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Cardiovascular Science MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Cardiovascular Science MPhil/PhD (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£6,400

£3,200

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£34,700

£17,350

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

October 2026

February 2027

May 2027

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject or a medical degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a recognised taught Master’s degree.

The English language level for this course is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The cardiovascular research degree is based within the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science (UCL ICS).

You will join a PhD programme that supports almost 100 students investigating a range of cardiovascular areas from basic research to clinical and epidemiological research.

This programme offers you the opportunity to join a multidisciplinary research department and bring you in contact with cardiovascular scientists with links to engineering, imaging, anatomy, nanotechnology, chemistry and genetics, creating opportunities in research, pharma or aligned fields. Our research is broad, spanning discovery-based laboratory science, clinical translation and experimental medicine, as well as healthcare evaluation, implementation and policy. Cardiovascular research at UCL ICS focuses on a range of areas, including device development, cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias, ischaemic preconditioning, imaging and regenerative therapy. We also have researchers working in cardiovascular genetics, epidemiology and preventative medicine.

Who this course is for

We aim to recruit the best graduates in science and medicine with a genuine passion and talent for cardiovascular research. This programme provides training for those looking for a career in cardiovascular science research, either in academia, a clinical setting or in industry. It is offered full-time or part-time, the latter option being suitable for those in employment while gaining a research qualification.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

The UCL ICS PhD programme will provide you with excellent training to PhD level. We are committed to high quality postgraduate education with a diverse range of study opportunities, and have a strong track record of training and support for students and supervisors. A wide range of projects are available for prospective PhD students who are either self-funding or who can secure sponsorship for three to four years.

You will be undertaking a PhD at an institution that is internationally recognised for its fundamental, translational and clinical research. There are over 23,000 graduate students studying at UCL, consequently, UCL has excellent support systems in place to support you. You will have opportunities to participate in institute-level skills training as well as attending world-class courses provided by the Doctoral School.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Through close collaborations between scientists and clinicians in a wide range of cardiovascular disciplines, a research degree in UCL ICS provides a unique springboard for ambitious clinicians and scientists. Graduates from this course are likely to pursue senior leadership positions in many areas of academia, health services, and industry.

Employability

A PhD from UCL ICS is internationally recognised as a high achievement. Our graduates are expected to be independent thinkers who bring rigorous expertise to solving complex problems.

Non-clinical PhD graduates can seek postdoctoral research positions or fellowships either at UCL or other national or international institutions. Clinical PhD graduates may choose to complete their clinical and/or research training and pursue academic clinical careers.

Networking

A modern research career is based on research skills and collaboration. Effective networking skills also greatly benefit students in their future careers. To instil these, students are supervised by internationally recognised and well-connected research leaders. Our academics have widespread national and international collaborations with academic and commercial organisations, which together with an active Postgraduate Society provides students with broad opportunities for networking and career development.

As a PhD student at UCL ICS, you will be given the opportunity to attend and present at local, national and international scientific meetings, workshops and conferences where networking is developed with peers and research leaders in academia, medicine and the private sector.

Teaching and learning

You will be supported to gain a wealth of skills, experience and networking opportunities that are relevant for a wide range of future careers, both within academia and more widely in healthcare, industry and governmental sector.

You will receive direct supervision from world-leading academics based on UCL's campus in the heart of London. You will have regular meetings with your supervisors, as well as receiving supervision and training from other relevant research staff and students. Furthermore, all PhD students are supported by supervisory panels of multidisciplinary staff, as well as departmental graduate tutors. In addition, you will be encouraged to present your research locally and at national and/or international scientific conferences and meetings.

During your research degree, you will be able to select training courses to develop a wide variety of transferable research, teaching, and leadership skills. All PhD students benefit from access to the Doctoral Skills Development Programme and are expected to spend at least 10 days every year on skills improvement. There will also be opportunities to put these skills into practice in laboratory and teaching environments. By doing so, we aim to enhance not only your research project but also your communication skills and career prospects.

PhD final assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your ability to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline.

Your thesis must also represent your distinct and significant contribution to the subject, either through the discovery of new knowledge, through the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of a new theory, or the revision of older views.

Your thesis should reflect the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both your own work and that of other scholars in the field.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva. For a successful upgrade to PhD, you prepare a written report, give an oral presentation and pass an oral examination.

For a PhD award, you will be examined on your submitted thesis, this involves a viva (an oral exam) with two independent examiners.

