Program Overview

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Immunology & Microbial Sciences PhD, MD(Res)

Key information

Award:

PhD

MDRes

Study mode:

Full time

Part time

Campus:

Guy’s Campus

Denmark Hill Campus

Duration:

Full Time (2 - 4 years PhD; 2 – 3 years MDRes) Part Time (4 - 7 years PhD; 4 – 5 years MDRes)

Overview

The School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences lead research, education and training at King's in the related areas of Immunology, Inflammation and Infectious Diseases – with the collective goal of improving human health and wellbeing.

Our research focuses on understanding the immune system, and how it functions in times of health and disease. Our clinical and discovery scientists collaborate widely to work on an inspiring breadth of subjects employing methodologies that span atomic level dissection of molecular and cell function, through to the development of innovative new therapies and clinical trials. This multi-disciplinary approach enables us to tackle cutting-edge questions in areas of biology and medicine such as asthma, allergy, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, organ rejection, vaccination, and a range of bacterial and viral infections including HIV and Ebola virus.

Our School is deeply committed to educating the next generations of scientists, researchers and clinicians. High-quality teaching and training are delivered through a raft of research-inspired programmes for medical and biomedical science undergraduates, masters and PhD students, clinical trainees and post-doctoral fellows.

Our academic programmes of research-inspired teaching and clinical practice are embedded across our three departments:

• Department of Infectious Diseases
• Department of Inflammation Biology
• Peter Gorer Department of Immunology

Our mission is to deliver world-class research and education focusing on the immune system and how it functions during health and disease.

Our multidisciplinary research has applications in many areas of medicine, particularly in the fields of organ transplantation, oncology, diabetes, rheumatology, virology, immunology, hepatology, vaccines and many more.

From leading large European consortiums into the effect of the microbiome on chronic liver disease to facilitating local Public, Patient Involvement groups and conducting a national survey on the state of rheumatoid arthritis care, we work across disciplines and have many partners in the United Kingdom and globally.

Entry requirements

UK requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 2:1 honours in an appropriate subject. A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Master's degree with Merit or above.

Equivalent International qualifications

Select a country to view the equivalent qualifications.

English language requirements

English language band: D

To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.

Fees or Funding

Students must have full funding to cover tuition fees, living maintenance and any research/training costs associated with their project as part of their application’s approval. Funding is accepted from a single or mixed sources.

UK Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees:
  • £6,936 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £6,936 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £6,936 per year (MDRes Clinical)
• Part time tuition fees:
  • £3,468 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £3,468 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £3,468 per year (MDRes Clinical)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees:
  • £30,240 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £58,470 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £58,470 per year (MDRes Clinical)
• Part time tuition fees:
  • £15,120 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £29,235 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £29,235 per year (MDRes Clinical)

UK Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees:
  • £7,500 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £7,500 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £7,500 per year (MDRes Clinical)
• Part time tuition fees:
  • £3,750 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £3,750 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £3,750 per year (MDRes Clinical)

International Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees:
  • £32,400 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £62,600 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £62,600 per year (MDRes Clinical)
• Part time tuition fees:
  • £16,200 per year (MPhil/PhD)
  • £31,300 per year (MPhil/PhD Clinical)
  • £31,300 per year (MDRes Clinical)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.

Study environment

Base campuses

• Guy’s Campus: The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, and the Institute of Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience are based at the riverside Guy's Campus, next to the Shard.
• Denmark Hill Campus: Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Students work alongside staff researchers and are supervised by two members of academic staff. Each student has a dedicated Thesis Progression Committee that monitors students' progress and gives advice and support. Each department has a local Postgraduate Research Coordinator, and the school has an academic lead for postgraduate research.

Postgraduate training

KCL offers a large number of training and skills development opportunities. Participation in the annual Postgraduate Research Symposium is compulsory for all students and provides an opportunity to improve science communication and presentation skills; students are also encouraged to volunteer and join the committee to plan & organise the Symposium. Opportunities are regularly available for postgraduate students to present their work within their Department and wider School network, at national and international scientific meetings. Our postgraduate students also have the opportunity to assist with teaching of undergraduates as demonstrators in practical classes or by leading tutorials.

Application procedure

Studentships will be advertised in findaphd.com, Naturejobs, the College’s Health Schools Studentships website or on

All applicants are required to complete the KCL online application form. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed by at least two academics.

You may also apply if you have government/commercial sponsorship, departmental funding, a clinical fellowship or are self-funded. Prior to making an application with us, you must identify an eligible first Supervisor from our School and have confirmation from them that they will supervise you for the duration of your project. To find out more about the School’s Academics please see here.

The first supervisor role for a research degree student can be undertaken by:

• a. a member of academic staff of the university appointed by the faculty;
• b. adjunct academic staff who are employed by one of the King’s Health Partner Trusts;
• c. a career development fellow, who has full salary support from a personal award with 4 years or more duration, including research funding, with an expectation of leading an independent research programme and equivalent status to Lecturer or above.

For applications not advertised by KCL: If you are a PhD/MDRes applicant with funding (confirmed or agreed in principle), you must complete this interest form at least 9 days before the closing date for your preferred entry point to ensure Admissions can process your application:

Proposed research projects must be approved by the School Postgraduate Research Committee as well as Admissions before an offer can be made.

This is done via a Project Approval Form supported by evidence of funding to cover the project. Approval is not an automatic process and can take anywhere between 2 – 6 weeks , dependent on the speed of response between the Supervisor, Student and other parties involved. This includes those with Clinical Fellowships or fixed start dates. You are strongly advised to send a draft of the PAF as early as possible to allow enough time for the School to meet the final Admissions deadline for recommendations (see section 5).

Personal statement and supporting information

You will be asked to submit the following documents for your application to be considered:

• Personal Statement: Yes
• Research Proposal: Yes
• Previous Academic Study: Yes
• References: Yes
• Other: Optional

Application closing date

We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process. In addition, if you receive an offer, this programme requires all non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals (with some exceptions) to have an ATAS certificate before they can enrol at King’s and this can take some time. We therefore advise applying as soon as possible to avoid any delay in obtaining this certificate.

The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.

• February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 for Home fee status
• June 2025 entry – 20 March 2025 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2025 for Home fee status
• October 2025 entry – 25 July 2025 for Overseas fee status and 25 August 2025 for Home fee status
• February 2026 entry – 20 October 2025 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2025 for Home fee status
• June 2026 entry – 20 March 2026 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2026 for Home fee status

Please note that funding deadlines may be earlier than the application deadlines listed above.

Overseas Applicants – ATAS Requirements

You may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate in order to:

• Apply for a Student Visa
• Enrol on your programme of studies

It can take up to 3 months to receive an ATAS certificate and so it is essential that you apply for this early. Please note the following:

• If you need to apply for a student visa, you cannot submit your visa application until your ATAS certificate has been issued.
• If you are applying for any other visa (including a Visitor visa), you cannot enrol at King’s and start your programme unless your ATAS certificate has been issued.
• If you apply late, you may not be able to join on the expected entry point and your registration may be postponed

Please review the following article for further information on the ATAS certificate and how to apply: Do I need ATAS clearance before I start my course at King's?