Program Overview

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Life Course & Population Health Sciences MPhil/PhD/MD(Res)

Key information

Award:

MPhil

PhD

MDRes

Study mode:

Full time

Part time

Campus:

Denmark Hill Campus

Guy’s Campus

St Thomas’ Campus

Waterloo Campus

Overview

The School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences encompasses four research and teaching units in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine which span and link landmark life-stages with the origins and understanding of common diseases, treating life and disease as a continuum, a fundamental approach to maintaining and maximising a healthy life.

Occupying facilities across Guy’s, St Thomas’, Waterloo and Denmark Hill campuses, the School is headed by Professor Lucilla Poston, Tommy’s Professor of Maternal & Fetal Health. Clinicians, scientists and health professionals work together in a multidisciplinary partnership to enhance research and teaching in the life-course of health and disease. To achieve our ‘life course’ ambition, the School brings together a unique and interactive team of experts in women and children’s health, diabetes, nutritional sciences and the molecular genetics of human disease (twins research and ophthalmology).

The School’s mission is to approach the origins of disease from the earliest stages in life and understanding the life-course of disease and the interactions between cause and effect - such as those which link early life nutrition to development of diabetes and allergy - underpins early detection, treatment and prevention, and can provide us with important research and training opportunities.

The research degree programme within the School is delivered by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, research scientists and academics. By exploring the life course of health and disease, we approach medicine in a different way. We unite more than 400 experts in women and children’s health, diabetes, nutritional sciences and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum.

Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments:

• Department of Nutritional Sciences
• Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology
• Department of Women & Children’s Health
• Section of Ophthalmology
• Population Health Sciences

Research Degree students applying to The School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences will be registered at one of these departments and will have access to a wide range of research facilities. For details of each department please see below.

We believe that the basis of human health begins before birth and that variation at each life stage has consequences for the next.

Many people carry genes associated with common disorders but whether they develop symptoms or not is often more complex. Which genes are expressed can be shaped by maternal health and later-life nutrition and developing one condition can cause changes that lead to others.

By taking this holistic approach, linking traditionally distinct disciplines and exploring the interactions between environment, genetics, cause and effect, we can find new ways to detect, treat and prevent disease.

Studentships

Our studentships are regularly advertised on Find A PhD and Funding Opportunities webpages.

How to apply

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

Please do not complete an application form until you have spoken with and have confirmation from your preferred supervisor. Information about research staff can be found on the King’s Research Portal.

2. Personal statement and supporting information

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

• Personal Statement: Yes. A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages).
• Research Proposal: Yes. The proposal should explain in some detail precisely the field of study that you want to contribute to and current research gaps, what you want to do and how you propose to do it. For advice on how to write an application, please visit the following page.
• Previous Academic Study: Yes. A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents.
• References: Yes. Two references are required with at least one academic. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. References cannot be from the prospective PGR supervisors.
• Other: Optional. You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application.

3. Course intake

No set number.

4. Joint PhDs - Application advice

Applicants for the Joint PhD programme must contact the relevant departments at both universities before submitting an application in order to discuss the suitability of their topic for the joint programme and to locate potential supervisors. Applications should initially be submitted to the proposed home institution only, ie where the student will start and finish their programme. Students should note that acceptance onto the programme may take slightly longer than for single-institution PhDs because of the additional steps involved.

Applicants who choose King’s as their home institution should apply through the online system, selecting the appropriate Joint PhD option from the drop-down list. In addition to the standard supporting documentation, applicants should submit a travel plan form indicating how they intend to divide their time between the two partner institutions. Students must spend at least 12 month in each institution, details of which can be found in the ‘Notes’ section of the travel plan form.

It is recommended that students submit applications for the Joint PhD programme by the end of March to begin the following September.

The programme will be jointly awarded, so will result in one qualification awarded equally by both partners. Applications must be approved by both universities, so the process can take slightly longer than for a single PhD.

The Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine offers the following joint PhD degree programmes, which you can select on the Admissions Portal:

• Clinical Medicine Research with University of Hong Kong MPhil/PhD
• Life Sciences and Medicine Research with National University of Singapore MPhil/PhD
• Medicine Research with Hong Kong University MPhil/PhD
• Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Science Research with Pontifical Catholic University of Chile MPhil/PhD
• Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development and Use with University of Sao Paulo MPhil/PhD
• Cardiovascular Science with Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen MPhil/PhD
• Metabolic Disease with Technische Universitat Dresden MPhil/PhD

5. 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.

Fees or Funding

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

• Denmark Hill Campus: Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.
• 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.
• St Thomas’ Campus: Located near Waterloo Campus and home of continuing medical and dental teaching, as well as a museum dedicated to Florence Nightingale.
• Waterloo Campus: Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Our research degree students get the opportunity to work in an active and vibrant research environment. 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.

The student will be based at one of the research departments within The School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences which span and link landmark life-stages with the origins and understanding of common diseases, treating life and disease as a continuum, a fundamental approach to maintaining and maximising a healthy life. To achieve our ‘life course’ ambition, the School brings together a unique and interactive team of experts in women and children’s health, diabetes, nutritional sciences and the molecular genetics of human disease (twins research and ophthalmology). The student will therefore be a member of an active and diverse research community with excellent opportunities for networking.

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. Opportunities are available and actively encouraged for postgraduate students to present their work at national and international scientific meetings and students can apply for faculty funding to attend conferences. Our postgraduate students have the opportunity to assist with teaching of undergraduates, as demonstrators in practical classes or by leading tutorials, thereby gaining teaching skills. Teaching hours can also be exchanged for conference funding.

Head of group/division

Professor Lucilla Poston

Departmental Postgraduate Research Coordinators:

• Department: Diabetes
  • PGC Name: Afshan Malik
• Department: Nutrition
  • PGC Name: Chris Corpe
• Department: Ophthalmology
  • PGC Name: Pirro Hysi
• Department: Twins
  • PGC Name: Pirro Hysi
• Department: Women’s and children’s health clinical
  • PGC Name: Lisa Story
• Department: Women’s and children’s health scientific
  • PGC Name: Peter Dixon
• Department: Women’s Health (Denmark Hill)
  • PGC Name: Nick Kametas
• Department: Children’s Health and Paediatric Allergy (Clinical)
  • PGC Name: Michael Carter

Entry requirements

UK requirements

• Minimum UK requirements: Bachelor's degree with at least a 2:1 honours in an appropriate subject i.e. Anatomy, Biochemistry, Genetics, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Medicine. A 2:2 degree will be considered only where applicants also offer a Master's degree with Merit or above.

Equivalent International qualifications

Select a country to view equivalent international 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.
• For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.