Program Overview

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Postgraduate Research

Study

Research areas

• Biological and clinical research
• Basic biology of Alzheimer’s disease
• Conduct of randomised controlled trials
• Development of better treatments for dementia and other mental illnesses

Course types

• MPhil
• PhD
• MD(Res)

Find a supervisor

Search through a list of available supervisors.

Fees & funding

• UK Tuition Fees 2023/24:
  • Full time: £7,500 per year
  • Part time: £3,750 per year
• International Tuition Fees 2023/24:
  • Full time: £28,260 per year
  • Part time: £14,130 per year
• UK Tuition Fees 2024/25:
  • Full time: £7,950 per year
  • Part time: £3,975 per year
• International Tuition Fees 2024/25:
  • Full time: £30,240 per year
  • Part time: £15,120 per year

How to apply

1. Finding Supervisors

• Search through our research portal to find supervisors who work in your chosen research area.
• Applicants are expected to contact academics directly.

2. Arranging funding

• Unless you are applying for a studentship or can self-fund your studies, you will need to arrange for funding before making the application.
• The following pages are useful:
  • Funding Database
  • Funded Research Opportunities

3. Make an online application

• This application will be assessed by the Admissions team to assess your references, fee status, and eligibility in terms of education and experience.
• Guidance on how to apply can be found here.

4. Submit a Project Approval Form

• The project approval form (PAF) is used to assess your project in terms of planning, feasibility, and appropriateness for a PhD.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the form is completed, but it is recommended that applicants work closely with the supervisors.

5. Application Procedure

• You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
  • Personal Statement
  • Research Proposal
  • Previous Academic Study
  • References
  • 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.
• 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.
  • 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

Old Age Psychiatry Research MPhil/PhD/MD(Res)

Key information

• Award: MPhil, PhD, MD(Res)
• Study mode: Full time, Part time
• Campus: Denmark Hill Campus

Ongoing Department projects

• PROTECT – online longitudinal study of healthy people aged over 50 answering crucial questions relating to brain ageing
• Visual hallucinations in eye disease, dementia and Parkinson's Disease
• Management of agitation in dementia
• Blood based biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease
• New biomarkers for Dementia with Lewy Bodies
• ELAD trial – liraglutide for AD
• Brains for Dementia Research

Study environment

• Base campus: Denmark Hill Campus
• Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
• Senior members of the Department offer supervision to students wishing to undertake a PhD or MD (Res)
• There are currently 7 full-time PhD students within the department
• Graduate research students work closely with their supervisors and enjoy regular meetings to discuss their progress
• They also liaise with other members of staff with relevant research interests and are encouraged to attend and participate in departmental research presentations and other Institute seminars
• There is a full induction for new graduate students on commencing their studies
• Each full-time graduate research student is allocated their own workspace and computer; facilities for part-time students can be arranged according to their needs

Postgraduate training

• Training courses run by the department, the Institute or through the Graduate School can be utilised as required to provide training in a wide variety of topics, from transferable skills to academic areas directly relevant to the student's thesis
• King's runs an outstanding Researcher Development Programme which is designed to meet the individual training needs of research students
• The programme has been developed to ensure we produce the most qualified, experienced and employable researchers

Head of group/division

• Professor Dag Aarsland

Contact for information

• Education Support Team
• Admissions Tutor: Professor James Rubin
• Business Manager: TBC

Entry requirements

• UK requirements: A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree
• 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.