Program Overview

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Psychological Medicine Research MPhil/PhD, MD(Res)

Key information

Award:

MPhil

PhD

Study mode:

Full time

Part time

Campus:

Denmark Hill Campus

Overview

The Department of Psychological Medicine at King's College London is the largest department in the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). It currently has around 20 full-time academics and a total of approximately 100 members of staff. The department has approximately 50 doctoral students.

The large number of staff and students in the Department provides an environment which is very beneficial to research students because:

• of the research and clinical expertise available
• of the structures which are in place to help students achieve their goals
• of the collegiality and support that is afforded by having other young researchers going through the same experience.

The Head of the Department is Professor Trudie Chalder.

The department is research-led but in addition, has a broad teaching and clinical remit. The mental health problems of particular interest are those of the common mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, liaison psychiatry, military mental health, perinatal psychiatry, and stress related disorders.

Research in the Department of Psychological Medicine

There are eight major research groups in the Department. They all have an extensive research portfolios and an established record for obtaining funding and publishing research in high impact journals. The department has a well-developed framework for helping research students to:

• find the most suitable supervisors
• to integrate into research groups
• to develop their projects
• to monitor their progress
• to obtain specialist help e.g. with data analysis
• to obtain pastoral care e.g. to present their data at meetings
• to provide guidance with thesis and viva preparation.

All of the research groups work closely with service users, their families, and healthy volunteers i.e in relation to clinical projects. The research groups are:

• Affective Disorders
• Diabetes and Psychiatry
• Eating Disorders
• General Hospital Psychiatry
• King's Centre for Military Health Research
• Mental Health, Ethics and Law
• Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory & Section of Perinatal Psychiatry
• Trauma Studies

Research students may conduct their postgraduate studies within one of these groups or their project may go across two groups. In some cases, it could involve research with a group elsewhere in King's, for instance, in the Centre for Neuroimaging Studies. In fact, if regulatory conditions are met, the project could involve a collaboration with a group in another university or country.

Clinical Academic Groups (CAG)

To facilitate and to fund clinical academic research, Kings Health Partners has a number of clinical academic groups. Psychological Medicine as a Department is part of the Clinical Academic Group (CAG) with the same name. This CAG within King’s Health Partners seeks to cross the divide between psychiatry and medicine.

The principal research methodologies used within the department are clinical, psychological, biological (including genetics and neuroimaging) and epidemiological. These approaches include cross sectional studies, cohort studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Teaching in the Department of Psychological Medicine

In addition to research and clinical work, the department is very involved in teaching. This occurs across a wide range of programmes and specialist subject areas and in many cases is done via formal lectures.

Teaching in the department also includes structured events such as research student “showcases” (presentation of work to peers and to staff) and also debates: this means that research students develop presentation skills and become able to assess and discuss data and conclusions. These transferable skills are very important for student development both in terms of becoming “part of the dialogue of their subject area” but also as a preparation for life after their PhD.

In addition to the research associated issues described above, the teaching environment in the Department means that research students can have the opportunity to become informed on a very wide area of specialist theoretical and practical topics. For example, the Department is involved in the teaching of full time and part time Master's programmes such as the MSc in Mental Health Studies or the _MSc in War& Psychiatry. _

The department also hosts The Maudsley Forum, an international annual four day conference, for psychiatrists, psychologists and others interested in mental health: this gives participants the opportunity to learn about the most current advances in clinical and academic psychiatry. In addition, the department runs a series of e-interactive, popular debates on mental health issues: these attract well known speakers and are attended by service users, carers, professionals, journalists and members of the public.

Research students have access to an extensive programme of teaching related to issues such as ethics, statistics, research project design etc., and in fact, are required to attend a number of these as part of their training.

How to Apply

1. Finding Supervisors

Firstly, you will need to find supervisors to work with you in this capacity. You can search through our research portal to find supervisors who work in your chosen research area.

2. Arranging Funding

Unless you are applying for a studentship or can self-fund your studies, you will need to arrange for funding before you make the application.

3. Make an Online Application

Next you need to make your online application. This application will be assessed by the Admissions team to assess your references, fee status as well as your eligibility in terms of education and experience.

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.

Application Procedure

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

• Personal Statement: 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). It should include an explanation of your interest and existing knowledge of the field.
• Research Proposal: 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. A letter of support from your proposed King's supervisor is also required.
• Previous Academic Study: 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: One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago.
• Other: You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application.

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.

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

Fees or Funding

UK Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees: £7,950 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £7,950 per year (MDRes)
• Part time tuition fees: £3,975 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £3,975 per year (MDRes)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees: £30,240 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £30,240 per year (MDRes)
• Part time tuition fees: £15,120 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £15,120 per year (MDRes)

UK Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees: £8,500 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £8,500 per year (MDRes)
• Part time tuition fees: £4,250 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £4,250 per year (MDRes)

International Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees: £32,400 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £32,400 per year (MDRes)
• Part time tuition fees: £16,200 per year (MPhil/PhD, Psychological Medicine Research), £16,200 per year (MDRes)

Study Environment

Base Campus

• Denmark Hill Campus: Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

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.

What Our Students Say

In a recent survey our PhD students reported that they have a very positive experience. On a range of measures, the scores were very gratifying:

• Professional Development - 90%
• Progress and Assessment - 90%
• Research Skills - 90%

Many factors could be contributing to the good “theme scores” seen in the student survey:

• having two (or even three) student supervisors
• robust programme approval procedures for each student
• regular and formalised monitoring of student progress
• a formal MPhil/PhD upgrade

The success of the PhD programme in the Department of Psychological Medicine is reflected in the following ways:

• several recent students were awarded King's prizes for the “best thesis”
• others have won prizes at local “showcase “ events
• some have won travel awards to attend prestigious scientific meetings
• some have won presentation awards at meetings
• some have contributed to TV documentaries
• many of the students have published several papers in high impact journals. In the last three years, the Department has published several hundred papers and in the majority of these, PhD students are either first authors or co-authors.
• several members of the Dept have been awarded College awards that recognise excellent supervision.

Postgraduate Training

Training courses run by the department, the Institute or through the Graduate School can be used as required to provide training in a wide variety of topics, from transferable skills to academic areas directly relevant to the student's thesis.

Head of Department

• Professor Trudie Chalder

Deputy Head of Department

• Professor Roland Zahn

Contact for Information

For any additional queries regarding application and project approval procedures please contact Education Support Team, Admissions Tutor: Dr Alex Dregan, Business Manager: Anai Sarkis.

Entry Requirements

UK Requirements

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

If you have a lower degree classification, or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).

Equivalent International Qualifications

Select a country to view the 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.