to be reviewed by 2-3 independent academics, and an offer of a place will be made subject to these reviews, as well as the suitability of your academic background and writing skills. 

In your application (and any enquiry) please provide clear details about your funding status. If funding is not in place, be clear about your plans for funding applications and any timelines involved in knowing the outcome of these. Please also state if your proposed study plan includes periods of time spent overseas collecting study data (you should consult UCL's study leave regulations prior to setting out your study plan).

For your information, please see the UCL website for information on tuition fees and living expenses whilst in London.

You should also check the general entry requirements for Graduate Research Programmes, Information by Country, where applicable.  

For English language requirements, please also see the English Language Requirements page. Please note that the IELTS requirement for enrolling on a postgraduate research degree programme at IGH is “Good”, i.e. an overall grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the subtests.

Once we have received your application and your project proposal has been reviewed, we will be in contact as soon as possible to let you know the outcome. In the meantime, if you have any queries not addressed here please contact Matt Taylor, our Teaching Administrator.

Degree topics

Below are the research degree topics from current students:

• Use and outcomes of modern combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive persons.
• An individual-based mathematical model simulating maternal and perinatal health and healthcare provision in Malawi to estimate the impact of improved healthcare provision on morbidity, mortality and Disability Adjusted Life Years.
• The politics of demand for evidence in policymaking: the case of knowledge utilisation in making non-communicable disease policies in Bangladesh
• How can financial risk protection be modelled within the context of defining health benefits packages?
• Understanding drivers of migration, determinants of acute malnutrition and causes of mortality among children aged 6-59 months living in internally displaced populations (IDPs) in the Afgooye Corridor, Mogadishu, Somalia
• Public health externalities of conditional cash transfers: a case study of Colombia's Familias en Acción.
• How will current health spending in Kuwait meet the demands of a changing epidemiological and demographic landscape? Exploring ways to improve the efficiency of health spending
• HIV/HCV co-infection in EuroSIDA
• Health outcomes following transition to adult care among young people with perinatal HIV
• The effects of ageing on the clinical outcomes of people living with HIV in England and Ireland
• Intimate partner violence as a form of family violence and common mental disorders in informal settlement areas of Mumbai, India
• The double burden of malnutrition in urban informal settlements in Mumbai: prevalence and determinants in a prospective observational cohort
• Reconciling the irreconcilable? An application of economics to long-term fiscal sustainability of the HIV and AIDS response in Uganda
• A mixed methods study to understand the influence of community health worker's home visits on equity in perinatal health in Uttar Pradesh, India
• The impact of maternal mental health on the outcome of a comprehensive based intervention addressing early childhood stimulation, economic resilience and HIV care delivered to HIV infected women and their children in Zimbabwe
• What is the public health utility of measuring linkage to care following HIV diagnosis? Examples from the UK and other European epidemics
• An investigation of the sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviour, sexual and wider health, and health needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) who identify as heterosexual using data from probability and convenience sample surveys from around the world
• Defining the burden of co-morbidities in people living with HIV 
• A policy analysis of Saudi Arabian healthcare system' diabetes prevention programs
• Barriers to access among migrants in Europe: improving HIV testing, prevention and treatment services
• Modelling the current and future global burden of vector-borne diseases
• Trends in Sexual behaviour, HIV Testing, and HIV Incidence among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in the UK Followed from 2015 - 2018 (The AURAH2 Study)
• Health impacts of climate change and adaptation in the residents of Dhaka City, Bangladesh
• Whole genome sequencing and mathematical modelling of isoniazid-resistant TB in hard to reach populations
• Exploring determinants of overweight and obesity in South Asians in England - A Mixed-Methods Approach
• National longitudinal survey of healthcare needs and risk behaviours of HIV positive people
• On doing Zuo yuezi ("sitting the month") - the practice and implications of postnatal health practices in China
• Obesity in School-Aged Children in China: Exploring Parents' and Grandparents' Perceptions to Inform Policy
• A trial to determine the effects of a comprehensive community-based multicomponent intervention on early childhood development, household economic resilience, and adherence and retention in paediatric HIV care and treatment programs
• Epidemiology of sexually transmissible enteric infections and their capacity for acquiring antimicrobial resistance genes in sexual networks of men who have sex with men
• Experiences of HIV+ adolescents with HIV treatment and care services in Zambia
• Community-based approaches for increasing facility-based delivery and improving coverage of PMTCT programmes among pregnant women in rural Zimbabwe
• The politics of demand for evidence in policymaking: the case of knowledge utilisation in making non-communicable disease policies in Bangladesh
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in men who have sex with men (MSM): optimisation of prevalence monitoring and treatment
• The mental health and psychosocial impact for Syrian refugees fleeing protracted conflict: an in-depth analysis of the stages of transition and health narratives
• An investigation into the impacts of climate change on population migration patterns and associated health and social indicators
• Evaluating Delivery of Mental Health Services among Adolescents in Brazil
• Predictors of clinical events and hospitalisations in people living with HIV in the modern ART era: Impact of gender, sexual orientation and other factors.
• Attitudes to and Understanding Risk of acquisition of HIV over Time (AURAH2)
• Understanding men and gender: masculinities, SRH, HIV and violence in Southern Africa
• Serious fatal and non-fatal non AIDS disease in HIV positive individuals receiving combination antiretroviral therapy in Italy
• The effect of seasonal male labour migration on child nutrition during a humanitarian cash transfer trial in Tahoua, Niger: A mixed methods study
• Ugandan community health worker motivation: using the Social Identity Approach to explore an accepted constraint to scaled up health strategies
• The Introduction of HPV Vaccine in India: A Case Study of Socio-cultural, Political and Scientific Spaces and Health Policy
• Exploring the application of whole genome sequencing to inform control of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• HIV and tuberculosis co-infection in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Prevalence, risk factors and transmission
• Maternal Morbidity in Northern Nigeria: Perceptions, Care-seeking and Measurement
• The use of herbal medicines in pregnancy and its impact on birth outcomes in rural Malawi

Several of our PhD students are based within the Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Useful links and downloads

Guidance on writing a project proposal
Guidance on how to contact potential supervisors
Find a supervisor
IGH staff
Why study at UCL?
Global Health MPhil/PhD
Information on PhD fees, costs and funding
Information about scholarships and bursaries
Details on qualification and English language requirements
UCL Graduate Prospectus
IGH PhD student blog