Overview

The MPhil/PhD in Health Sciences is an opportunity to develop your research interests and skills in a centre of excellence for health, within research groups building the international evidence base for health and health care. 

The programmes are three years full-time or six years part-time for a PhD, and two years full-time or four years part-time for an MPhil. They are designed to develop your academic excellence in a multidisciplinary context.

We will equip you to undertake, analyse and evaluate health research. At the same time you have the flexibility to tailor your studies to pursue your own research interests and develop the skills you need for your future career.  We support a range of different methodological and disciplinary perspectives. The common theme is the rigour of the methodology and the aim of adding to the evidence base for health and health care.

We ask you to provide a brief research outline with your application and give some indication of the research group within which your research interest belongs.

Training

All students are initially registered for their intended award aim (ie either MPhil or PhD). However PhD students are initially only provisionally registered for their PhD.  There is a confirmation of registration procedure which is a progression requirement that must be successfully completed if the student is to progress on the PhD.

As part of your research degree, you will plan a subject-specific ‘research training programme’ with your supervisor to meet your individual needs and the core training requirements of the Department.  All MPhil/PhD students are usually required to demonstrate skills in the following areas, normally by taking these modules:

• Research Methods
• Applied Biostatistics 
• Eidemiology
• Systematic Reviews

Further training, generally equivalent to at least a further 40 credits, will be agreed with your academic supervisor and programme leader. Most of our MPhil and PhD students follow the multidisciplinary approach of the MSc in Health Sciences (Health Services Research) programme.

The University offers a variety of further opportunities for the training and personal development of research students, enabling you to make the most of your university experience. Workshops include communication skills, career management and training for postgraduate students who teach. Other learning programmes provide opportunities to enhance skills and develop new interests.

Supervision

You will receive academic support from a supervisor and a Thesis Advisory Panel. Supervisors are matched to students by research interests and expertise and the TAP will be selected by your supervisor to provide specialist methodological advice or general guidance, as well as feedback on the quality of the research and written work. Your supervisor and the TAP will support you over the course of your period of study.

Preference in admission will be given to students whose proposed research fits within the research themes of the Department and the research programmes of the academic staff.

You should be sure to name a potential supervisor on your application form. For details of academic staff and research interests, as well as research teams and leaders, see Research in the Department, the Department’s Research Staff List, and Research Links with other Departments.

Funding

Details of our current PhD studentships can be found here http://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/gsp/funding/phd-studentships/

Paid Teaching

Postgraduates Who Teach (PGWT)

The Department can sometimes offer paid teaching opportunities to Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs) or, in exceptional cases, to experienced Masters students.

Teaching vacancies across the University are advertised periodically, usually at the start of each academic year. Click on the links for further information and current vacancies.  You may also wish to view current rates of pay for PGWTs.

While teaching experience is a useful addition to your CV as a research student, we try to ensure that teaching duties do not impinge on your own research or interfere with the completion of a good thesis. The University requires all PGRs who wish to pursue paid teaching opportunities to undertake the 'Introduction to Learning and Teaching' training course, part of the training and support offered to postgraduate students. All PGWT should demonstrate a sufficient standard of English communication skills appropriate to the role. Further information about PGWT training can be found here.

Typically, candidates who meet the criteria will be interviewed but this does not guarantee that teaching work will be offered. For further information about postraduate teaching within the Department please contact the PGWT co-ordinator, Cath Hewit: catherine.hewitt@york.ac.uk.