MB-PhDs
Study a fully-funded PhD alongside your medical degree
What is an MB-PhD?
Our MB-PhD studentship allows undergraduate medics who are aspiring clinician scientists to undertake medical degree training in tandem with the research expertise of a PhD in Cancer Sciences, leading to the joint award of an MBChB and PhD.
You must be studying on the University of Manchester, or the St Andrews-Manchester medical school pathway, to apply for our MB-PhD studentship.
Typically after completing Year 2 or 3 of your medical degree you switch to full-time PhD research for the next three years. You then re-enter Year 3 or 4 of your medical degree after submitting your thesis.
Through our MB-PhD programme, you’ll gain the necessary skills, knowledge and training to drive new innovations in clinical care and research and become a future cancer research leader.
Fees and funding
The PhD component of the MB-PhD studentship is usually funded for three years. The studentship covers:
- An annual stipend of £21,000 per year to help with living costs
- Full funding for your PhD tuition fees (at the UK rate, with fee bursaries available for high-performing EU/International candidates)
- PhD project consumables and running costs, including costs for researcher development such as conferences and travel
- MBChB tuition fees (at the UK rate) up to a maximum of £45,000 per student inclusive of interest.
Please speak to the MCRC Training Office regarding individual calculations as these could vary from the stated amount, dependent on how and what fees have been paid. These are conditional upon completion of MBChB and PhD components.
Find out more about or eligibility requirements and the projects available on the Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre MB-PhD webpage.
Explore our MB-PhD summer placements
Each year, we invite University of Manchester MBChB and University of St Andrews Medicine Manchester pathway students to take part in our summer placement scheme and learn more about our MB-PhD studentships.
Over the course of a week, you will visit various supervisory teams and lab groups, gaining firsthand experience in academic research. Many of the supervisors you meet will later offer projects to MB-PhD applicants, making this placement a great opportunity to connect with potential mentors and see if this pathway aligns with your ambitions.
Fill out our short form on the CRUK Manchester Centre MB-PhD webpage to be notified when applications for our MB-PhD summer placements open.
Why study in Manchester?
Manchester is the ideal place to start the next phase of your cancer research academic career. Study with us and you’ll learn from world-leading researchers, have access to cutting edge facilities, and pioneer your own research discoveries to help in our fight against cancer.
Our PhD training programme opens doors. Our first cohort of MB-PhD students graduated in summer 2023. We anticipate our graduates will become future cancer research group leaders and consultants or work in academia, clinical medicine, the pharmaceutical industry or set up clinical-commercial start-ups after completing their medical and specialty training.
Read more about why our students choose to study in Manchester
Jean Ling Tan
Jean is a first year MB-PhD student at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Her research is exploring potential ways to reverse chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer. Read more about Jean’s decision to study an MB-PhD, her goals for the future and what her typical day looks like.
Hadiyat Ogunlayi
Hadiyat Ogunlayi is an MB-PhD student at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Her research is investigating the relationship between a stromal wound healing phenotype and breast density as a mechanism for breast cancer development. Find out about Hadiyat’s experience on our MB-PhD programme.
Clinical Opportunities
Why Manchester?
