PhD in Clinical Neurosciences

Please ensure you check the Department of Clinical Neurosciences website for up-to-date information on projects and funding.

Postgraduate training is very different from undergraduate courses. It is based on individual needs and abilities, and is designed to help you to think clearly, originally and practically, and to prepare you for leadership in science. We teach our postgraduate students how to plan and carry out cutting-edge research. Cambridge is an amazing place to learn how to do research. Visiting speakers and collaborators come from all over the world, and there are simply too many seminars for one person to attend! We have a careful system of monitoring the individual progress of each student; everyone has both a principal supervisor and associated adviser, and there are weekly student-led seminars.

Research training within the Department has several essential components, the first and foremost being the research project itself, to which you will make a significant contribution. This will give you experience and training in a variety of experimental and/or clinical research techniques, but will also teach you how to organise research, plan experiments, and read and digest the scientific literature relevant to your research work. Most research groups have weekly or fortnightly meetings in which all members discuss each other's work.

However, other skills are also important. You will be required to attend seminars and round-tables, and you will have the opportunity to go to scientific meetings both in the UK and abroad. These bring you into direct contact with prominent and active scientists in your field from around the world.

You will also give scientific talks yourself. Audiences for such talks are often quite large, and the discussion of your paper is often very lively. You will also be expected to attend courses, that either directly relate to your research (for example, they might teach you a specific skill or expand your theoretical knowledge) or teach you general skills that are important for a well-qualified scientist to know (for example, how to write a scientific paper, use databases, or interact with the media). There are a large number of these courses, many of them run by the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences. The Department also has its own series of seminars.

We expect our postgraduate students to publish in high-quality journals, and nearly all of them do so.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

• a comprehensive understanding of techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature, applicable to their own research;
• demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
• shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies;
• demonstrated some self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.

Continuing

Those who wish to progress to a PhD after completing an MPhil will be required to demonstrate to their potential supervisor, Head of Department and the Faculty Degree Committee that they have the skills and ability to achieve the higher degree.

Further information on continuing students can be seen here

Open Days

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the Postgraduate Open Day page for more details.

See further the Postgraduate Admissions Events pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Good II.i Honours Degree. If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country. The Department of Clinical Neurosciences considers applicants from all research backgrounds, not only Neuroscience. University Minimum Academic Requirements Language Requirement

Listening: 7.0, Writing: 7.0, Reading: 6.5, Speaking: 7.0, Total: 7.0, Listening: 25, Writing: 25, Reading: 25, Speaking: 25, Total: 100