Find a Doctoral course

We offer three types of Doctoral course at Imperial:

• PhD
• Professional Doctorate for people working in professional practice (MD(Res) and EngD)
• Integrated PhD, available via our Research Council-funded Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) and Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs)

Each course gives you the chance to make an original contribution to your chosen field through an intensive programme of in-depth research.

There are three distinct routes of searching for Doctoral courses at Imperial.

Programme choice

You may only be considered for a maximum of two programmes in any admission cycle. If you wish to be considered for two doctoral programmes, you will need to submit two seperate applications. If you apply for one programme at the outset and wish to add a second choice after submitting your application, you will need to send your request to the relevant admissions team.

Submitting evidence

To show how you qualify for the Doctoral course(s) you are applying for, you will need to provide information about the higher qualifications you have achieved or which you’re currently studying.

All Imperial applicants must also show that they have a sufficiently good level of written and spoken English to meet the demands of our challenging academic environment. Find out more about our English language requirements for postgraduate study.

We can process your application more quickly if you upload scanned copies of the academic transcripts and certificates for the higher education qualifications you already hold when you apply.

If you receive an offer we may ask you to provide evidence of your previous qualifications as part of the conditions of your offer. Where this applies, you must send the original physical documents by post.

If you are completing a Staff Research application, you will need to ensure you submit a scanned copy of your contract with Imperial at the same time as your application.

References

You will need to provide the names of two people who can provide an academic reference in support of your application. An academic reference could be from, for example

• Your personal tutor
• Your thesis supervisor
• Your line manager in a research group

One academic and one relevant professional reference may be acceptable – contact the relevant Admissions team for confirmation before you apply.

Application fee

There is no application fee for Doctoral courses.

Transferring from another institution

You may be permitted, in appropriate circumstances, to transfer your research degree registration from another university to Imperial.

If your request is accepted, you would be required to follow a course of study at one of Imperial's campuses of not less than 12 months full-time (or 24 months part-time).

To find out more about the circumstances under which transfer is permitted, please view our Transfer of registration for research degree students [PDF].