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Global Business for Health MPhil/PhD

London, Stratford (UCL East)

The GBSH postgraduate research programme is varied and interdisciplinary. It aims to develop cutting-edge, applied research for health and social care that may have international and/or fieldwork components, building on the expertise and network of world-class academics.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
£5,860
£2,930
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
£29,000
£14,500
Duration
5 calendar years
3 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

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree and a Master's degree (including integrated Masters) in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard is required. Applicants who do not hold a Master's degree but who have extensive relevant work experience should contact the department: admissionsgbsh@ucl.ac.uk

The English language level for this programme 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. International Preparation Courses

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.

For this programme, please contact our UCL Graduate Admissions team.

About this degree

Healthcare needs to be sustainable and affordable for all, but it is also under strain across the globe. To address this challenge, GBSH, the world first business school for health, offers a unique interdisciplinary environment, covering relevant topics from management to AI, to train exceptional students to tackle the most pressing issues healthcare is facing.

As a postgraduate research student, you enrol for a three-year PhD with the presentation of a thesis at the end of the third year. Students are initially registered for an MPhil, upgrading to a PhD subject to satisfactory academic progress.

During the programme, you will meet weekly with your supervisory team and needs for further training and support will be closely monitored, identified, and provided. 

All postgraduate research students are expected to undertake 10 pro-rata days of skills training each year. This will include courses on research design and statistics, presentation skills and career planning.

Who this course is for

GBSH is looking for exceptional, motivated students that want to work in a world-class environment at the bleeding edge of healthcare research. Enthusiasm for healthcare problematics, intellectual curiosity and being able to work efficiently in a team are mandatory.
Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

GBSH offers a range of research routes from purely quantitative to qualitative. This will prepare you to successfully pursue careers in research, healthcare management, consultancy and policy influencing or creating organisations with a focus on improving health outcomes.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Employability

You will gain experience and cutting-edge knowledge in at least one area relevant to the provision and improvement of healthcare delivery, depending on the direction of your research. You will develop evidence-based problem-solving capacities drawing upon the most innovative methods, be comfortable working with a range of professionals and be exposed to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of research. You will develop a clear view of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare. 

Networking

As a PhD student you will be an integral part of the department research force and you will be invited to staff events and staff lead activities and socials, including regular research seminar series. The school is in the process of setting up a new DBA health programme that includes modules that PhD students can audit.

You will be encouraged to participate in faculty and UCL wide events as collaboration between departments is strongly encouraged and PGR events are regularly organised at the faculty level.

Financial support is offered for the organisation of academic related student lead initiatives.

Teaching and learning

At the end of the three years you will submit a PhD thesis that is examined by two experts, one internal to UCL and one external, during a viva voce examination. They then assess whether the submitted work and the defence you provide fulfil the criteria for a PhD.

Research areas and structure

Research environment

GBSH has a Deputy Director for Research who will run bi-weekly research seminar series for staff and students.

We envision our PGR projects to be interdisciplinary and run collaboratively with other departments. Supervision will be provided from GBSH academics and possibly various Institutes from the Faculty of Population Health Sciences and academics and departments in other UCL faculties.

Similarly to the School, the Faculty of Population Health Sciences strongly encourages collaboration between the departments and integrating GBSH students into the wider Faculty. The Faculty also organise events for all PGR students, including Induction.

Financial support is offered for academic related student-led initiative that promote PGR integration in the school and across UCL. Events linking the Bloomsbury and UCL East campuses are encouraged including multi-day retreats for staff and students.

PhD students are integral members of the School’s research force and as such you will be invited to staff events and staff led activities and socials.

The School is in the process of setting up a new DBA Health programme, part of which we will create the below modules that will be open to all GBSH MPhil/PhD students to audit as part of their knowledge and skills development:

  • Understanding Applied Research in Healthcare Management
  • Research Methods and Design
  • Data Analysis
  • Digital Health Research Methods and Tools
  • Health Systems thinking
  • Research and Co-Production with Patients
  • Communication for Healthcare Management

The School will have a dedicated budget for conference support of staff and research students along with a Graduate Tutor for research students.

You will initially register as a MPhil candidate and should have your first upgrade attempt within 18 months of your start date. Students will need to submit a literature review, first draft of your upgrade report and a final draft of your upgrade report before the upgrade viva.

You will be required to complete at least 20 training points, equivalent to approximately 10 days pro-rata worth of training per year.

The normal duration of the studies for part-time students is 5 years, with the upgrade viva from MPhil to PhD normally taking place between months 15 and 30.

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 & Wellbeing team.


Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2023/24) £5,860 £2,930
Tuition fees (2023/24) £29,000 £14,500

Additional costs

Additional fees can be requested to cover for fieldwork, equipment or anything else that may be needed for the PhD work to be completed. Generally, these costs will not be in excess of £10000 and are agreed, as well as their mode of funding, with the student prior to their enrolment in the programme.

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

Prospective students are encouraged to contact members of staff, who can provide help and guidance to apply for scholarships and fellowships.

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

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Global Business for Health MPhil/PhD at graduate level
  • why you want to study Global Business for Health MPhil/PhD at UCL
    • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2023-2024

Year of entry: 2022-2023

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Global Business School for Health
Global Business School for Health

educationgbsh@ucl.ac.uk

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