Program Overview

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Global Health and Social Medicine Research MPhil/PhD

Key information

Award: MPhil, PhD Study mode: Full time, Part time Campus: Strand Campus Duration: Duration MPhil: two years FT, four years PT. PhD: three years FT, four-six years PT. Most candidates begin the programme in October; February entry may be considered.

Overview

Global Health and Social Medicine welcomes applications to join our lively and mutually-supportive community of doctoral students. Working on and across our key research themes, the growing community is co-located in our research lab with visiting researchers, research fellows and professors. Students benefit from our active participation in the London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre (LISS-DTP), which provides training and leadership in relevant cross-cutting themes. Within Global Health and Social Medicine, we also offer a thriving programme of workshops, reading groups and other events.

Recently released data from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) shows that King’s is equal top in England (with Queen Mary, University of London) for its PhD completion rates with 86.8 per cent of its full time research degree starters qualifying with a research degree within seven years, against a national average in England of 72.9 per cent.

Course Detail

Research in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (established January 2012) focuses on the social, political, economic, legal and ethical factors shaping developments in biomedicine, disease and healthcare and their implications.

We have research priorities in the following areas:

• Social determinants of national and global inequalities in health, including from life-course and international comparative perspectives;
• Philosophical and ethical aspects of global health pertaining to theories of social justice;
• Social, ethical and political implications of developments in psychiatry, neuroscience and brain research, and the changing territory of mental health;
• Political economy, sociology and history of pharmaceutical regulation, innovation and pharmaceuticalization, especially drug safety and efficacy;
• Social study of reproductive technologies;
• Social, ethical, and regulatory aspects of personalised and data-driven medicine, of bio-information use in forensics and policing, and of innovation and translation in genomics, stem cells and neuroscience;
• The ethical and social implications of conducting research with human participants, and of making treatment decisions at the end of life
• Social, economic and policy consequences of ageing populations in developed and developing worlds;
• Family care and support in later life, with a particular focus on international comparative work;
• Life course influences on health and wellbeing at older ages, including life-long disorders;
• Social and ethical consequences of the capitalisation of healthcare and the roles of solidarity, justice and priority-setting in biomedicine and healthcare;
• Social and ethical implications of emerging biotechnologies, bio-politics and the global bio-economy;
• Medical anthropology and science and technology studies pertaining to knowledge, expertise, morality, safety and security;
• Medical anthropology, history, and public health of Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Socio-political and cultural dimensions of global health research, policy and innovation in developing countries, including disease control interventions such as outbreak response and preparedness;
• Social and political history of biosciences in the global south.

Information is current, but staff members can change.

Head of group/division

Dr Lucy van de Wiel (Postgraduate Research Director)

Kay Hopkin (School PGR Programmes and ECR Support Manager)

How to apply

1. Application Procedure

If you are interested in undertaking doctoral study at the Institute of Gerontology at King's College London, we have developed a two-stage application process:

1. If you would like to apply please send your research proposal (between a minimum of 1,000 and a maximum of 1500 words) and a 2-3 page CV (including academic grades obtained) for consideration to the Postgraduate Research Director, Dr Lucy van de Wiel. In your email, identify potential supervisors in our Department with a research specialism in the area that you wish to focus on in your doctoral studies.

To identify a potential supervisor in our Department, with a research specialism in the area that you wish to focus on in your doctoral studies, you can refer to our academic profiles for assistance.

2. If the Postgraduate Research Director and your potential supervisor encourage you to apply, you should submit an online application via the application portal 'King's Apply'. In the Research Proposal section of your application please ensure that you detail the name of your provisional supervisor and select that you have discussed your proposed research topic with them.

2. Personal Statement and Supporting Information

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

Global Health and Social Medicine Checklist

Personal Statement | Yes | The personal statement should be approximately three to four paragraphs, and no more than one page. This should explain why you are interested in a particular subject, and could include, for example, details of your motivation and aptitude, your relevant experience and skills, and any other information that would be useful for us in assessing your application. In general terms, we look for candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in their chosen subject area, which should be relevant to the work of the Department and our staff, and who demonstrate the potential to conduct original research. Research Proposal | Yes | The proposal (between 1,000 - 1,500 words in length) 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 a winning application, please visit the research courses 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. Writing Sample | Yes | This would usually be an extended piece of writing such as a dissertation/thesis from masters or undergraduate study, or perhaps a research paper if you have been involved in more recent research (and you are the sole author). The writing sample should be in English. References | Yes | One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. Other | Yes | A 2-3 page CV is also required.

3. Course Intake

No set number.

4. 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.

• February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 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

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) Part time tuition fees: £3,468 per year (MPhil/PhD)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

Full time tuition fees: £26,070 per year (MPhil/PhD) Part time tuition fees: £13,035 per year (MPhil/PhD)

UK Tuition Fees 2025/26

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

International Tuition Fees 2025/26

Full time tuition fees: £28,000 per year (MPhil/PhD) Part time tuition fees: £14,000 per year (MPhil/PhD)

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 campus

Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

Study Environment

The supervisory relationship is central to doctoral studies in the Department. Admission to the doctoral research programme is highly selective and is dependent upon a good match being found between student interests and supervisor capabilities. Each student is allocated a principal supervisor from within the Department, experienced in the relevant research area and responsible for all aspects of supervision. A second supervisor is allocated, who may be a member of the Department, or a specialist from another Department in the School. Research students are integrated within a community of research students, research fellows, visiting researchers and senior visiting academics from across the world, and have access to a range of formal and informal study groups and activities organised by this research community. Students also have access to graduate seminars, workshops, seminars and conferences, often in association with other departments in social sciences, arts and humanities and the Helath Schools within King's.

Postgraduate training

The Department of Global Health and Social Medicine participates in the research training programme offered in the ESRC funded London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre (LISS-DTP) and all incoming research students are allocated a programme of doctoral training to suit their specific needs which will be followed in the first year of study. LISS-DTP runs placement and knowledge-exchange programmes with organisations across the public and private sectors, and provides advanced doctoral training and summer school courses run collaboratively with other institutions. In addition, students on our doctoral programme audit parts of our MSc in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy, to provide background and skills in areas relevant to their research topic.

Student Destinations

• Teaching and research in universities
• Government and NGOs
• Policy and regulation
• Employment in the biotech sector

Entry requirements

UK requirements

Master's degree in a relevant subject and/or practical experience in the field of study.

Equivalent International qualifications

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English language requirements

English language band: B

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.