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Medical Education MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£6,400

£3,200

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£38,300

£19,150

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 Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, plus Master's-level study in either education or medical education. A primary medical qualification is required for a clinically-orientated doctorate.

The English language level for this course 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

Medical education research is fundamental to improving medical and health professional’s practice and the wellbeing and retention of the NHS workforce. Research in this area spans the medical and healthcare professional education continuum, from undergraduate education to postgraduate training, and through to continuing professional development.

The Research Department of Medical Education at UCL Medical School has a significant and vigorous educational research profile, which draw on a range of qualitative and quantitative focusing on a range of methodologies.

Our teaching is informed by our research, and our research is informed by our teaching. We are also dedicated to contributing to the wider education community by sharing our research findings and involving key stakeholders in our educational research.

This research degree involves conducting a single piece of research driven by your own interests, resulting in a 100,000-word thesis. You will be supported by academics and research staff from a variety of backgrounds, including education, psychology, health, and social sciences, as well as clinical specialties.

You can complete this programme full-time over three years, or part-time over five years.

Who this course is for

This research programme is particularly suitable for students who have completed a postgraduate course in medical education or an equivalent subject.

We welcome applications from medical, dental, and healthcare professionals who are interested in undertaking either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed method approaches to their work. It is also suitable if you have a background in health and social services, psychology, or education.

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:

Support from an internationally renowned group of medical education researchers with vast experience in a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
High-level education and supervision to support your development as a medical education researcher.
A research skills development programme delivered by the UCL Doctoral School.
Access to a series of online research methods modules focusing on medical education.
Supervision meetings in person and/or online.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

This PhD will prepare you for a substantive career as an educational researcher. Graduates can go on to high-level posts either as NHS consultants or academics in university settings, as well as roles in medical education with local/national and international influence.

Employability

Graduates are well-placed to continue to practise in healthcare while also playing a significant role in local education. You will be equipped for senior positions in other medical schools and in the postgraduate sector, or to go on to a research career.

Networking

The UCL Medical School offers events and activities that will give you the opportunity to network with medical educationalists across the UK and internationally. These will give you the chance to learn from their examples of good practice and their research findings.

You will also be encouraged to attend local, national, and international medical education conferences, such as the annual Association of Medical Education in Europe Conference.

Researchers are often involved in teaching our taught undergraduate and graduate programmes at UCL.

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.

The following optional research methods modules are delivered via the University's online learning platform:

Approaches to educational research
Research and the theoretical field
Research methods
Qualitative data analysis
Writing and presenting educational research & Information and literature searching
Quantitative data analysis

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.

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. PGR students 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.

Research areas and structure

Research environment

The Research Department for Medical Education (RDME) is the research arm of UCL Medical School and one of the UK’s top medical education research departments. We draw together experienced doctors, nurses, other healthcare practitioners, psychologists, and educationalists to ensure that our work is based on strong pedagogical research foundations.

A key part of our ethos and research strategy is to ensure our research makes a difference. Our work on selection (including widening participation), postgraduate clinical assessments (including medical revalidation and differential attainment), mental health and well-being, and social justice broadly has had significant impact outside of academia. As a unit we uniquely submitted to the research excellence framework in 2014 and in 2021. Each time, our research led to impact case studies which have been rated highly.

Our award-winning public engagement projects ensure our work is informed by, and useful to, patients and the public. In 2021 we were awarded the Association for the study of medical education institution to citizenship, which is testament to our commitment to high quality research and high-quality research environment.

We help medical educators adopt evidence-based best educational practice and use our knowledge and experience to continually develop our undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes. We also work to aid development in other international institutions.

Our academic and research staff are from a variety of backgrounds, including education, sociology, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and medical ethics, as well as clinical specialties. They all contribute to our interdisciplinary educational research activities. Our research outputs and reputation are of national and international importance.

When you accept your place on the programme, you will initially register for an MPhil in Medical Education.

In your first year, your programme will include the following optional research methods modules as part of the Doctoral Skills Training Programme. These are all delivered via an online learning platform:

Approaches to Educational Research
Research and the Theoretical Field
Research Methods
Qualitative Data Analysis
Writing and Presenting Educational Research and Information and Literature Searching
Quantitative Data Analysis.

You will be eligible to upgrade to PhD status between 9-18 months into your registration. Upgrade decisions are based on an evaluation of an upgrade report, which you produce with support from your supervisors, and a viva examination.

Throughout your programme, you will have the opportunity to play a full part in the life of the RDME.

When you accept your place on the programme, you will initially register for an MPhil in Medical Education.

Approaches to Educational Research
Research and the Theoretical Field
Research Methods.
Qualitative Data Analysis
Writing and Presenting Educational Research and Information and Literature Searching
Quantitative Data Analysis.

You will be eligible to upgrade to PhD student status between 15-24 months into your registration. Upgrade decisions are based on an evaluation of an upgrade report, which you will draft with the support of your primary and subsidiary supervisors, as well as assessment by viva examination.

Throughout your programme, you will have the opportunity to play a full part in the life of the RDME.

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)	£38,300	£19,150

Additional costs

Additional costs may include items such as books (perhaps £100-£200 per year), and expenses whilst attending conferences. Conferences are optional and costs vary significantly, but the average one-day event has registration fees of c. £280, plus travel (cost varies by location) and accommodation where relevant for longer events. Students will pay for their own attendance themselves unless there is a source of external funding.

Your research degree may be subject to an Additional Fee Element (also known as bench fees), which is payable by yourself or your sponsor. This covers the costs related to consumables, such as equipment and materials, which are not included in the tuition fee. As each research project is unique, this fee is calculated on an individual basis and is determined by your academic supervisor. It may also depend on whether you receive external funding to complete your degree.

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

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

Your deadlines and start dates may be dictated by funding arrangements so you will need to check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application. UCL has three start points for postgraduate research students per year, once per term, in October, February and May. You should apply at least two months before you intend to start. In most cases, you should identify and contact your potential supervisors before you apply.

Consider your choices

We recommend that you read these tips for studying medical education at doctoral level and familiarise yourself with our research staff to consider who might supervise your project.

Applying

If you decide to apply, you will need to send a CV and a research proposal of approximately 2,000 words to medsch.researchdegrees@ucl.ac.uk.

The proposal should include your research interests and proposed topic and address the following:

The research problem and your research questions
Background, including a brief literature review
Relevant theoretical and methodological perspectives
Methods, including sample, recruitment, data gathering, data analysis
Your new contribution to knowledge
Timetable and bibliography.

If your proposal has potential and we believe we can match you to a supervisor, we will arrange an interview. This can take place online for applicants who are currently overseas.

If you are successful after this, we will invite you to apply using our application platform and to provide references. References should be from individuals external to the proposed supervisory team.

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.