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Institute of Neurology MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2022/23)

£5,690

£2,845

Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)

£27,480

£13,750

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

February 2022

April 2022

September 2022

Applications accepted

For students who require a Student visa, we recommend applying at least three months in advance of your preferred start date to allow adequate time for application processing.

Entry requirements

A first or an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a recognised taught Master’s degree, is required. In some areas of clinical research, General Medical Council (GMC) registration may also be required.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Standard

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.

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 UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, together with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, form the renowned national and international research and clinical centre known simply as 'Queen Square'. The institute is also a key member of the UCL neuroscience community which is currently ranked second in the world, and first in Europe for neuroscience research (Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators). This means that you will be studying at a world-leading institution, with access to some of the best minds working in the field today, with established opportunities for progression from Master's to PhD study, and on to careers in neuroscience and neurology research and clinical practice.

Who this course is for

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

What this course will give you

The Queen Square Institute of Neurology offers a traditional three-year full-time PhD or a flexible five-year part-time option. The students are supported via Thesis Committees throughout the PhD and report their progress on the Research Log. This method provides the student with wider intellectual contribution, access to copious expertise and an overview of the student's development at specific points during the degree.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Students at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology are ideally placed to exploit the opportunities for career progression which arise from studying in a well-funded national and international centre of excellence. Doctoral students go on to become early career researchers. Clinicians combine research fellowships with PhD studies and enter core or specialty training in the London, or other Deaneries on completion. It is the possibility of transition from postgraduate student to early career researcher or specialist neurologist which makes studying at Queen Square so attractive.

Employability

Students at the institute go on to further study at doctoral level, begin medical studies, start careers in basic science, combine study with paid research or clinical fellowships, and continue their medical careers through core and speciality training.

Networking

Students are given the opportunity to present their research, alongside their peers studying for PhDs, at the well-regarded annual Queen Square Symposium. Doctoral students are all encouraged to attend national and international conferences during their studies, with their travel funded by grants, awards or bursaries. Students at all levels are supervised by, and work alongside internationally renowned scientists and clinical academics, who are often leaders in their field. Queen Square hosts a series of induction workshops for new research students as well as events for continuing students so there will always be an opportunity to share knowledge interact with others at the institute.

Teaching and learning

Each research student is required to submit progress documents for thesis committee meetings. For students who wish to upgrade from MPhil to PhD, the student must submit a 10,000 word thesis and perform a departmental presentation as well as a private viva with the examiners. At the end of the degree, students will need to submit their final thesis and perform a viva which will be examined by two independent academics.

Research areas and structure

Research is focused within the following eight departments:

Research environment

The UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology has a world class reputation for neuroscience. The mission is to translate neuroscience discovery research into treatments for patients with neurological diseases. It is a specialist postgraduate institute of University College London, the top-ranked university in the UK for research in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. See http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/about/infographic.

Continuing the record of exceptional achievement in previous Research Assessments (RAE), the Institute performed very strongly in REF2014 within Unit of Assessment (UoA) 4, Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. UCL came top overall in both the standard power measure and combined 4* and 3* work in this UoA.

Overall, 83 per cent of the submission was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (4*/3*), with 74% of research outputs given these ratings. The research environment was given a 100% world-leading rating and the impact was judged to be over 97% world leading or internationally excellent.

A PhD at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology will allow you to pursue original research and make a distinct and significant contribution to your field. We are committed to the quality and relevance of the research supervision we offer and as an MPhil/PhD candidate; you could work with academics at the cutting edge of neuroscience research. Furthermore as a research student, you will be an integral part of our collaborative and thriving research community.

Full-time

Application and Initial Registration

MPhil/ PhD Initial Registration

1. An applicant for a PhD degree will be registered initially for the MPhil degree.

Further guidance

1. Every student must complete enrolment as instructed within two weeks of the start of their research programme and must undertake to comply with the conditions of enrolment.

2. An applicant for registration is required to produce for inspection by UCL the original documentary evidence of their qualifications either before or at registration — i.e. the original diploma or certificate of the awarding body.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes 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.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may register for completing research status (CRS) while you write up your thesis after five years of registration

All MPhil/PhD students must have thesis committees (TC) which are comprised of the subsidiary supervisor, at least two independent academic colleagues and the student. The thesis committee panel must be formed and approved within the first month of joining the programme. Within three months, you are expected to have your first TC meeting where you will agree on your personal development plan, the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method, a realistic plan of work and perform a presentation. At 9 months, you will have your second TC meeting which will require a presentation, submission of a progress report and an updated personal development plan.

In your second year you will be expected to upgrade from an MPhil to a PhD. To successfully upgrade to a PhD you are required to submit a 10,000 word dissertation read & approved by both supervisors, and perform a departmental presentation and private upgrade viva examined by the two independent TC members. If successful, the upgrade will be recommended by the examiners and will require approval from the Department Graduate Tutor (DGT).

This will be followed by three further TC meetings comprised of presentations on PhD progress and reviews of the personal development plan. The final TC meeting will require submission of a thesis outline for review by the TC panel members.

The PhD programme is expected to be completed within three years for full-time students. If you are not ready to submit at the end of the third year, you may be able to go into CRS (this will be agreed between yourself, your sponsors (if applicable) and your supervisors).

All students are required to maintain and complete the research log, and should also aim to collect at least 20 points per year from attending Graduate School courses and other relevant externally run courses.

Part-time

Application and Initial Registration

MPhil/ PhD Initial Registration

1. An applicant for a PhD degree will be registered initially for the MPhil degree.

Further guidance

1. Every student must complete enrolment as instructed within two weeks of the start of their research programme and must undertake to comply with the conditions of enrolment.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is five years for 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.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may register for completing research status (CRS) while you write up your thesis after five years of registration

All MPhil/PhD students must have thesis committees (TC) which are comprised of the subsidiary supervisor, at least two independent academic colleagues and the student. The thesis committee panel must be formed and approved within the first month of joining the programme. Within six months, you are expected to have your first TC meeting where you will agree on your personal development plan, the basic structure of your research project, an appropriate research method, a realistic plan of work and perform a presentation. At 15 months, you will have your second TC meeting which will require a presentation, submission of a progress report and an updated personal development plan.

In your second/third year you will be expected to upgrade from an MPhil to a PhD. To successfully upgrade to a PhD you are required to submit a 10,000 word dissertation read & approved by both supervisors, and perform a departmental presentation and private upgrade viva examined by the two independent TC members. If successful, the upgrade will be recommended by the examiners and will require approval from the Department Graduate Tutor (DGT).

The PhD programme is expected to be completed within five years for part-time students. If you are not ready to submit at the end of the fifth year, you may be able to go into CRS (this will be agreed between yourself, your sponsors (if applicable) and your supervisors).

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 (2022/23)	£5,690	£2,845
Tuition fees (2022/23)	£27,480	£13,750

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

Students will be required to pay their tuition fees at either the UK or overseas rate for the entire duration of their PhD programme as well as their living expenses, consumables and travel expenses. Studentships are available to cover these expenses but are very competitive. Self funded and government funded students should be aware of the expenses involved when completing a PhD.

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

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

There are three specific enrolment points per year where post-graduate research students can join UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. The start dates are as follows:

Start of academic year (end of September)
1 February
25 April

The application deadline is approximately two months prior to the start date. For students who require a Tier 4 visa, it is recommended to apply at least three months prior to the start date to allow sufficient time for application processing.

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements so check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In most cases you should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see our How to apply page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found in our How to apply section.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

This page was last updated 28 Sep 2021