Infection Medicine PhD

Our staff conduct research on infectious diseases caused by a broad range of different pathogens. The group is located within Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences and is part of the Edinburgh Infectious Diseases (EID) umbrella organization.

The group has developed an extended teaching and training portfolio ranging from various undergraduate courses on infectious diseases to online and residential Masters programmes, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses and a PhD programme in Infection Medicine. Staff and students come from across the world and maintain an international and interdisciplinary culture. Principal investigators (PIs) lead or participate in a wide range of research and policy programmes with partners in the UK, Europe and globally. They have been instrumental in the foundation and operation of the Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) in China.

In the past few decades, there has been almost a new infectious disease emerging each year and more than 75% of these diseases derive from zoonotic origins. The objective of this research theme is to develop strategies to manage emerging and endemic diseases particularly in low- and middle-income countries. By bringing together a diverse community of multidisciplinary researchers, opportunities are created to identify, explore and address both local, region and global health challenges in order to bring about a positive change.

If your research interest lies in other aspects of infectious diseases, such as antimicrobial resistance, development of diagnostic tools, or systems biology and big data analyses, then it would be more appropriate to consider applying to one of the PhD programmes run from the Centre for Inflammation Research where some PIs also have research interests in infection medicine.

Centre for Inflammation Research

(Revised 19 November 2024)

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss national, you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance certificate in order to study this programme.

• Academic Technology Approval Scheme