phd university of surrey

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Health Sciences PhD

Key information, full-time - 4 years, part-time - 8 years.

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Why choose this programme

• Work in partnership with healthcare providers, governments and businesses to address global healthcare priorities and generate evidence to underpin effective, compassionate and integrated healthcare.
• Join our team of researchers who have been conducting health-related research for over 30 years.
• Embrace a ‘patient focused’ philosophy, working to improve the delivery of healthcare nationally and internationally.
• Work alongside academic staff who are engaged in leading healthcare research, and whose work drives and reflects change in clinical practice.

Frequently asked questions about doing a PhD

What you will study

You’ll complete research into your chosen area of interest over a period of four years (full-time) or eight years (part-time).

Your first year will lay the foundation for your research project. You’ll work closely with your supervisors to review literature and develop your research proposal. You may start negotiating access for sites and settings for data collection or consider applying for ethical approval from us and the NHS.

During your second and third years, you’ll conduct fieldwork, collect your data and begin to analyse this. During your final year, you’ll continue to analyse your data and write up your findings, in preparation for your thesis submission.

Throughout your PhD, you’ll gain substantial subject expertise and an in-depth understanding of research methodology and design. You’ll also develop transferable skills in public speaking, drafting proposals and writing for publications.

You’ll complete a confirmation process to formally review your project. If you're a full-time student, this will take place around 12-15 months into your studies or 24-30 months if you’re studying part-time. You’ll be required to submit a written report and successfully complete an oral examination.

Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Progress reviews

In addition to the confirmation process you’ll have six-monthly progress reviews with your supervisors. These meetings are an opportunity to reflect on your progress, discuss successes and challenges and set targets for the next six months. These reviews will be monitored by postgraduate research directors and recorded on your student record.

You’ll also have at least one formal meeting with your supervisors every month. The regularity of these will depend on the nature and stage of your project.

Professional development

Our Health Sciences PhD is aimed at healthcare professionals looking to undertake research at the highest level. It’s particularly suited for health psychologists, midwives, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, physiotherapists and social scientists.

You'll be joining a thriving doctoral community of postgraduate research students who meet weekly and offer peer-support in informal student-led support groups. You’ll also be invited to join one or more of our theme and/or cluster research groups, and benefit from guest speakers and facilitators, from within the University and externally.

We also run training to equip you with contemporary healthcare knowledge and research skills, which includes seminars, writing groups and research methods tuition.

Research support

The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College , which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate careers and employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.

Studentships

Developing ai-driven survey technology for collecting patient-reported outcome measures.

UKRI standard stipend (£18,622 for 2023-2024), tuition fee covered, research training supports up to £1,000 per year. Only candidates who pay UK/home rate fees are eligible for the studentship/scholarship. International students are welcome to apply but they will need to either self-fund or secure funding from other sources.

Research themes

We’re addressing global healthcare priorities and generating evidence to underpin effective, compassionate and integrated healthcare, working in partnership with healthcare providers, governments and businesses. Our research investigates:

• Cancer care
• Digital health
• Long-term conditions and ageing
• Maternal, child and family health
• Workforce, organisation and wellbeing (WoW).

Our academic staff

Throughout your studies you’ll have at least two supervisors from the School of Health Sciences.

Your supervisors will have expertise relevant to your research project, and will give you academic guidance and tuition, helping you develop your research ideas and plans, underpinning your theory and understanding of methodology and analysis. They’ll also give you pastoral support and advice, referring you to more specialist services where necessary.

Research clusters

Research facilities.

Our facilities have undergone a multi-million-pound investment, giving you access to the latest industry equipment including our Clinical Simulation Centre, consisting of two large wards, an operating theatre, a community flat and an ambulance bay.

Depending on the nature of your research project you may also use other university facilities, including our 5G/6G Innovation Centre for the development of innovative health technologies, and the Innovation for Health Learning Laboratory .

You may also have access to external facilities and equipment if your project is in collaboration with one of our 800+ partners , which includes four local NHS trusts.

Olivia Luijnenburg

I feel very lucky to have had three fabulous supervisors that regularly checked up with me, but also made me feel trusted in my abilities. My supervisors have opened many doors for me

Oluwatoyin Adeniji

The School of Health Sciences helps students to become independent researchers and provides unique opportunities to contribute to healthcare systems and policy both locally and globally.

Entry requirements

Prior to making a formal application, in the first instance, please email a copy of your CV  and outline research proposal of your intended study copied to both Dr Freda Mold ( [email protected] ) and Dr Jenny Harris ( [email protected] ). 

The outline research proposal should be structured (comprising of an introduction, outline research question, aims/objectives, methods between 5-7 pages, plus references). By providing us with an outline we are better able to identify available academic supervisors who might share your interests.

