Home

School of Pharmacy MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UCL School of Pharmacy PhD students work in a dynamic and innovative research environment, allowing you to pursue original research and make a distinct and significant contribution to your field. 

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
May 2026
October 2026
Applications accepted

Applications should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

May 2026 entry: 01 Aug – 30 Oct 2025

Applications closed

October 2026 entry: 01 Jan – 31 Mar 2026

Applications closed

Entry requirements

A UK taught Master’s degree, or a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology pharmacy, pharmacology, or other relevant subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

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.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g. Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance. This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

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 School of Pharmacy is a world-leading centre for pharmacy education and research in pharmacy and biomedical sciences. UCL is ranked 3rd in the world for pharmacy and pharmacology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025) and 4th in the world for pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences (Shanghai Rankings 2024). Furthermore, London is ranked 1st in the QS Best Student Cities 2025 list, making it an ideal location in which to study.

Renowned for its high-quality research, the School excels in discovering new chemical entities, developing advanced gene therapies for a variety of diseases, and pioneering nanofabrication techniques for personalised drug delivery.

Students work in several core research areas:

  • Understanding the underlying basis of challenging human diseases
  • Identification of new drugs and drug targets
  • Medicine development, leading to effective medicines with optimised delivery, and minimising effects
  • Pharmacy practice and medicines management, specialising in the influence of human behaviour on medicine use

Who this course is for

Our PhD programme is intended for students who wish to obtain high quality scientific training that will enable them to conduct independent research.

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

What this course will give you

In addition to an advanced hypothesis-driven research project yielding top flight publications which change thinking in their chosen fields, UCL School of Pharmacy PhD students acquire generic and transferable skills while undertaking their PhD. For example, students graduate with skills enabling excellent scientific presentation, both written and verbal, time management - an essential skill in today's busy world - and networking.

Students have ample opportunities to practise the art of networking with their peer group, both within the School and outside, as students often talk about their work within the School and many students travel the world speaking to scientists about their research work.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Recent PhD students have found postdoctoral positions in universities in the UK and around the world. Others have found careers in industry, in regulatory affairs, the NHS, scientific publishing, drug licensing, and clinical trial research.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of graduates from 2017-2022. 

Employability

The programme offers essential transferable skills, preparing our postgraduate researchers to advance beyond their research degrees into prominent roles in academia, industry, and consultancy. It focuses on enhancing crucial skills for early-stage researchers and professionals, including effective communication, dissemination of research findings, and project management.

Networking

The School attracts the leading figures in the field to our diverse programme of events, seminars, lectures, debates and conferences, focusing on critical issues in pharmacy, biomedical research and pharmaceutical industry.

Teaching and learning

PhD research involves a wide variety of learning methods, but your self-directed research activities will be crucial. You can expect to be supported by your supervisor to develop your research skills, as well as learning from other colleagues in our thriving research community. 

Assessment will involve an upgrade from MPhil to PhD, and then the final viva examination.

It is mandatory for UCL School of Pharmacy PhD students to complete courses in Basic Statistics and Research Integrity before the MPhil to PhD upgrade.

An agreement is made by students and supervisors as to how their hours are divided between contact and self-directed study. Full-time research equates to approximately 37 hours per week and part-time research hours would not normally be less than 50% of the full-time equivalent (37 hours per week).

Regular meetings with your supervisor will inform the structure and timescale of your research.

Research areas and structure

Research environment

Students participate in research projects in one of four research departments in the School of Pharmacy:

The duration of a full-time research degree is usually three to four years. You register initially for the MPhil degree.

Within three months of joining the programme, you will be expected to agree the basic structure of your research project with your supervisor, along with the appropriate research methods and a realistic plan of your work. You will produce and submit a detailed outline of your proposed research to your supervisor for comments and feedback, and will then undertake this project as part of your supervisor’s research team.

You will be expected to upgrade from MPhil to PhD within 9-12 months of enrolment. The purpose of the upgrade viva is to assess your progress and ability to complete your PhD programme in a reasonable time frame. To complete your upgrade, you will submit a report summarising your research to date, and present and answer questions about this work at a viva voce examination.

In your second year, you will continue to explore your research hypothesis and to collect and analyse novel data. 

In your third year, you complete your data collection and analysis, and prepare your thesis. You will be encouraged to present your findings at conferences and are required to present a poster and a lecture at conferences, seminars or other suitable events during your enrolment. 

Following the third year, you may be eligible for a year of 'completing research status' if you meet the required criteria, to finish writing your thesis and to take your viva examination. 

A part-time research degree typically spans five years, beginning with registration for the MPhil degree.

Within the first five months, you will collaborate with your supervisor to establish the basic structure of your research project, select an appropriate research method, and devise a realistic work plan. You will conduct your research as part of your supervisor’s team.

During your second and third years (18-36 months), you will delve deeper into your research hypothesis, collecting and analysing new data. You will also be expected to upgrade from  MPhil to  PhD. The purpose of the upgrade viva is to assess your progress and ability to complete your PhD programme in a reasonable time frame. To complete your upgrade, you will submit  a report summarising your research to date and present your work at a viva voce examination. 

In the fourth and fifth years, you will finalise your data collection and analysis, and prepare your thesis. You will also be encouraged to present your findings at conferences and are required to present a poster and a lecture at conferences, seminars or other suitable events during your enrolment.

After the fifth year, you may be eligible to transfer to 'completing research status' if you meet the required criteria, for up to two years to finish writing your thesis and undertake your viva examination.

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

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 and 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.

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

We post studentship information throughout the year. Please visit the School of Pharmacy studentships and funding webpage for new opportunities.

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

Prospective students are invited to look at our School of Pharmacy Doctoral Training Centre pages for more information about how to apply, and also for further information on existing PhD opportunities.  

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.

Got questions? Get in touch

School of Pharmacy
School of Pharmacy

sop.pgr@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.