Entry requirements

Candidates must usually achieve a minimum upper-second class (2:1) UK honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant subject.

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.

As a PhD student in biology, you will become part of a rich research environment at Birkbeck and University College London. We are also part of a multidisciplinary centre for world-class research, the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology (ISMB), which seeks to integrate techniques from the chemical and physical sciences to provide insight into the molecular basis of biological processes.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), in a joint submission with UCL, Biological Sciences at Birkbeck were ranked 11th in the UK, with a research environment supporting world-leading and internationally excellent research. Our academic staff have many years of experience in teaching both part-time and full-time research students and offer internationally recognised expertise in the following key areas of research:

Biology (organismal)
Biophysics
Cell biology
Chemical biology
Computational biology
Microbiology
Structural biology

Highlights

Birkbeck is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions. Our cutting-edge scholarship informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive difference to society.
Birkbeck’s research excellence overall was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
Birkbeck has state-of-the-art laboratories equipped for protein crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, confocal microscopy, biophysics, spectroscopy, molecular biology, synthetic and analytical chemistry and microbiology.
We are part of the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology (ISMB), a multidisciplinary centre for world-class research.
Read about Birkbeck research helping to identify fundamental biological and physical structures and fight disease.

Information for international students

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Fees and funding

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

MPhil/PhD
part time
84 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
full time
48 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name: Student Advice Service
Email: studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk

Phone: +44 (0)20 3907 0700

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Biology