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Division of Surgery and Interventional Science MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

£6,035

£3,015

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)

£34,400

£17,200

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

Research degrees may start at any time of the year, but typically start in September.

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

MPhil/PhD are required to have an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering/science subject or a medical degree (MBBS), or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

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

As a PhD student, you join a unique environment where surgeons, clinicians, engineers, biochemists, biomaterial and nanoscience specialists, and basic and fundamental scientists collaborate on world-leading, cutting-edge research.

You will have access to excellent facilities, including nanotechnology laboratories, stem cell facilities, GLP laboratories, custom joint design and manufacture, gait analysis, and computer modelling facilities within the division. Depending on your research project, you may have the opportunity to engage with cross-faculty collaborations and activities that provide access to an even wider range of resources.

The Division is located over three sites, each associated with NHS hospitals. UCH is close to Bloomsbury campus; the Royal Free Hospital is in Stanmore; and the Institute of Orthopaedics is based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. These close links enable research to be conducted in collaboration with clinicians.

We offer a range of opportunities to meet your needs. You can gain different research skills, depending on your project (for instance, from clinical research for fundamental science and technology). A dedicated Personal Development programme with extracurricular activities is tailored to your interests and offers workshops on skills such as entrepreneurship.

Who this course is for

We welcome any suitably qualified applicants who wish to pursue research in any of our specialist areas and related disciplines.

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

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

Close clinical links enable research to be conducted in collaboration with clinicians. We undertake research aligned to current unmet needs in the medical field.
A unique environment of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research between surgeons, basic scientists, engineers, mathematical modellers, physiotherapists, nurse practitioners and other allied health professionals working within the surgical environment.
Opportunities for cross-disciplinary interactions amongst scientists with very different backgrounds.
An individual research skills programme, including a Personal Development programme, to suit your needs and interests.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

With the breadth of experience gained throughout a postgraduate research degree, most of our graduates have successful careers in industry, academia (academic positions) and in the healthcare industry (e.g. the NHS).

What I enjoy most about my PhD is the freedom. I have general guidance from my supervisors but I get a lot of space to have my own creativity.

Judith Pape

Surgery and Interventional Science, PhD

What our students say

Employability

We aim to provide the finest environment for personal and academic development. We also offer a direct exposure to the healthcare sector through various cross-disciplinary activities.

Medically qualified graduates have successful careers as consultants or in clinical academic posts while non-medical graduates pursue careers in industry, academia and in the healthcare industry including elite sport, physical activity promotion, and biomedical industries.

Networking

Within the Division, there are many opportunities for networking development through interactions between the different Departments and Research Centres.

The Division offers a unique environment of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research between surgeons, basic scientists, materials scientists, engineers, mathematical modellers, physiotherapists, and nurse practitioners. Interaction with other allied health professionals working within the surgical environment is actively encouraged.

Teaching and learning

Most of your research will be carried out independently. There will also be a series of training requirements that you will need to complete in the early stages of the programme.

Your first milestone will be to upgrade from MPhil to the PhD degree. For this, you will submit and present a report. In your final year, you submit a thesis covering your research and discuss this at a formal interview known as a viva examination.

Most of your time will be spent conducting independent research, alongside regular meetings with your supervisory team and completing your training requirements. We also encourage you to attend relevant research events at UCL and elsewhere.

Research areas and structure

Nanotechnology and regenerative medicine: targeted cell delivery; cell-material interactions; tissue engineering; nanomedicine; biomaterials; biosensors; nanoscale surface structuring
Orthopaedics and musculoskeletal science: osteoporosis; bone tumour biology; joint replacement; tissue engineering; biomedical engineering; imaging and materials science; performance/rehabilitation; peripheral nerve and spinal injury
Tissue engineering of musculoskeletal tissues
Tissue engineering of tumours - tumoroids. These have been developed to tetdrug efficacy against established and novel therapeutics.
Sports science: the extreme environment, surgical optimisation, orthopaedic outcomes, hip deformity, and human health and performance
Surgery: cancer surgery; tissue engineering; reconstructive surgery; transplantation; vascular surgery; surgical implants
Urology: interventional oncology; surgical and patient-related outcomes; molecular and stem cell biology; new medical device development.

Research environment

The Division of Surgery & Interventional Science has three multidisciplinary research departments.

The Research Department of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science conducts research at the interface of surgical and rehabilitation engineering for the optimisation of personalised clinical procedures.

The Research Department of Surgical Biotechnology focuses on the development and translation of innovative technologies into clinical practice, with the aim to drive the uptake of innovative treatments and improve surgical practice to enhance patient benefit.

The Research Department of Targeted Intervention focuses on the development of highly targeted novel imaging, sensing, management and energy-based interventions to detect and cure disease.

Registration for the full-time PhD programme is three years.

You register initially for the MPhil degree and will be eligible to upgrade to PhD between 9-18 months into the programme.

To upgrade, you submit a report of six pages detailing your research to date, then present and attend a viva about this work to a panel of your subsidiary supervisor and at least one external examiner. Students who are unsuccessful in this process or do not wish to progress onto the PhD degree can exit with an MPhil award.

To receive your degree, you submit a thesis covering your research findings and present it in the form of a viva to an internal and external examiner.

Following the third year of registration, you may register as a 'completing research student' (CRS), which allows you extra time to complete your thesis.

Registration for the part-time PhD programme is five years.

You register initially for the MPhil degree and will be eligible to upgrade to PhD between 15-24 months into the programme.

To receive your degree, you submit a thesis covering your research findings and present it in the form of a viva to an internal and external examiner.

Following your approved period of registration, you may register as a 'completing research student' (CRS), which allows you extra time to complete your thesis.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Where you'll study

As world leaders in medical and biomedical research, we design innovative courses for clinicians and scientists that meet new patient and industry needs. These are led by some of the greatest scientific minds, so you get a research-based learning experience. Our cutting-edge expertise ensures that you will be taught the latest techniques using the most advanced equipment. Our activities are split across three sites. Our Department of Targeted Intervention is based at Bloomsbury campus in central London. Our Department of Surgical Biotechnology is based at the Royal Free campus in Hampstead. Our Department of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science is based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, north-west London.

Learn more about Surgery & Interventional Science

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£6,035	£3,015
Tuition fees (2024/25)	£34,400	£17,200

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme 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

Depending on the PhD activities and the project, special equipment and/or laboratory consumables might be needed, which might require an Additional Fee Element (AFE).

The AFE is banded into four fixed amounts: £1,000, £2,500, £5,000, and £10,000, with one further band for variable sums over £10,000.

Every year, the Division supports travel costs for students to present their research at national and international conferences via the Robert Brown Travel Awards (up to 10 per year).

Some research groups may also have funding available to cover specific research costs. Applicants would need to check in advance with their primary supervisors.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Throughout the year, there are several funding opportunities for which the Division is eligible. Details of subject-specific opportunities can be obtained from the Divisional Senior Teaching Administrator.

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

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements, so we advise you to check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these when preparing your application. In most cases, you should identify and contact potential supervisors before applying.

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

This programme 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.