Please note that due to the large number of requests for PhD supervision we are not able to respond to all enquiries. If you have not heard back from us within 6 to 8 weeks you should assume that we were not able to identify a suitable supervisor within the School of Health Sciences. 

International entry requirements by country

English language requirements.

IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6 in each individual category.

These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept. 

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses , designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

Application requirements

Applicants are advised to contact potential supervisors before they submit an application via the website. Please refer to section two of our  application guidance .

After registration

Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.

Selection process

Selection is based on applicants:

• Meeting the expected entry requirements
• Being shortlisted through the application screening process
• Completing a successful interview
• Providing suitable references.

Student life

At Surrey we offer the best of both worlds – a friendly campus university, set in beautiful countryside with the convenience and social life of Guildford on your doorstep.

Start date: July 2024

Start date: October 2024

Start date: January 2025

Start date: April 2025

• Annual fees will increase by 4% for each year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100 (subject to legal requirements).
• Any start date other than September will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).

View the list of fees for all postgraduate research courses.

Additional costs

There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.

Apply online

If you are applying for a studentship to work on a particular project, please provide details of the project instead of a research proposal.

Read our application guidance for further information on applying.

To apply online first select the course you'd like to apply for then log in.

1. Select your course

Select the course you wish to apply for.

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Code of practice for research degrees

Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.

Download the code of practice for research degrees (PDF) .

Terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures , student regulations , and terms and conditions .

We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:

• First when we make an offer.
• Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).

View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.

This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.

Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.

It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer .

Course location and contact details

Campus location

Our Medicine (Graduate Entry) BMBS degree, nursing and midwifery, and health science courses are taught at the Kate Granger Building (30 Priestley Road), on the Surrey Research Park.

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University of Surrey Guildford Surrey GU2 7XH

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Postgraduate life at Surrey

Discover more about what it's like to be a postgraduate student at surrey., finding a phd supervisor.

Deciding on a PhD supervisor is perhaps one of the most important decisions to make when thinking about pursuing your doctorate. You need to look for somebody who shares your research interests and has expertise in that field, but also somebody who fits with your work style. They’re the person who will provide feedback, support and mentorship throughout your PhD. Some supervisors are very hands-on and will want to meet with you regularly whereas others may be more hands-off and expect you to meet with them once a month. In this blog, I’ll explore some of the things to consider when finding a supervisor that suits you. 

Where to start  

It can be rather overwhelming when you’re faced with just the knowledge that you want to do a PhD research project. If you’re like me and work in a STEM field, it may be straightforward as PhDs in STEM subjects tend to advertise funded projects advertised by the supervisor for that project. My PhD project was advertised by my supervisor to my undergraduate cohort as I was an MPhys student here are Surrey before starting my doctorate. He had taught me several modules, so I was familiar with his areas of expertise and his personality and knew that we were likely to get along well. You can read more about the process of finding a PhD project in STEM fields in my blog post here . 

In other fields, it’s often common to seek out a supervisor and write a project proposal outlining the specific research topic you want to explore in your thesis. In this case, you’ll need to find somebody whose expertise and research interests align with your proposed topic. You can do this in various ways such as browsing lists of academics in the relevant departments at different universities or even starting from looking into the literature and identifying potential academics you’d love to work with through papers related to your research topic. 

Initial contact with potential supervisors  

The next step after identifying a project or supervisor is to get in touch with them. Although this is very daunting, this is an opportunity to show them what your interests are and how they align with their research interests. Initiating an email conversation with them is a good way to assess whether you’re a good fit. When you first contact them, referencing their work and showing that you know what they’ve published in the past is really important. They want to see that you’re engaged with the research area and that you’ve done your research rather than just blindly emailing them.  This article has some great tips and guidelines for an initial email to a supervisor.  

Establishing whether you’re a good fit  

Once you’ve established contact with a supervisor, it’s good to set up a meeting to discuss things in more detail. My supervisor suggested I have a tour around the Advanced Technology Institute, and we have a chat about what a PhD involves before thinking about an official interview for the project. So, you may find that you’re also invited to have a meeting or you may need to initiate something yourself.  

When I arrived for the tour, I was greeted by my supervisor’s then PhD student who would be showing me around the labs. This was a wonderful opportunity to ask him what my supervisor was like in a supervisory role. Talking to a current student definitely helped me form an idea of what doing a PhD at the ATI would be like. Afterwards, I could clearly imagine myself doing research there which I think was a good sign! 

Then, when I met with my supervisor, I asked how frequently he had meetings, how hands-on he was and other things like what the expectations were for PhD students. We also chatted about some aspects of the research project as there was some flexibility, and I could decide which material system I wanted to work with. Having a more informal chat with him helped me feel much more at ease in my interview later down the line and it showed me that he was a supervisor who I felt would support me well for the next 3-4 years. 

Experiences of Applying for a PhD

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