Contact hours and hours of self-study are agreed between the student and the supervisor at the beginning of their research degree and should be reviewed on a regular basis. Full-time postgraduate research students are expected to work a minimum of 36.5 hours per week on their project. With agreement of their supervisors, contact time can be on-site or remote working depending upon the nature and stage of the project. Postgraduate research students can have the opportunity to access UCL facilities ‘out of hours’ including weekends and holidays during their period of registration. Students will have research meetings with their supervisors at least once per month. Full-time research students can take 27 days of annual leave, plus eight days of Bank holidays and six UCL closure days.

Research areas and structure

For the full range of research groups and supervisors please explore our webpages

Research environment

UCL hosts one of the largest and most dynamic UK cardiovascular research bases, UCL ICS provides a stimulating academic setting. Furthermore, UCL ICS is a world leader in preventative and therapeutic cardiovascular medicine. UCL ICS has recently been designated as one of the prestigious British Heart Foundation Centres of Excellence. The newly established Centre of Research Excellence at UCL will facilitate groundbreaking research, innovative educational programs, progressive policy development, and patient advocacy.

Research at UCL ICS is interdisciplinary, integrating with Engineering, Nanotechnology, Chemistry, Behavioural Science, Ophthalmology, and Genetics. We also have flourishing links with leading cardiovascular scientists and clinicians at other major universities and we are a founding institute within the Yale University / UCL Collaboration.

The interests of the four UCL ICS research departments spans childhood to old age and research from the origins of disease to the development of innovative interventions.

The four research Departments are:

The length of registration for the research degree is three years for full-time.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-18 months after initial registration. For a successful upgrade to PhD, students prepare a written report, give an oral presentation and pass an oral examination.

Within three months of joining the programme, you are expected to agree with your supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method(s) and a realistic plan of work, and to present this plan to your Thesis Committee. In addition, throughout your research degree, you will be required to undertake skills training via the Doctoral Skills Development Programme.

Students are regularly monitored to ensure that they are making good progress, and that supervisory arrangements are satisfactory to both the student and supervisor. Once the student has completed their research and submitted their thesis, they have a viva (an oral exam) with two examiners.

The PhD programme is expected to be completed within three years. Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may register as a completing research student (CRS) if you are not ready to submit your thesis at this point.

The length of registration for the research degree is five years part-time.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 15-30 months after initial registration. For a successful upgrade to PhD, students prepare a written report, give an oral presentation and pass an oral examination.

Within six months of joining the programme, you are expected to agree with your supervisor the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method(s) and a realistic plan of work, and to present this plan to your Thesis Committee. In addition, throughout your research degree, you will be required to undertake skills training via the Doctoral Skills Development Programme.

The PhD programme is expected to be completed over five years for part-time students. Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may register as a completing research student (CRS) if you are not ready to submit your thesis at this point.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£6,400	£3,200
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£34,700	£17,350

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Your research degree may be subject to an Additional Fee Element (AFE). The AFE (also known as bench fees) is an additional cost, incurred by yourself or your sponsor. It is levied to cover the costs related to consumables, equipment materials, etc. which are not included in the tuition fee. As each research project is unique in nature, the AFE is calculated on a student-by-student basis and is determined by your academic supervisor. The AFE varies in price, but usually are around £14,000 for lab-based projects, if this is not provided by some other means (i.e studentship grant). The faculty have various band levels of AFE from £1,000 to £10,000 or more.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

You may wish to explore the following studentships:

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Please refer to the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science PhD webpage to find out more about the programme and the application process.

Frequently asked questions

Question: Do I need to identify a supervisor beforehand and can I do my own research project?
Answer: Yes. UCL recommends that prospective PhD students:

Explore the ICS research themes and academic staff profiles.
Identify a potential supervisor whose research aligns with your interests.
Contact them informally before submitting your application to discuss your proposed project and confirm their availability.

This step is crucial to ensure your research interests are a good fit with the department and that appropriate supervision is available.

You are encouraged to propose your own research project, provided it aligns with the expertise of a potential supervisor at ICS.

Question: Can you share any example research projects?
Answer: While specific project titles vary year to year, examples of recent or ongoing PGR research include:

Investigating the genetic basis of inherited cardiomyopathies.
Developing AI tools for cardiovascular imaging diagnostics.
Studying the impact of childhood obesity on long-term heart health.
Exploring novel drug targets for atrial fibrillation.
Evaluating public health interventions to reduce stroke risk in underserved populations.

Question: Can a PhD be studied abroad remotely?
Answer: Programmes are designed to be studied face-to-face with regular visits to the UCL campus.
If you wish to apply for a PhD which is entirely remote for the duration of your registration, it is likely you will need to make a case for a non-resident PhD registration. This would be subject to the agreement of your prospective supervisors and would require them to provide supporting documentation to make a case to the Research Degrees Committee for consideration.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Research Degree: Cardiovascular Science, Full-time

Research Degree: Cardiovascular Science, Part-time

Year of entry: 2025-2026